Citation needed.Smiler draws a huge crowd to the park every year.
The accident was nearly 9 years ago surely people still don’t think about that. It’s operated for many years since with no problemsSmiler, but lots of people avoid the ride because it is tainted by previous events
Oh they do. I'm quite likely to have someone joke "Don't lose a leg now!" if I mention I'm going down south for a visit. Some people even think that the accident was fatal.The accident was nearly 9 years ago surely people still don’t think about that. It’s operated for many years since with no problems
So they’re bothered enough to not go on the ride yet they will drive in their car where they’re 100x more likely to get in an accidentOh they do. I'm quite likely to have someone joke "Don't lose a leg now!" if I mention I'm going down south for a visit. Some people even think that the accident was fatal.
I'm not wanting to argue if their feelings are valid or not. I must say though you are making loads of assumptions.So they’re bothered enough to not go on the ride yet they will drive in their car where they’re 100x more likely to get in an accident
Sorry mate, but you are struggling to see past the end of your nose again.The accident was nearly 9 years ago surely people still don’t think about that. It’s operated for many years since with no problems
When it eventually needs a retrack, I can’t see Towers going to Gerstlauer for it due to the accident. I say they get Mack Rides to do it and, if possible, give it new Stryker Coaster trains. The ride experience would be head and shoulders above what it is now!If the Smiler is still around in 10 years I dread to think how it'll be riding...
I hear it mentioned almost every time I’m at Towers. You are correct in what you say but reputation is hard to shift. You only have to check social media when they mention The Smiler to see the comments about legs etc.The accident was nearly 9 years ago surely people still don’t think about that. It’s operated for many years since with no problems
Would take janky than headbanging TBH...If anyone thinks lap bars would help The Smiler they are sadly mistaken. I did “Hang Time” at Knott’s recently and it was just as janky.
Google predictive search is usually a pretty good, if basic, indicator to see the sentiments people have around certain words or phrases. When Googling "The Smiler" the recommended suggestions for the next word are "crash", "alton towers crash", "accident" and then further down we have "crash video" and "crash victims". The results for "The Smiler" alone feature a number of prominent reports on the accident.The accident was nearly 9 years ago surely people still don’t think about that. It’s operated for many years since with no problems
Couldn't agree with this more. Seen multiple posts on here about how difficult/expensive it would be to remove or replace the track in Oblivion's tunnel. I'm no logistics expert, but I really don't think it would be particularly hard at all. In fact, given that around 70% of Oblivions track is under very minimal stress, if it ever was to need the B&M retrack treatment, I think it would actually be a relatively easy and cheap project.I'm not sure where this myth that Oblivion would be prohibitively expensive to remove came from, to be honest. The tunnel's not that tight and has quite a shallow and easy access from the Enterprise end.
I'm not sure that it would actually be that much more difficult to remove Oblivion than removing most other coasters on park.
And as and when the inevitable day comes that Oblivion is removed, you've got to imagine that the park would first of all look to reuse the tunnel in some form. It would probably need some reprofiling at the drop end, but that would seem like a more sensible approach than wasting money just filling in the big hole they spent a lot of money digging out.
In terms of whether or not Smiler will end up getting retracked; I think it depends largely on how popular the ride is by the end of its life.
If the time comes and the ride is still as popular as it is now (I’d argue that it is currently one of the park’s biggest and most popular draws), I could definitely see it getting retracked.
But if its popularity has dwindled by the time it reaches the end of its operational life, then I could see it getting removed and replaced.
You can say what you like about build quality and rocky history, but that hasn’t stopped other rides getting retracked before. The Big One arguably doesn’t have outstanding build quality, and has its own accident history in the form of both a crash and wheels flying off, but Blackpool still deemed it worthwhile to retrack because it’s extremely popular. If Smiler maintains its current popularity for years to come, then I could see Alton Towers coming to a similar conclusion. I think it’s also worth noting that Smiler might be similar to Nemesis in that you’d probably struggle to replace it with something quite so ambitious.
Love it or hate it, The Smiler is currently very popular and a considerable draw for many Alton Towers visitors. If it holds that popularity for years to come, then I could definitely see it getting retracked.
Personally, I reckon it could; it’s not exactly a new ride anymore, at 11 years old, and it does still pull the crowds!
Perhaps controversially, I’m also a bit torn on whether Oblivion will be retracked if its time ever comes. On the one hand, I think it’s similar to Nemesis in that it would be a hard ride to replace with something else. On the other hand, though, it’s never seemed quite as popular or iconic as Nemesis. Anecdotally, it does seem to be a bit overshadowed by The Smiler within X-Sector now. As much as I personally love Oblivion, I don’t think it’s ever had quite the same cult following as Nemesis, and it does seem to fall by the wayside a bit compared to the newer rides, from my experience.
I’m torn. On one hand, I could definitely see (and would personally love to see!) an Oblivion retrack. But on the other hand, I don’t know if it has quite the same popularity as Nemesis to justify it.
Correct, two rollercoasters have fit on that plot of land. Could easily be a third at some point. They could consider bulldozing the toilet block or running into Enterprise’s site for more room if needed.I don't think Oblivion will ever need a full retrack, its not under the same stresses as many other rides.
In regards to The Smiler, maybe it would have partial work done like the Big One and Colossus if needed but I doubt it would get a full retrack like Nemesis, if it was the case that the ride is that badly gone, its far better to scrap it and start again with something that could properly be marketed as brand new. It’s not like Nemesis where fitting another ride into the space would be difficult, Smiler is basically in a flat pit.
Its popularity will last for as long as it holds the record. As soon as it loses its record its purpose is basically gone. Colossus for example is a fun ride but that’s all it is. It’s nothing special or unique anymoreIn terms of whether or not Smiler will end up getting retracked; I think it depends largely on how popular the ride is by the end of its life.
If the time comes and the ride is still as popular as it is now (I’d argue that it is currently one of the park’s biggest and most popular draws), I could definitely see it getting retracked.
But if its popularity has dwindled by the time it reaches the end of its operational life, then I could see it getting removed and replaced.
You can say what you like about build quality and rocky history, but that hasn’t stopped other rides getting retracked before. The Big One arguably doesn’t have outstanding build quality, and has its own accident history in the form of both a crash and wheels flying off, but Blackpool still deemed it worthwhile to retrack because it’s extremely popular. If Smiler maintains its current popularity for years to come, then I could see Alton Towers coming to a similar conclusion. I think it’s also worth noting that Smiler might be similar to Nemesis in that you’d probably struggle to replace it with something quite so ambitious.
Love it or hate it, The Smiler is currently very popular and a considerable draw for many Alton Towers visitors. If it holds that popularity for years to come, then I could definitely see it getting retracked.
Personally, I reckon it could; it’s not exactly a new ride anymore, at 11 years old, and it does still pull the crowds!
Perhaps controversially, I’m also a bit torn on whether Oblivion will be retracked if its time ever comes. On the one hand, I think it’s similar to Nemesis in that it would be a hard ride to replace with something else. On the other hand, though, it’s never seemed quite as popular or iconic as Nemesis. Anecdotally, it does seem to be a bit overshadowed by The Smiler within X-Sector now. As much as I personally love Oblivion, I don’t think it’s ever had quite the same cult following as Nemesis, and it does seem to fall by the wayside a bit compared to the newer rides, from my experience.
I’m torn. On one hand, I could definitely see (and would personally love to see!) an Oblivion retrack. But on the other hand, I don’t know if it has quite the same popularity as Nemesis to justify it.