AndyGiles

How bizarre... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6790200.ece I don't quite understand why - most serious swimmer wear them at UK public pools - what's the big deal? It's going to be interesting to see how they police this ban!

I would put money on this being a new B&M prototype. All Secret Weapons (excluding Nemesis - but that was a Europe first) have been prototype coasters. It's time that Alton puts itself back on the coaster map after a disappointing few seasons. I expect a coaster which is nothing short of spectacular and will make our American friends very jealous!

There are no photos of my favourite ride in Heide Park, the absolutely awesome bobsleigh, which seems to go on forever. Plus, there's a really cool 'hidden' log flume which I stumbled upon the second time I visited the park. If I recall, the drop is really long and the boats have strange owl faces.

It looks like I won't be able to make the East Coast trip. My boss is going on a holiday at that exact time so it will be impossible for me to get the time off. SharkTums, thanks very much for sending all the information through. I really am devastated that I can't go as financially, this is the first year I could afford it. I would loved to have gone and think I would have had a blast. Have fun guys!

I should know for sure in around 2 weeks whether I can go or not...will the trip still be open then?

I nearly got beaten up in the queue for Stealth at Thorpe Park last year! To cut a long story short, there were a bunch of guys queue barging pretty much right to the front of the queue by jumping over the fence and then forcing their way through people. English people being the nice folk they are, let these guys push through and don't say anything. Then I step in as I've been patiently waiting in the queue for over an hour. I see the guys coming up behind me and I put both my arms out across the queue holding on to the fences on either side so they can't pass. What follows is a 15 minute argument, the guys shouting at me and abusing me right in my face, but me not budging. At this point, this mum with a handbag gets involved and helps me and eventually the whole queue is with me and the guys are forced out! They threatened to beat me up and 'get' me after the ride, but I never saw them again!

^ Thanks for the reply! I should know this month whether I will be able to make it or not and will let you know as soon as possible. I would absolutely love to join all you guys on this trip but it's quite difficult for me to get the time off work, especially in August. It's pretty much this year or never for me to do a trip like this, so I'll try my best to make it happen!!

What are the chances of there still being places left on the US trip in about a month or so? Also, what's the age demographic of the US trip like and the amount of people going solo? Thanks!

I still remember Alton Towers from the days of the "4 Man Bob Coaster" and some other crazy bobsleigh run down the hill where Oblivion is now. I also remember the Alton Mouse and Beast which were more recent though.

I always worry that the brakes won't kick in on these things. I mean...it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the brakes will fail...and then...splat.

How does a ride manufacturer or a theme park set the rider height limits? Would people really fall out if they were a bit shorter? I can't see how even a short person could fall through some of the restraints on the ride... Some of the height limits just seem so random to me, with some bigger rides having lower limits than smaller ones.

I travelled up to Blackpool from near London all myself back in 1994 when I was 15 to ride this thing. I was so excitied and nervous the whole way up (mainly that the ride would be closed due to high winds). It wasn't and I rode it two or three times and loved it!!

It won't be as good without the mountain it's meant to come with. Is the park shipping that from Japan too?

This may be a tragic accident, but the woman was stupid and careless to go on the coaster track and could have hurt others on the ride if it hit her and de-railed. It's got nothing to do with staff training. It's plain common sense and this employee obviously had none. Her number was up;.

No wonder these rocket coasters break down the whole time; they're a complicated mess! Why is this launch system so complicated? I remember the simple launch mechanism with a weight falling down a tower (like Thunder Looper at Alton Towers). You would think that coaster technology would get simplified, not more complex with time!

Yeap, I agree. Heide's is one of my favourite ride ever...it just goes on and on! Blackpool's is fun but too short.

How I would love to go on the midwest trip...but I don't think it's going to happen. It's a mixture of money and not having enough holiday days off work. I mentioned in passing to my family that I was thinking of doing this. The reactions were incredible...insults flew around that I needed to 'get a life,' I was told that I could never mention this to anyone as they would think I was strange. I was told I should get a girlfriend and grow up. My mother said that she never wanted to hear again that I even considered going on a rollercoaster trip! All I want to do is have a bit of fun...it's a pretty harmless hobby. I'll never get a chance again to do something like this. Oh well!

^ I think they'll market it as a major thrill ride as opposed to a family coaster. It looks quite intense judging from the Japanese video.

Out of interest, are there still spaces left for the midwest trip (I'm not sure if the thread title is up to date or not)?

They better bring the mountain over as judging from that video, the theming seems to be half the fun of the ride. Just think how Thunder Mountain would be without the mountain...pretty damn boring! It does look like a pretty awesome ride though...

I remember when Alton Towers used to be at the forefront of rollercoaster technology: Nemesis - first suspended in Europe. Oblivion - first ever dive machine. Air - first ever flyer. They need to get themselves back on to the theme park map...and fast. I was there a few years ago and the place was looking a bit tired and run down. They need to come up with a great new coaster for 2008 and get people talking about the park again. No more crappy small rides like Spinball or even Rita.

Hands up who believed this for just a split second and had to check the Cedar Point webcam just to make sure! ***raises hand***

^^ I think my post has kind of been misinterpreted. I think it's great that these trips are being organised and I would love to go. My problem is that for work reasons, I can't plan that far ahead. By the time I know when I can get holidays, the trip will be full. Many of those spaces will have been taken up by people who have been on these trips already, which seems a shame as it prevents other people from experiencing all the fun! I guess it's my problem that I can't book holiday that far in advance...I was only venting my frustration out aloud and didn't mean any harm.

If you ask me, it seems completely wrong that the people on the UK trip get right of first refusal on all subsequent trips. I thought the whole point of TPR was to build a coaster community. With this kind of system, you're simply going to get an exclusive club of the same select people who go on these trips every year. If I was running it, I would put all people who have already been on a trip in the lottery and not the other way around. It simply means that these trips will become "cliquey" and newcomers will feel like outsiders.

It's good to see so much support for the good old chain lift! As someone mentioned above, another major problem with launched coasters is downtime. Thorpe Park in England is my "home park." Every time I look at the website, it says Stealth is shut. I really don't get the point of building these unreliable coasters if they're going to be shut half the time. It defeats the whole object of having a new ride. If I was a park owner, the last thing I would do is install such an unreliable ride...yet more and more parks keep on getting them. I really can't believe it. Having a launch also seems to be an excuse for not creating a proper layout (again as someone mentioned). Take Stealth as an example. Just imagine a chain lift coaster with a hill, one drop and then back into the station. There would be outrage!!