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As their favorite theme park was closed due to Covid-19, Sean LaRochelle, a graduate student pursuing his Masters in Architecture at Clemson University, decided to bring a bit of Disneyland right to their backyard.
LaRochelle, his wife and their three children were in quarantine with his parents and siblings at their home in Napa Valley, California when he decided on a whim to try to build a coaster.
“I went to my dad and I thought, I think we’re going to build a roller coaster in the backyard. And he said, ‘Oh yeah, that’s good. No problem. “I don’t think he realized how good it was going to be, but he was super supportive,” LaRochelle told CNN.
The roller coaster ended up being around 400 feet in length. Only one rider starts at a time, but it takes 50 seconds to ride from start to finish.
“We have, you know, rock formations and waterfalls and an animatronic yeti. And you do a few loops around the mountain and try to escape its clutches, ”he says.
LaRochelle has fond memories of the iconic ride and trips to the park with his family, so attention to detail was key for him.
“I really wanted to do it well. I wanted to be very detailed. I was like, imagine I was an Imagineer and trying to put the same care and quality into the product. And so for me that was the most important thing, ”he says.
It started construction in March and finished in July. LaRochelle said it was essentially a full-time job for him and his brother Michael in addition to the full-time jobs they already had.
“Basically, it was after work every day, we worked until it got dark. And then we would wake up early in the morning, we would work until we had to go to work. And then the weekend it was was pretty much 24/7, ”he said.
“We’re not, you know, mechanical engineers. We’re not, you know, artisans, we’re just people. And you know, I think it shows that anybody can do that stuff.
LaRochelle said he and his brother used a lot of resources found on the internet besides including their friends and family. In the end, all the hard work paid off.
He did not have an estimate of the construction cost. “The joke was, it was Trump’s stimulus control coaster. We ended up spending a little more than that,” LaRochelle said.
A lot of work to spread a little joy
“Really, that’s just positive feedback. And I think, you know, we’re living in such a tumultuous time right now and we’ve got someone, or just see a collaborative group of people putting something together. of creative, who tries to joy for people, I think that really only helps, especially because of everything that is going on, ”he said.
While the ride will survive a bit longer, LaRochelle said it was only meant to be temporary and they would end up knocking it down, but for now, the intention is to continue to spread some joy.
“I hope the future of racing is people see it as something that has inspired other people, you know, and maybe we’ll do another race, who knows,” he said. he declares.
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