Volcano: The Blast Coaster - Kings Dominion (VA)

Date Ridden: Summer of 2007 and 2008. Times Ridden: 4.

Volcano is an interesting coaster located about 8 hours northeast from my home in the northwest corner of Georgia. It is one of the world's only inverted launched coasters and hits my top spot for favorite inverted coaster. It lands solidly in the Coaster Reviews Top 20 with a number of very unique elements which I will attempt to explain below.

The beginning of the ride is quite possibly the best start to any ride in existence. A 0-70 MPH launch out of and around the man-made mountain (it actually used to be home to a Smurf ride before it was re-designed) and then back into the mountain and another launch 90 degrees straight up and out of the volcano with fire roaring around you!!! Now that is creativity and Intamin (designers of the Coaster Reviews # 1 ranked coaster, Millennium Force) dipped into their back of tricks to pull this one off.

Next, the three barrel rolls while the train flies around the mountain are taken at such a slow speed that the hanging sensation is heightened, making the riders feel like they are about to fall out and tumble down the mountain more than 100 feet below. These are three of my favorite inversions (despite not being the greatest inversion fan there is) found on any coaster.

Lastly, there is a large banked drop at the end where the ride dives back into the mountain and comes to a stop. While an overlooked portion of the ride, this is a great ending to a very thrilling experience.

Despite it's many exciting features, there are a few issues with Volcano that bump it down a point. To begin with, due to the short layout of the course, there are only two trains which hold 16 passengers per train. While not a capacity nightmare, get ready for a 45-90 minute wait due to this fact plus the rides popularity. Secondly, and I've already mentioned this, the ride is a little short for a truly world-class coaster. I do not mind short rides if they are thrilling, and Volcano certainly is, but another 1,000 feet of track would bump this monster up immensely.

One final recommendation would be to definitely ride in the very front car. Of my four rides, two have been in the front and one of those was at night. Being launched with nothing in front of you but air was a great experience. Also, as is normal on inverted coasters, the view from the front is totally unobstructed making for a better visual experience.

In conclusion, Volcano is the top coaster at Kings Dominion and a truly world class ride. It does not get the respect it deserves in many coaster circles due to its short length. However, it is fun, exciting, and a total "blast". There is nothing like being shot out of a volcano to close down a great day of coaster riding.

Overall Score - 9

Ride Volcano below.