Rocky Mountain Construction

Rocky Mountain Construction
Private
Industry Manufacturing and construction
Founded 2001
Founder Fred Grubb and Suanne Dedmon
Headquarters Hayden, Idaho, United States
Area served
North America
Services Roller coasters, water parks, specialty construction
Website www.rockymtnconstruction.com

Rocky Mountain Construction is a manufacturing and construction company based in Hayden, Idaho, United States. The company is best known for its I-Box track and Topper Track for wooden roller coasters.

History

In 2001, Rocky Mountain Construction was established by Fred Grubb and Suanne Dedmon. Fred Grubb previously had experience in the construction industry having worked on custom homes and zoo exhibits. The company has worked on several projects including the construction of roller coasters, water parks, steel buildings, miniature golf courses and go kart tracks.[1]

In the 2000s, Alan Schilke of Ride Centerline joined Rocky Mountain Construction.[2] He previously worked with Arrow Dynamics (later S&S Worldwide) to design Tennessee Tornado and X.[3][4][5] As part of Rocky Mountain Construction, Schilke and Grubb went on to design the I-Box track for wooden roller coasters.[6] The first installation of this track technology debuted on the New Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas in 2011.[7]

In late 2011, Schilke announced that the company would be working on two projects throughout 2012 which would both open in 2013.[8] These were later revealed to be an I-Box retrack of the The Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and a new roller coaster designed from scratch at Silver Dollar City named Outlaw Run.[9][10] The track technology used for Outlaw Run, which allows a square beam of wood to be twisted, took 4 years to develop. It allows Rocky Mountain Construction to design layouts with maneuvers that are not traditionally possible with wooden roller coasters such as heartline rolls. Grubb has stated the technology could be used for new elements in the future.[11] Some new elements were realised with the announcement of Goliath at Six Flags Great America. The ride features a dive loop and a zero-g stall. The ride opened in June of 2014.[12]

In 2013, Rocky Mountain Construction signed a deal with Dutch amusement ride firm Vekoma. The agreement allows Vekoma to sell Rocky Mountain Construction's roller coasters outside the North American market.[13] On April 8, 2014, Kolmården Wildlife Park in Sweden announced the first Rocky Mountain coaster in Europe, Wildfire, opening in 2016.

To cope with demand, Rocky Mountain Construction are due to open a new factory, twice the size of their existing one, in August 2014.[14]

Technology

Installations

The retracked Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas
Name Park Location Type Opened Ref(s)
New Texas Giant Six Flags Over Texas United States Texas, United States Steel 2011 [7]
Outlaw Run Silver Dollar City United States Missouri, United States Wood 2013 [10]
Iron Rattler Six Flags Fiesta Texas United States Texas, United States Steel 2013 [9][21]
Medusa Steel Coaster Six Flags México Mexico México City, México Steel 2014
Goliath Six Flags Great America United States Illinois, United States Wood 2014
Twisted Colossus Six Flags Magic Mountain United States California, United States Steel 2015 [22]
Wicked Cyclone Six Flags New England United States Massachusetts, United States Steel 2015 [23]
Wildfire Kolmården Wildlife Park Sweden Bråviken, Sweden Wood 2016
TBA TBA United States United States Steel 2016

Other projects

Topper Track
Construction[24]
Repairs[24]
Miscellaneous
The wavepool at Boulder Beach was constructed by Rocky Mountain Construction

[24]

References

  1. "About Us". Rocky Mountain Construction. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  2. Gordon, Leslie (19 January 2012). "Box-shaped tracks let mega-coasters soar". Machine Design. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  3. Marden, Duane. "Tennessee Tornado  (Dollywood)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  4. Marden, Duane. "X2  (Six Flags Magic Mountain)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  5. US patent 6523479, Schilke, Alan & et al, "Amusement rides and methods", issued 25 February 2003, assigned to Morano, S. Joseph
  6. US application 2011146528, Schilke, Alan; Grubb, Fred; Bachtar, Dody, "Rolling Vehicle Track"
  7. 7.0 7.1 "NEW Texas Giant Named Best New Ride of 2011". PR Newswire. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Alvey, Robb; Schilke, Alan (16 November 2011). "IAAPA 2011 Trade Show Part 3 Orlando Florida Theme Park Review Rocky Mountain Sally". Theme Park Review. YouTube. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 McLean, Mike (19 January 2012). "North Idaho roller coaster maker expands to accommodate innovations". Journal of Business. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Marden, Duane. "unknown  (Silver Dollar City)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  11. Olson, Devon (2013). Outlaw Run: From Dreams To Screams. Branson, Missouri: YouTube. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  12. "New for 2014". August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  13. "Vekoma rides on". Park World Magazine: 30. November 2013.
  14. Grubb, Fred (June 25, 2014). Fred and Suanne. (Interview). NewsPlusNotes. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  15. Sandy, Adam (May 2011). "Six Flags turns to Gerstlauer to deliver themed trains" (PDF). Amusement Today. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  16. "Steel track for wooden coasters". Park World Online. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  17. 17.0 17.1 Rocky Mountain Construction (15 October 2010). "Tremors Coaster Topper Track Installation". Photos. Facebook. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 "Georgia Cyclone: A Classic "Woodie"". Six Flags. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 "Two Six Flags Rides Receive "Topper Track" for 2011". NewsPlusNotes. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2012. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  20. 20.0 20.1 "Rocky Mountain Construction Company". Coaster-Net. 16 February 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2012. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  21. Morton, Neal (30 August 2012). "Steel up for Iron Rattler". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  22. "Six Flags Magic Mountain turning wooden coaster into Twisted Colossus". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  23. "Six Flags unveils new attractions for every park in 2015". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 "Clients & Portfolio". Rocky Mountain Construction. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  25. Kentucky Kingdom (July 28, 2013). "Timeline Photos". Facebook. Retrieved August 2, 2013.

External links