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Future White Knuckle Flat Ride Ideas

BigAl

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Forbidden Journey
I sincerely apologise in advance for the ensuing comment and its ridiculous size! :p


Many people, including myself, love white knuckle flat rides like Ripsaw, Maelstrom, Rush, etc... Alton Towers hasn't installed such a ride since Submission back in 2001. Submission isn't the most popular ride either. I know that many people prefer dark rides and coasters to white knuckle flat rides, but dark rides don't have the visual impact because you can't be a spectator. They also reduce the stress on coasters by taking some of the guests that would otherwise be queueing for them and aren't terribly expensive to install (with good theming and marketing too). With SW7 opening next year too, I feel that new flat rides could play a key role in helping queues for that, as well as areas like the Dark Forest which has two major coasters and nothing else.


We only have to compare Alton's flat rides with Thorpe Park to see how far behind they are...

Alton: Ripsaw, Submission, Enterprise. (not including Sub-Terra as it's a dark ride experience)
Thorpe: Slammer, Vortex, Zodiac, Rush, Detonator, Samurai.


So when will Alton Towers build another white knuckle flat ride? What would you like it to be? Where do you think it should go? Here are a few ideas...


(all of the following rides are still in production)


Gerstlauer Skyroller:

PB3SkyRo17g.jpg


With the ability to take 780 riders around an hour and the unique controls that let the rider be in charge of their ride, the Skyroller looks like it could suit Alton very well, as it can allow for a thrilling ride or a gentle ride too. There's one or two in the entire world and none in the UK at all, so it'd be unique to Alton Towers as well. I can see something like the Skyroller suiting the Beastie site as a new kiddie coaster could go where the ice show tent is and I feel that the Skyroller offers a similar thrill experience to Sonic Spinball. The Skyroller can have a wide variety of themes too!


Gerstlauer Suspended Polyp:

PB3SPolyp02g.jpg


A fast, intense ride that can throw up to 1200 people around per hour. Ignoring the fairground-style theming in the picture, I think Alton could potentially do something quite unique with this kind of ride. Imagine if they turned one into a dark ride experience by giving one lots of lightning effects and some great atmospheric music too. It's by no means my most favourite dark ride out there, but Alton Towers no longer has a spinning flat ride that was as intense as Dynamo, so perhaps something like this could be a suitable replacement? As for location, perhaps the Submission site or maybe in a new area behind Oblivion (if it's at all possible)?


Mondial Shake:

img373.jpg


It seats up to 36 people and pulls up to 3.6g's. It's extremely fast and the cars rock even faster. It looks very similar to Dynamo, however, the seats are mounted to arms that allow them to swing freely as the ride spins, making for a very intense ride. One could be constructed in Forbidden Valley, behind the first big drop on Air (before the fly-to-lie) where the park ends and staff/maintenance area is. Again, not my favourite white knuckle out of all of the rides out there, but I think one could potentially be just as successful as Dynamo was. But yes, it does look very fairground-like. :p


Mondial Inferno:

img256.jpg


The Inferno looks like it offers a similar experience to Submission, although the arm also spins around and the rows of seats rotate individually too. It pulls up to 3.6g's and seats 38 riders. It could be a cheap but effective replacement of Submission? Unfortunately, I think it could be too difficult to shake-off the funfair appearance.


Mondial Diablo:

img203.jpg


Pretty much an inverted version of their Inferno ride, except they are smaller, so they're easier to afford, leave more money for theming and wouldn't take up as much space. It's also not as forceful.


Mondial Top Scan:

img465.jpg


I've heard many people suggest a Top Scan for Alton Towers, so it's clearly a favourite contender. They can pull 4g's and seat 30 people and Merlin have experience running Samurai, so there are already members of staff that could help Alton set one up. Again, this could be a good replacement for Submission. I think that the Top Scan is one of those rides that are just as fun to watch as it is to actually be on one, much like Ripsaw.


Chance Wipeout:

cr_subpage_pix_wipeout.jpg


Okay, it's not exactly white knuckle material, but about as thrilling as Blade. The Chance Wipeout ride could potentially be part of a Cloud Cukoo Land expansion into part (or all) of Coaster Corner. They're suitable for families and can be themed quite easily. They also don't make much noise, so Alton village wouldn't be disturbed.


Huss Topple Tower:

toppletheme2.jpg


Again, not quite white knuckle material, however, the Topple Tower certainly looks impressive and they offer a unique ride experience that can have water jets added around them that interact with the ride. Huss have many, many theming options for them. They can seat 36 people and they're one of those rides that are fun to watch as well as to actually be on. There isn't one in the UK either, so it'd be unique to Alton Towers. I think that one might work well in the Dark Forest, behind Rita and opposite the entrance to Th13teen, or where the lockers are (they could easily be moved elsewhere). It could be themed to a giant tree like the whomping willow from Harry Potter. :p


Huss Booster:

images


I won't say too much on this one as it's similar to the Mondial Shake. A violent, spinning ride that could be just as well-loved as Dynamo was. However, both this and the Mondial Shake may feel like a bit of a backwards step to some. Who knows? It's just a suggestion. :)


Huss Fly Away:

sfne.jpg


I've heard mixed reviews on these types of rides. Some say they're fun, others say they're painful or pointless. Either way, when Enterprise needs to go, Alton Towers could replace it with one of these types of rides as one would fit in the footprint of Enterprise quite well. They can seat up to 36 people and get through up to 700 riders an hour. I think there's only one of these in the UK and that's located somewhere down south anyway.


Huss Frisbee:

b227bfac7a.jpg


Alton Towers has issues with height, as we all know, so building giant spinning rides such as Maelstrom have been impossible for them. However, the Huss Frisbee isn't as tall as rides such as Maelstrom, and to my poor knowledge there isn't any in the UK. I love Maelstrom and Flip Flop, so Alton Towers could potentially get a ride that competes with the other big spinning rides in the UK. I think that one of these could easily replace the Blade (which could be rethemed and moved to Katanga Canyon as an explorer or cargo style ship). They seat a whopping 40 people and can spin through up to 900 people per hour. :D


KMG Move It 32:

moveit32_1.jpg


Whilst the Move It 24 model can get through 800 riders an hour, I feel that a park such as Alton Towers should be opting for the larger 1100pph version due to great numbers of visitors that go to the park. Again, this particular white knuckle ride has been talked about a lot amongst enthusiasts, so I can't not mention it. It looks like a great ride and I've seen many theme ideas on the Internet that could really allow such a ride to fit well into Alton Towers. I feel that this ride could go in the Dark Forest too, alongside my other suggestion of the Huss Topple Tower (so, whichever ride took the spot behind Rita, the other would take the spot where the lockers are) as that would mean an equal number of flats to coasters (which seems fair, in relation to Forbidden Valley). It could be themed to a giant woodcutting (no link to the Woodcutter's Restaurant intended ;) ) machine drafted in by Alton Towers to try and free their rides from the grip of the Dark Forest, only for it to be consumed by the forces of the woodland and be turned against the guests. Too much? :p


KMG Afterburner:

Vortex_Thorpe_Park.jpg


The KMG Afternburner is yet another favourite amongst everyone and I can see why. Vortex is a great ride (and again, Merlin have operated such a ride already) and is certainly something to behold when it's in full swing. :p According to KMG, such a ride should be capable of thrilling 750 riders an hour (although the Wiki for Vortex says otherwise). With Alton's height issues, I feel that such a ride would be able to replace the Blade as that space could be deepened and it's already long enough to accommodate one. They're yet another ride that can be themed easily to look even more impressive... or terrifying? :p


S&S Screamin' Swing:

uppswingetart.jpg


Although I highly doubt that Alton would ever be able to fit such a ride in as the S&S Screamin' Swing, that doesn't stop me from wanting one! :p Alton Towers is my local park and I really am jealous of Thorpe Park having Rush. Oh well, I've included it on here anyway, as S&S are apparently capable of making this ride available in varying shapes and sizes, as well as with a wide variety of themes (including a miniature kiddie model).


Zamperla Disk'o Coaster:

chessington_53.jpg


When I first went to Chessington a few months back, I was really impressed with the look of Kobra. It's such a fantastic looking ride and it makes such a great noise as it thunders up and down the track. When I'd been on it, I wasn't terribly thrilled with the experience. Don't get me wrong, it was very fun, but I feel that it could be even better if it went over the hill a bit quicker and matched the intensity of the Navigator at Flamingo Land. I suppose it suits Chessington's demographic, but if a ride came to Alton Towers then I feel that making it just that little quicker and make it rise up the sides higher could make a great difference. An idea place for one (in my mind at least) would be where Blade is. I can think of very few rides that would look as good as a Disk'o Coaster would do, roaring up and down the overgrown scar in which the Blade currently resides. They've got a whopping great capacity of up to 40 riders too, so Alton Towers wouldn't have any trouble in carving through even more guests with a white knuckle version of this Zamperla creation.


Zamperla Power Surge:

ZamperlaPowerSurge1.jpg


Capable of 600 riders per hour and being small in size; Zamperla's Power Surge ride could be yet another suitable replacement of Submission. It's not as impressive as other rides, but I'm sure that the experience makes up for that. They are also reasonably low too, which means that Alton would find it easier to fit into their park.


Zamperla Shooker:

shooker_gallery-5.jpg


The last of my suggestions is the mad spinning ride from Zamperla that is the Shooker. Yet another one of their rides with an average throughput of 600, however, the Shooker looks to be an even more intense ride than many of previous rides that I've suggested. It looks like a mini version of Bling that used to be at the Pleasure Beach and I know that Bling received many good reviews, so a ride like this may be a hit with many guests. I feel that this too might be able to replace Submission.



So those are all of my suggestions. Some I like, others I thought I'd post because they may fit at Alton Towers or they don't currently equal any rides that are currently at the park. My favourite ideas out of them all that I'd love to see at Alton Towers, and ones that I think would suit Britain's number one theme park are:

  • Gerstlauer Skyroller - next to Sonic Spinball
  • Huss Topple Tower - Dark Forest
  • KMG Move It 32 - Dark Forest
  • Mondial Top Scan - replace Submission
  • Either the Huss Frisbee or Zamperla Disk'o Coaster - replace Blade

I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks about any of this. Please make any suggestions on what you'd like to see too!


Oh, in fact, I created a diagram to show where two flats could potentially be installed in the Dark Forest, so I'll throw that in here too:

BigAlsDarkForestFlatRideSpaces.png




Once again, sorry for the huge post. Congratulations to anyone that managed / could be bothered to read it all! :p


:)
 
Great post! I for one would be in huge favour of a HUSS Frisbee or a Screamin' Swing at AT - they are both brilliant rides, and although you obviously couldn't do a Cedar Point and build a monster (maXair), there would be availability to dig down and still achieve an impressive height. Both of them are incredibly thrilling as well, IMO Rush is the second most thrilling flat in the country (behind only Apocalypse) and the Frisbee looks like it takes that to another level with the spinning element.

I believe that the space in the DF behind Rita will be used within the next 2 years for a flat of some kind, let's just hope that it fulfills expectations :D
 
I'd love for Submission to be scrapped off and replaced with a much larger version of the robo-arm proposed for the Dark Forest, with various ride cycles and ultimate ride op control to make each ride as different as possible. Or even the previously mentioned Gerstlauer Skyroller to take over the spot in X Sector.

An Afterburner or Frisbee wouldn't do too bad occupying Dark Forest in my eyes. As long as the theme is up to scratch of course.
 
Oh of course! The robo arms! Yes, the concepts for the Dark Forest looked really good, although weren't they ditched because of capacity issues or something? Remember the Duelling Deadstar concept for the Blackhole tent? Doubt it would work as well outside, but it's still an idea.

Thanks for sharing your opinions, guys! :)


Edit: Here are a few more rides that I'll throw out there...


Moser Rides Speed Flip:

speed-flip-02.jpg


Looks similar to the Gerstlauer Suspended Polyp ride. Seats up to 40 riders and has a capacity of 1200 an hour. A park model is available, so please try and ignore the tacky nature of the ride in the image! Could replace Submission or make for a great spinning dark ride experience in the Dark Forest?


Moser Rides Star Discovery:

stardis05.jpg


Pretty much the same as the Zamperla Power Surge. The main difference is that this model has a capacity of 720, 120 riders per hour more than Zamperla's model. Again, could replace Submission.


Fabbri Boomerang:

FabbriBoomerang1.jpg


This is simply a smaller version of the Huss Frisbee. This model can thrill up to 640 riders ever hour and can be themed just as well as the Huss model. Again, this could make for a good replacement of Blade as the space is perfect for such a ride.


:)
 
excellent post, but unfortunately whilst I agree AT needs flats, i can see thing moving more towards Sub Terra experience style rides in the future with the odd major coaster every 4-5 years.
 
An excellent post here Al, very well written. Personally, I see that a Gerstlauer flat could be likely- as a deal with them.

However, there was no mention to these:

monster2.jpg


The robo-arms, which were planned for Dark Forest, or even inside Black Hole's tent (which obviously can't happen now), could still be used there- unless I am wrong here.

Also, for possible locations, there is also Coaster Corner- which could probably fit in a couple of flats, or even in Gloomy Wood (although this is very unlikely).
 
As always, excellent post Al. But I do think that whacking a a few flats in CC would make it quiet and worth visiting.

I do think that number 2 is a bit too fairgroundy but Alton suit a Fabiri Boomerang. Also Skyfall kthxbai.
 
Perhaps the SW7 deal will also see a Gerstlauer flat as part of the deal? Perhaps a bit of a discount because of the huge cost of the coaster? I might be a bit out of my depth on that though, don't know if they do discounts on huge rides ;)
 
Rides are generally moving towards being experience based and having some kind of narrative that brings the riders into what's going on and I think that that is generally a good thing. However, all good theme parks have a balance between coasters, dark rides, experience rides, shows and flat rides, etc... Alton has some great dark rides, coasters and experience based rides, but their flat ride selection is getting tired. And Sub-Terra is a combination of a flat ride and other elements to create an experience, so I see no reason why this couldn't be repeated with another ride in the future.

Of course, whacking in a cheap flat ride isn't what Alton ought to be doing. I think that there's certainly room for a ride concept such as the Huss Topple Tower to go into the Dark Forest as the ride looks impressive and is suitable for a wide variety of guests. A story could be added to it and then the ride could be the finale. Imagine an old, twisting queue that writhes through the surrounding woodland. On your way around you go through various scenes that not only pass your time, but bring you into the story of a giant tree that's attacking visitors in the Dark Forest.

And with flat rides generally being much cheaper than other sorts of rides, Alton can make their theming and stories even more immersive with the extra money.

If Alton Towers can create another Ripsaw (not the actual ride, but the heavy theming to a flat ride) then I'm all for it. That then allows for the guest to make the story of the ride up for themselves. For instance, the Skyroller isn't a ride that needs pre-shows like Sub Terra, it just needs a good setting and good theming. As long as we get the experience-based rides and the white knuckle flat rides like Ripsaw then everyone is happy.

Also, no cattle-pens either! :p
 
Yeah, some great ideas shown. Personally, I think one well themed flat- with an experience- is much better than two or three car-park rides.

Having something like Duel, in Coaster Corner, with just one amazingly themed ride could work. Sort of a cross between Duel and Sub-Terra, with great theming and and scary ride experience could do the trick nicely. Or, they can connect it with Dark Forest- to have several flat rides in that area.

Experience rides are on the up, but experience rides with a flat ride would be amazing. The best examples of these are the simulators shown at Islands of Adventure, with Spiderman and Harry Potter being two of the most highly rated simulators in the world. Something like that, but a bit more thrilling, and with extensive theming, could be a great ride for AT.
 
The problem with Coaster Corner is that Alton Towers are no longer able to build anything that requires landscaping because of ancient ruins beneath the site, or something along those lines anyway. Add to that the fact that it's close to the village (which means they can't install anything that would make much noise or make people scream) and it becomes a tricky area to use. That's why either a CCL expansion or a new kids area would be good. A smaller flat ride, a big adventure playground and a new dark ride experience behind the Theatre would be really good. A new play area would also leave Wobble World free to be turned into something else like a family restaurant (although that's probably out the window now, what with these latest cuts being aimed at the catering side of the park).

I can see a dark ride experience starting as some sort of walk-through fun house inside what used to be the Nickelodeon Outta Control buildings. This is just instead of a plain old queue. The ride could then be constructed inside a building behind the Theatre and exit in the newly developed Coaster Corner area to get people into the area as it's quite cut-off from the rest of the park.

One thing I don't want to see is all of the white knuckle flat rides replaced with indoor experience-based rides. I think there needs to be a balance, as the experience rides just aren't as thrilling and I don't want to see that disappear and leave us with a park that consists of just coasters and dark rides. Alton Towers is a family park, so they need something for every type of guest.

:)
 
Topple Towers are over-rated and unreliable, just look at the situation with Dollywood's one... It requires a high level of theming to accompany it as well, and they are very boring...

Sky Rollers don't get 720 an hour do they? Swear it's more like 300...

Towers needs more flats but it needs more for the whole family... If they were to add things to Dark Forest they need things that could be done by people not tall enough for say Rita but not wanting to go on Thirteen... Need more like that really...


As an actual suggestion however, the Hydra at Asterix should be built, as it's amazing...

208949_10151798402975220_236246652_n.jpg


As much airtime as Tonnerre de Zeus and no mistake...
 
I say get another Huss Breakdance. Dynamo was a great ride. It could be very intense if run properly and was always fun. It has no issue with height restrictions and has a fairly good throughput.

Failing that though, I would love to see some kind of frisbee-style ride at the park particularly a KMG Afterburner. If height did become an issue, I've always liked the idea of sinking it into the ground slightly, Blade style. It's an idea that a few people came up with on TTF ages back.

Any flats at all would be good really as the park really lacks them at the moment. I was at Lightwater the other day and as far as flat rides go, it totally outclasses Alton.

The last of my suggestions is the mad spinning ride from Zamperla that is the Shooker. Yet another one of their rides with an average throughput of 600, however, the Shooker looks to be an even more intense ride than many of previous rides that I've suggested. It looks like a mini version of Bling that used to be at the Pleasure Beach and I know that Bling received many good reviews, so a ride like this may be a hit with many guests. I feel that this too might be able to replace Submission.

I don't know about Bling. It looks more like a mini copy of a KMG Tango to me.
 
I think that all the rides are good and if Alton towers could put them in the two spots that BigAl said so i think that any of the rides that anyone has posted people would be able to see most of the rides in the two spots posted

Thanks BigAl for this post and the two spots that you have picked are very good.
 
CGM said:
I say get another Huss Breakdance. Dynamo was a great ride. It could be very intense if run properly and was always fun. It has no issue with height restrictions and has a fairly good throughput.

Failing that though, I would love to see some kind of frisbee-style ride at the park particularly a KMG Afterburner. If height did become an issue, I've always liked the idea of sinking it into the ground slightly, Blade style. It's an idea that a few people came up with on TTF ages back.

Any flats at all would be good really as the park really lacks them at the moment. I was at Lightwater the other day and as far as flat rides go, it totally outclasses Alton.

The last of my suggestions is the mad spinning ride from Zamperla that is the Shooker. Yet another one of their rides with an average throughput of 600, however, the Shooker looks to be an even more intense ride than many of previous rides that I've suggested. It looks like a mini version of Bling that used to be at the Pleasure Beach and I know that Bling received many good reviews, so a ride like this may be a hit with many guests. I feel that this too might be able to replace Submission.

I don't know about Bling. It looks more like a mini copy of a KMG Tango to me.

Bling was a Zierer Star (one of only 2 in the world I think) which was basically an equivalent Top Scan - although the reliability issues were so bad that I don't think AT would ever invest in one. Bling was 100ft+ also and it's height was one of the main draws, obviously the restrictions at Alton would only allow for a significantly smaller ride which wouldn't really be brilliant and would just look like an inferior Samurai at Thorpe to the public.
 
There's actually rows of seats on both sides of each arm so the capacity's 24 which I think is fairly respectable. I've never been on one but apparently it offers a fairly intense ride. It is however quite a tall ride when operating which could rule it out for Alton.

Edit- The only difference in terms of motion between the KMG tango and the Zamperla Shooker is that the gondolas are free to rotate on the Shooker wheras on the Tango, they are motor driven.
 
CGM said:
There's actually rows of seats on both sides of each arm so the capacity's 24 which I think is fairly respectable. I've never been on one but apparently it offers a fairly intense ride. It is however quite a tall ride when operating which could rule it out for Alton.

Edit- The only difference in terms of motion between the KMG tango and the Zamperla Shooker is that the gondolas are free to rotate on the Shooker wheras on the Tango, they are motor driven.

I must admit Ive been on one of these at hull fair last year and by far it's the most intense flat ride I've been on, one of these would be great but they are really tall Probly way too tall for towers without digging down.
 
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