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2022: General Discussion

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GaryH said:
We had same experience last Saturday. Maybe it’s a Saturday morning thing!!
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Well there could be something in that - a lot of their staff are late teens/early 20s. Friday night out on the town. Next morning "Can't come in today, I've got a 24hr tummy bug" ie hangover or just can't be a**ed. My daughter works as a manager in a famous fast food establishment and they get calls like that all the time on weekends. If they're working with a skeleton staff with little leeway it only takes a few to call in sick (genuinely or or otherwise) and they've got problems for the day
 
Parks, by tradition, have always been slow to start on weekend mornings.
Ride opening is often staggered, as some of the staff are still staggering from the night before.
The staff are generally young, sociable, and have real lives, which often involves going out on Friday and Saturday evenings.
This makes early starts difficult sometimes.
This has gone on for many, many years.
Only now, with the benefit(?) of modern satellite technology, can we benefit from the knowledge that a few rides have opened late, as usual...even when we are not there.
 
Just seen this on YouTube, an overview of all the Disability Changing Places rooms dotted around the park including the new one at the turnstile toilets.
 
Ethan said:
I'm sorry but what is your friend on about. In what way is the weather poor. Seems fine to me
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Due to the lack of sun overnight it gets quite frosty, which carries on into the morning until the sun comes out and melts the frost off. A common issue at this time of year as the climate is still relatively cool even when the sun is out.

Frosty rails means all tech services morning checks are delayed as the rides can't be started up, creating a knock on effect and making rides open late.
 
Ethan said:
I'm sorry but what is your friend on about. In what way is the weather poor. Seems fine to me
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I was going to say before @Josh beat me to it, the mornings are very cold still at the moment even if you see blue skies and sunshine come 10am. Tech services start very early when it's likely still cold and frosty (there's been overnight frosts around the area around Towers for most of this week). As I write, it's beautiful sunshine in my garden this evening and was almost T shirt weather at lunch time today. But when I got up this morning to go to work when the sun was rising it was -2.

That's likely a similar time to when tech services arrived at AT to get the rides ready. They don't just whack Oblivion round the track at 9:55 then jobs a good'un if it makes it to the brake run OK. It's just not as simple as that and in terms of safety, nor should it be.
 
...and I couldn't cut some of my shady lawns because of frost at 11am yesterday!
Nearly delayed my first pint in Crevettes.
 
I think those of us older than 12 have ridden Altons lineup in much colder conditions (including snow for many of us). But we all know that's not how they roll these days and that's not the point being made here.
 
I'm 19 and have never ridden Towers' coasters in snow (although admittedly I've never been earlier in the year than the middle of April, from memory). But I think the policy has definitely grown less lenient within the last 5-10 years; I remember seeing a Galactica POV where snow was on the ground once, whereas that would never happen now.

And correct me if I'm wrong here, but I seem to remember a very light sprinkling of snow being the reason for Wicker Man's opening being delayed by 3 days?
 
Matt N said:
I'm 19 and have never ridden Towers' coasters in snow (although admittedly I've never been earlier in the year than the middle of April, from memory). But I think the policy has definitely grown less lenient within the last 5-10 years; I remember seeing a Galactica POV where snow was on the ground once, whereas that would never happen now.

And correct me if I'm wrong here, but I seem to remember a very light sprinkling of snow being the reason for Wicker Man's opening being delayed by 3 days?
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I didn't mean "12" in a literal sense Matt. But indeed it wasn't that long ago we used to enjoy Altons coasters with snow flakes landing on our cheeks.

You're right, cold weather did delay Wickerman opening. I was there on the day it did finally open to the public in the afternoon and there was snow on the track in the morning. They spent the morning walking the track and started testing in the afternoon. There was still snow around the park in places but it wasn't that cold - the snow was left over from the preceding days.
 
Matt N said:
And correct me if I'm wrong here, but I seem to remember a very light sprinkling of snow being the reason for Wicker Man's opening being delayed by 3 days?
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Err not quite a light sprinking of snow! There was ice everywhere, very strong winds too and sub-zero temperatures on the opening day of the season (which should've been WM's opening day too). It didn't open all weekend and eventually opened later that week I think.
 
I agree that in pat years the rides would generally open on time even with ERT in colder weather than what we have had. I wonder if it’s because there may be less engineers now so rides face longer delays to open.
 
GaryH said:
I agree that in pat years the rides would generally open on time even with ERT in colder weather than what we have had. I wonder if it’s because there may be less engineers now so rides face longer delays to open.
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A lot of it will also be down to H&S and insurance in the event of an evacuation. For example, the ice etc may be off the tracks of a coaster so it is mechanically safe to run. But no guarantee the lift hill catwalks are ice-free so can't take the chance in case an evacuation is needed. Like many things, H&S and insurance policies are a lot more demanding/restrictive than they were 10+ years ago

I do think though that on the cold mornings either end of the season where a frost is likely/has occurred that Towers should have signage up at the turnstiles and on the entrance to each outdoor ride stating that they may open later due to the cold weather conditions.
 
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