BigAl
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Forbidden Journey
I sincerely apologise in advance for the ensuing comment and its ridiculous size!
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:
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:
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:
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.
Mondial Inferno:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
Huss Booster:
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:
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:
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 mypoor 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.
KMG Move It 32:
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?
KMG Afterburner:
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. 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?
S&S Screamin' Swing:
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! 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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
Once again, sorry for the huge post. Congratulations to anyone that managed / could be bothered to read it all!
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:
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:
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:
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.
Mondial Inferno:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
Huss Booster:
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:
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:
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
KMG Move It 32:
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?
KMG Afterburner:
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. 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?
S&S Screamin' Swing:
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! 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:
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:
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:
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:
Once again, sorry for the huge post. Congratulations to anyone that managed / could be bothered to read it all!