Few mentions on socials of the usual delays of getting out the car park yesterday.
From: https://x.com/adambysouth/status/1825243862836600991?s=46
From: https://x.com/adambysouth/status/1825243862836600991?s=46
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Thorpe Park: General Discussion
- Thread starter Ted
- Start date
Bowser
TS Member
I mentioned this a while back and whether any rides could be retrofitted with new restraints to accommodate a lower height restriction, which presumably would be much cheaper than building a new ride.
Swarm is the same vest as Mandril (1.2m) for example.
Though conversely I read the other day another consideration for manufactures is that children’s bones aren’t fully developed and they are more prone to injury from some of the forces.
Not sure how much of an issue that is in this context if Hyperia is 1.3m and Rage (which is essentially the same ride as SAW is 1.2m)…
Bowser
TS Member
owenstreet7
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
I have always thought Merlin have tended to go on the more cautious side of height restrictions. I was very surprised about Hyperia having a 1.3m height requirement as I was fully expecting them to go 1.4m like with before.
Quite a few examples include:
Saw - Other Eurofighters have a 1.2m or 1.25m height requirement which in theory makes Saw's look very high in comparison. I think potentially this is to do with the horror theme.
Rush - In the US, other Screaming Swings have a 48 inch height requirement which is 1.22m
Vortex - Eagle's Claw had a 1.3m height requirement, went up to 1.4m and now it's 1.22m.
Swarm - Other Wing Coasters have a 1.32m height requirement including Fenix.
Croc Drop - Magma has a 1.1m height requirement
Ostrich Stampede - Jardin d'Acclimatation in Paris has a ride of the same model with a 1.1m height requirement
Some rides also used to have a lower height requirement such as the Tea Cup rides at both Alton and Thorpe which used to be 0.9m, Tiger Rock used to be 0.9m accompanied, Walking Dead when it was X was 1m and Zodiac was 0.9m which was crazy.
I remember Thorpe Park confirming that for the horror themed rides (Saw and Walking Dead) that are at 1.4m because of the theme to reduce younger guests riding and getting traumatised by the experience which theoretically makes sense.
I'd say some of the rides could do with reviews so height requirements could be adjusted where practically and safely possible.
I believe eagles claw is actually 1.22m as well visited recently and they had lowered the height required to go on .
Bowser
TS Member
Yeah, we’re looking at going to more European parks next summer for various reasons but the overall lower height restrictions is a big part of it.
I think there are very few (if any) rides over 1.3m at Europa and Phantasia for example.
Shaggy_Dog_
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Ride To Happiness
I think that the only 1.4m ride at Phantasialand is Talocan. Mystery Castle is 1.3m although interestingly it does state on their website that guests under 10 years of age are not allowed to ride it.
Dhev123
TS Member
yeah I think the main consideration should be lowering the thrill coasters to 1.3m where possible, and if safe to do so.
It's difficult to assess, as all of TP's major coasters are far more intense than the likes of wicker, and th13teen, for instance, at towers, which have been designed with inoffensive positive g forces, and some 0G moments but nothing negative.
I'm no engineer or designer, but I'd assume excessive positives would be too much for a younger child to handle, and negative gforces pose the risk of a smaller person being ejected from the ride.
It seems merlin and the UK industry in particular are quite conservative when it comes to height restrictions, compared to the likes of the US and europe, where most thrill coasters fall in the 1.20/1.25/1.3/1.35m height restriction zone.
I could definitely see SAW being 1.3m or so if the ride is retrofitted with lap bars, perhaps.
According to hershey park, storm runner requires a min height of 1.37m (so basically 1.4m, so not sure it would be possible to lower stealth's height restriction)
Gatekeeper at CP has a height restriction of 1.32m, compared to Swarm's 1.4m
Bowser
TS Member
What’s an example of excessive positives in the UK?
Rage always seems quite intense to me but that only has a 1.2m, would that not qualify?
owenstreet7
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
River Quest has a 1.4m height requirement which is one of the highest restrictions for a rapids that I know.
It is a crazy water ride however that makes Merlin look generous with their height restrictions especially for rapids.
Dhev123
TS Member
I think any ride that sustains it for a certain period of time, so nemesis, swarm, etc. I believe rides can safely sustain around 3G's for around 5 seconds max - but I feel like this figure assumes the rider is a teenager or adult. Maybe younger/smaller guests cannot tolerate these forces the same way.
From AI (Gemini):
Generally, adults can tolerate higher g-forces than children. This is due to a few factors:
- Physical development: Adults have stronger bones, muscles, and cardiovascular systems, which can better withstand the physical strain of high g-forces.
- Body proportions: Adults have a lower center of mass compared to children, which can help them maintain balance and stability during high-g maneuvers.
- Psychological factors: Adults may be better able to cope with the psychological stress of high-g forces due to their greater experience and maturity.
This website details regulations for positive forces:
https://www.researchgate.net/profil...8@1583331565442/ASTM-standard-for-G-force.ppm
back on topic: I think inferno and swarm would simply be too intense for younger children due to the forces being sustained for longer periods than the other coasters
The manurfacture heights (parks can go to whatever height above it) are more as a result of the restraint design, the restraints are more from the forces involved, i.e if there are low forces with small changes in acceleration you can have no restraints (Like the train ride at disney), then you if there is mroe force you can have just a grab bar (or some other options) and so on etc. this is for americans though and I am not sure how it works in europe
What this for more details:
From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C6baiFS4i0
What this for more details:
From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C6baiFS4i0
Last edited:
John
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
The US (ASTM) & European (EN) standards are almost identical in terms of the 5 categories of restraints and the requirements for each.
Height restrictions should be determined by the seat ergonomics, though sometimes a height restriction is also used in lieu of an age restriction (as it's easier to enforce)
Height restrictions should be determined by the seat ergonomics, though sometimes a height restriction is also used in lieu of an age restriction (as it's easier to enforce)
Positive and negative g force can affect people differently too. High positive g force I can deal with pretty easy but negative not so much for some reason. Any time I’ve greyed out on a ride it tends to be when the ride is travelling fast upwards. I’m assuming they’ll be an explanation for that
Shaggy_Dog_
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Ride To Happiness
Lech Coaster over at Lengendia is well known for being a forceful skull crushing greyout inducing machine yet it’s only a 1.2m meaning that maybe some 7 year olds would be able to ride it.
Dhev123
TS Member
Out of curiosity what does a low tolerance to negatuve g's entail? like does it make you feel ill or is it more of a preference thing
Dhev123
TS Member
Good point! I've heard it's one of the most intense coasters out there, hence why vekoma dialled it back quite a lot for fonix. Must be purely a restraint issue then with regard to height restrictions
Doesn’t make me feel ill it just makes my vision dim
flyingguitar
TS Member
I think we all should know:
for posetive G-force "The force involved makes blood flow to the feet and the pilot will experience a grey out where he is unable to experience any colour. or even a temporary black out. or if the plane is upside down the increased blood flow to the brain may cause a red out where his vision is replaced by a red screen. The maximum G-force experience on oblivion is 4.5 G, this is not drastic enough to experience a grey out, a blackout or even a red out but it may be enough for some people to experience what is known as a... cop out"
Or have I spent too long in oblibions queue
(I don't know the quote off by heart, just remembered it existed and found it online)