The track of Gatekeeper at Cedar Point is filled with "a proprietary sound dampening material", not sure what this material is. Edit: further research shows that this material is sand
The issue won’t be with the ride hardware / software - it will be with the rocks it’s pinned itself to. Day after day vibrations will eventually require the footers to be reset. I would imagine this has already happened at some point ? I guess it will go when merlin decide they aren’t prepared to fund the maintenance to do this anymore
Wasn't a small piece of Nemesis' track actually replaced one year due to the footers moving or something like that? Or did I imagine that?
Nemesis will not go nowhere. In terms of an asset to the business, it is huge in that it will keep the guests coming year on year for another ride. You can't replace Nemesis, ever and this is not from the heart, it's physically! What do you put in Nemesis' place in a custom corner of the park. Nothing can beat it IMO for the work already achieved. It's been highly placed in the roller coaster ranks for years and continues to do so. YESSSS so many new coasters are coming about our days but, this is Nemesis and she punches well above her weight. For Merlin (or whoever owns the park at the time), they'd be daft not to invest in a retrack when it's due, or even a slight professional improvement where suggested to get more out of her. It's really here to stay. If you thought the Corkscrew put Alton Towers on the map, then that has nothing over what Nemesis has done for the park (and the industry), however in this instance, 28 years on and Nemesis will still be riding and not sitting prominently at an entrance as a piece of artwork. 2019 and Nemesis sits at number 16 of the worlds top steel coasters. Sez enuff like!
That’s your personal preference and that’s cool but consider Nemesis in 1994 vs Icon in 2018. Only one of them was innovative, ground breaking, world class!
Icon is about as world class as the spinning coaster a couple hundred yards away on South Pier. Even Copperhead Strike is leagues ahead of Icon and that is far from world class. Nemesis has been considered world class by enthusiasts from across the globe for years. Even the most hardened Pleasure Beach enthusiasts can't argue that Icon is on the same platform; it simply doesn't have the global recognition that Nemesis does.
I think the fact a 25 year old coaster still holds up against a 2018 multi launch modern steel coaster speaks volumes about the quality of the two rides tbh. Will ICON be as popular as Nemmy is today in 25 years? Will it even still be operating? There's your answer.
Why does it always have to be a *cough* swinging contest with coasters though? Reminds me of reading POV comments on YouTube “X is better so nerrr”. PS Nemesis is still glorious.
Helix ruined icon for me..... On the other hand I have been on some of the best b&m inverts in the world and Nemesis still rivals them and keeps me coming back for more. Still love Icon but I just keep thinking what it could have been....
Icon - Good Nemesis - Great Icon is merely the Ant and Dec to Nemesis's Morcambe and Wise. Nemmie is so much more... In my opinion, it's good to disagree... even if your wrong
I must admit, I'm not sure that Nemesis is that highly regarded among non-enthusiast visitors to Alton Towers these days. Enthusiasts almost definitely, but if you did a survey of all of the people who visited Alton Towers in a year and asked them what their favourite ride was, then I don't think Nemesis would emerge on top. A lot of non-enthusiasts seem to view The Smiler and/or Wicker Man as Alton Towers' flagship attractions nowadays, and they are certainly the two that seem most popular and most highly rated outside of enthusiast circles. I must admit that I too prefer Icon to Nemesis, but I tend to like really rerideable coaster experiences with some really good airtime, just enough force and speed to be thrilling, and a smooth ride experience; a ride doesn't have to be the most intense for me to love it. I only really look for fun factor and rerideability in a ride. If you're looking for tons of positive g-forces and an incredibly intense ride experience, then I admit that Nemesis most probably wins in this category.
They did have a poll after The Smiler but before Wickerman... and Nemmie earned the title of king Nemesis. They got the sex wrong. I think Nemmie would still win today!