The Boss is a wooden roller coaster in the Britannia section of Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri. It opened on April 29, 2000, built by Custom Coasters International and designed by Dennis McNulty and Larry Bill, and quickly earned a reputation as one of the Midwest’s most intense wooden coasters thanks to its dramatic use of natural terrain.
Nicknamed a “terrain twister,” The Boss winds through roughly 12 acres of wooded, hilly land, crossing over its own track six times during the ride. Riders climb a 122-foot lift hill before plunging down a 150-foot first drop at a steep angle, launching into a course built around the landscape rather than flattened for it.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags St. Louis
- Manufacturer: Custom Coasters International
- Opened: April 29, 2000
- Height: 122 feet
- Top Speed: 66.3 mph
- Length: about 4,631 feet
- Inversions: 0
- Track Type: Wooden terrain coaster
The Ride Experience
The Boss is built around sustained airtime and abrupt changes in direction rather than inversions or record-breaking stats. After the 150-foot first drop, the layout dives repeatedly into ravines and back out again, using the natural contours of the site to create sudden pops of airtime that wooden coasters built on flat land can’t replicate. Trains run three per operating cycle, each seating 24 riders across six cars.
The layout has changed since opening. Prior to the 2018 season, Six Flags St. Louis removed the ride’s 570-degree helix finale and replaced it with a shorter banked turn, trimming about 420 feet from the original track length to ease maintenance demands typical of aging wooden structures.
Legacy and Recognition
In its early years, The Boss was ranked among the top wooden coasters in the world by Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards, reaching as high as 15th place in 2001. It remains one of the largest wooden coasters in the Midwest and a signature attraction for Six Flags St. Louis, valued by enthusiasts for its raw, terrain-driven pacing rather than modern steel-coaster theatrics.
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The Boss FAQs
Where is The Boss roller coaster located?
The Boss is located in the Britannia section of Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri.
How fast does The Boss go?
The Boss reaches a top speed of about 66.3 mph during its 150-foot first drop.
Does The Boss have any loops or inversions?
No, The Boss is a traditional wooden coaster with zero inversions; its thrills come from terrain-based drops and airtime rather than loops.
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Photo: Chris Hagerman from New Port Richey, FL, US / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.