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The Smiler - General Discussion

Will hopefully ride Smiler for my first time on Thursday. Anyone got any tips?
I'm sure this conversation has been had before relatively recently, but anyway. Watch the track ahead and "ride" it as appropriate, shifting your body in accordance to the direction of the car. Brace for inversion 12 and duck out the way for the mist effect if you're on the right hand side of the train, on the 2nd airtime hill. That part's not overly pleasant in cold weather. And just try to enjoy it.
 
Brace from inversion 12 onwards and keep your head clear of the OTSR if you value your ears. 12 has the nasty jolt, but the two rolls which follow can also throw you about a bit.

For inversion 1 (and only inversion 1) don’t be afraid to let your body hang limply. It’s a great opener to the ride and has some wonderful hangtime!

As others have said as well, sit tall for restraint check. The Gerst OTSRs do have thigh braces but they won’t stop it from pressing on your shoulders if like me you’re on the tall side.
 
Dunno if this is just me but I love tipping my head back and looking ‘upwards’ as the train is going through the first inversion after the vertical lift hill (inversion 8). If u do that rather than looking forward u will see all the way down into the pit where people are queuing and its actually a pretty ‘high’ point of the ride. Dunno maybe its an optical illusion, but it just always looks like a big distance to the bottom of the pit to me.
 
!
As others have said as well, sit tall for restraint check. The Gerst OTSRs do have thigh braces but they won’t stop it from pressing on your shoulders if like me you’re on the tall side.
This is very useful to know as I'm 6ft 2 :p
 
Did you ride it then @skyscraper?
Unfortunately no, I got to the station but had an issue with the batching host which I have submitted a complaint about. All explained below;

I said how many of us there were (three) and showed him my Box Ofiice-issued mask exemption card. He told us to go to row 4, so I politely explained that it was my first time and could we sit nearer the front as I would feel more comfortable.

He said if I could wear a mask for 2 minutes we could have front, otherwise we'd have to go at the back. He didn't clarify if he meant just in the station or actually on the ride.

The way he spoke to us and the fact that I'd already shown my exemption card, coupled with my panic about the back row and embarrassment (there were other people behind us), made me so distressed and upset that I had to bail out, meaning that my friends also didn't get to ride. I still feel guilty about them missing out, especially as one of them also hadn't ridden it before. :(
 
Unfortunately no, I got to the station but had an issue with the batching host which I have submitted a complaint about. All explained below;

I said how many of us there were (three) and showed him my Box Ofiice-issued mask exemption card. He told us to go to row 4, so I politely explained that it was my first time and could we sit nearer the front as I would feel more comfortable.

He said if I could wear a mask for 2 minutes we could have front, otherwise we'd have to go at the back. He didn't clarify if he meant just in the station or actually on the ride.

The way he spoke to us and the fact that I'd already shown my exemption card, coupled with my panic and embarrassment (there were other people behind us), made me so distressed and upset that I had to bail out, meaning that my friends also didn't get to ride. I still feel guilty about them missing out, especially as one of them also hadn't ridden it before. :(
That seems to be a merlin wide rule, mask excempt go rear row (no idea what it is on TH13TEEN).
 
That seems to be a merlin wide rule, mask exempt go rear row (no idea what it is on TH13TEEN).
Someone else told me that but I didn't get it on any of the other coasters. :confused:
If I'd known that was a rule I wouldn't have decided to do Smiler. The guy didn't even mention that.
They really should tell that to people at the Box Office upon collection of the card.
 
Someone else told me that but I didn't get it on any of the other coasters. :confused:
If I'd known that was a rule I wouldn't have decided to do Smiler. The guy didn't even mention that.
They really should tell that to people at the Box Office upon collection of the card.
This year it seems RBO don't know a lot of policies rides are enforcing, me and @spinba11 got refused rides together because we are both don't need a carer yellow rap ..
 
That's another problem I had, the person at the box office insisted that I had to have the red band.
Whilst its seemingly not written down anywhere it seems if you have so called cognitive conditions (how I hate that term) such as being Autistic they default to red unless you have a doctor's letter explictly saying you don't need a carer.
I got lucky.
 
Unfortunately no, I got to the station but had an issue with the batching host which I have submitted a complaint about. All explained below;

I said how many of us there were (three) and showed him my Box Ofiice-issued mask exemption card. He told us to go to row 4, so I politely explained that it was my first time and could we sit nearer the front as I would feel more comfortable.

He said if I could wear a mask for 2 minutes we could have front, otherwise we'd have to go at the back. He didn't clarify if he meant just in the station or actually on the ride.

The way he spoke to us and the fact that I'd already shown my exemption card, coupled with my panic about the back row and embarrassment (there were other people behind us), made me so distressed and upset that I had to bail out, meaning that my friends also didn't get to ride. I still feel guilty about them missing out, especially as one of them also hadn't ridden it before. :(
What's wrong with the back row?
 
What's wrong with the back row?
That it's apparently so rough and painful. Don't want to to do it for my first ride and not enjoy it.b Could potentially put me off riding again. I'd feel more comfortable near the front for my first ride.
 
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