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Thirteen: General Discussion

Th13teen has grown on me so much over the years. Now that it's over a decade since the marketing fiasco that surrounded its opening, I just appreciate it for the fun family coaster it is. The drop is still, after all these years, fairly effective.
 
It's fine for a family coaster. I just think it's USP was all just about the surprise drop and reverse and once you know what it does it's just not that exciting anymore. Rather like Nemesis Sub-terra. Once you'd done it once you really didn't feel a need to do it again, hence it being mothballed.
 
I don’t know if it’s because there’s substantially less weight in the trains, but Thirteen seems to have been running more slowly lately… at least, it’s felt slower on all of the rides I’ve had post-COVID. Has anyone else noticed this?
 
It's fine for a family coaster. I just think it's USP was all just about the surprise drop and reverse and once you know what it does it's just not that exciting anymore. Rather like Nemesis Sub-terra. Once you'd done it once you really didn't feel a need to do it again, hence it being mothballed.

This is why Sub Terra never worked for me. It's whole gimmick was identical to a ride that opened just two seasons earlier.
 
Here is a really interesting feature I found about Thirteen on Theme Park Tourist; I know it’s from 2019, but I thought some of you might find it interesting: https://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20190622/37145/declassified-disaster-th13teen-alton-towers
Boring overlong article just to get you to see as many adverts as possible, no actual "inside" info, just telling us what we already know. The marketing campaign didnt fit the ride, yeah we were there. I stopped reading after "Rita's red track was repainted in oxidised brown", err nahh
 
Boring overlong article just to get you to see as many adverts as possible, no actual "inside" info, just telling us what we already know. The marketing campaign didnt fit the ride, yeah we were there. I stopped reading after "Rita's red track was repainted in oxidised brown", err nahh
Sorry… I thought some might find it interesting. I certainly did, anyway!
 
Sorry… I thought some might find it interesting. I certainly did, anyway!
No need to be sorry. Just there are plenty clickbait articles or videos out there recycling stuff you can already find online, half true and only done to get views. The author isnt even from the UK so presumably wasnt there for the promo and only visited the park a few times. You probably know more about Thirteen than they do.
 
I’ve just been having a trawl through the Thirteen construction thread over on CoasterForce, and it’s made for a rather interesting read, I’ll admit! Have a look for yourself, if you want a trip down memory lane back to when Thirteen was built: https://coasterforce.com/forums/threads/thirteen-intamin-psychoaster-alton-towers-2010.25387/

I wasn’t an enthusiast when Thirteen was being built, but it’s certainly interesting to see what everyone was thinking when Thirteen was under construction! The thread spawned some very interesting rumours and discussion, including:
  • People threatening to cut all their hair off if the manufacturer wasn’t Premier Rides.
  • Rumours that it would be a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter, linked in some way to Saw: The Ride.
  • Rumours that the theme would tie in with Hex, and revolve around the Alton Hounds that adorn the Towers.
  • Suggestions that the ride would be an Intamin Mega-Lite, similar to Piraten at Djurs Sommerland.
  • Shawn Sanbrooke was apparently insistent that the ride would be a B&M, with a new track style that the company was premiering, and that there was also an Intamin spinning coaster being built in the Black Hole tent.
One thing I’ll say about ride developments now is that the rumour mill doesn’t seem to spiral out of control like it did back then… I seem to remember Wicker Man’s development having far less rumours being thrown around.

Another interesting read I found in that thread was Alton Towers’ press release revealing the name of Thirteen:
Alton Towers said:
Thirteen - Push your luck at the Alton Towers Resort!

UK theme park announces launch of the world’s first “Psychoaster” for March 2010

Today, the Alton Towers Resort has announced that it will be launching the ultimate rollercoaster Thirteen on 20th March 2010.

Until now, Thirteen has been kept top secret under the name “Secret Weapon 6” and is the subject of much speculation from fans. The new £15m ride is billed to be the scariest in the UK and will join a long line of world first attractions at the Alton Towers Resort including “Nemesis”, “Oblivion” and “Air”.

Thirteen will be based on the discovery of an unearthed ancient burial site in an area of unexplored woodland known as the Dark Forest. Built on the site of the old Corkscrew roller coaster, visitors will be invited to take a petrifying ride on Thirteen, venturing into the seemingly living and breathing Dark Forest. There they will face an unknown horror that has been unleashed from the ancient crypt.

The ride has been developed with the world’s leading coaster and thrill consultants who have collaborated to combine the ultimate elements of physical and psychological fear - to create what experts are dubbing a “psychoaster”.

The new technology will be the first of its kind in the world and will potentially make the ride so frightening that the Resort is considering introducing a controversial age-rating. Only visitors between the age of 16-55 will be allowed on the ride due to concerns about emotional maturity and physical health. Visitors may also be limited to one ride per day and be required to sign a waiver which assures the Resort of their physical and mental health to avoid any resulting lawsuits.

THIRTEEN STATS AND FACTS
  • £15 million pound investment
  • Built on a burial site that is part of the original Alton Abbey, Thirteen will be themed around a crypt, with one of the main features of the ride taking place inside the unearthed crypt
  • The ride was tested and built in Europe before being shipped to the UK
  • Thirteen has been in design for 2 years and taken 9 months to build by a team of 35 working round the clock, to ensure it’s ready for launch in March.
  • The ride is replacing the old Corkscrew Rollercoaster which closed in November 2008 after 28 years and was the nation’s first double-helix rollercoaster
John Wardley, rollercoaster expert said: “This ground-breaking technology is something never seen before and will open up a whole new concept for theme park rides. By combining physical and psychological terror, Thirteen will be the first ride to play on emotional fear and something coaster fans will not be prepared for.”

Morwenna Angove, Sales and Marketing Director at the Alton Towers Resort said: “We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Thirteen at the Alton Towers Resort. This new ride will be a shocking, never-experienced-before rollercoaster and we’re excited that once again the Alton Towers Resort is able to offer visitors the chance to experience something unavailable in any other part of the world. However, just as we take physical health and safety very seriously, Thirteen demands that we also consider our visitors’ emotional health, and as such, we’re not afraid of introducing necessary measures to ensure riders are fully prepared and healthy enough to brave Thirteen”

Thirteen is set to cement the Alton Towers Resort’s reputation as the No.1 destination for thrill and fear addicts around the world.

For more information on the launch of Thirteen visit www.altontowers.com
Certainly interesting, don’t you think?
 
Sorry for double posting, but I’d be interested to know; what’s everyone’s favourite row on Thirteen?

Personally, I’m undecided; I’ve done both row 1 and row 10, and while I think the first drop is great on the back, and some of the outdoor twists become a bit more thrilling at the back, there are some really nice, sharp pops of ejector in the front that you don’t get as much in the back (from memory, at least; it’s a few years since I’ve done row 10), and the front effectively begins to function as the back in the backwards section!

Hopefully I might be able to get a row 10 if they get those dummies removed soon…
 
Sorry for double posting, but I’d be interested to know; what’s everyone’s favourite row on Thirteen?

Personally, I’m undecided; I’ve done both row 1 and row 10, and while I think the first drop is great on the back, and some of the outdoor twists become a bit more thrilling at the back, there are some really nice, sharp pops of ejector in the front that you don’t get as much in the back (from memory, at least; it’s a few years since I’ve done row 10), and the front effectively begins to function as the back in the backwards section!

Hopefully I might be able to get a row 10 if they get those dummies removed soon…
The back is the best in my opinion, by a long shot.
 
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