Alton Towers Discussion Thread

[Nrthwnd]

^ One is hoping that the FIRE is/will be (for the most part) REAL?

Edited January 8, 2018 by Nrthwnd

[RyanTPM]

^It will be! Alton are marketing it as the worlds first coaster to fuse wood and fire, and the wickerman statue will use flames!

[thedazza]

^ One is hoping that the FIRE is (for the most part) REAL.

 

They are saying that it is "The world's first rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire" (pretty sure Wodan and Apocalypse are also Woodies that have fire effects though) so it will be real.

[Ed Farmer]

^ One is hoping that the FIRE is (for the most part) REAL.

 

They are saying that it is "The world's first rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire" (pretty sure Wodan and Apocalypse are also Woodies that have fire effects though) so it will be real.

Colossus too.

[coasterbill]

The coaster looks fun. I have very little interest in Merlin's bullsh*t marketing ploys. Hopefully people don't focus too much on them and they just focus on the coaster itself so they don't set themselves up for disappointment.

[Canobie Coaster]

My thought after seeing the announcement was that the park ordered the world's most expensive flamethrowers.

 

I agree it should be a solid ride, but another Thirteen esque marketing campaign for a ride like this is overkill.

[RCT3Bross]

^ One is hoping that the FIRE is (for the most part) REAL.

 

They are saying that it is "The world's first rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire" (pretty sure Wodan and Apocalypse are also Woodies that have fire effects though) so it will be real.

Joris en de Draak has basically a dragon that spits fire every few minutes, and I wouldn't be surprised if that there are more woodies. The only difference that they can make is by having the thing burn all the time instead of a burst of flames every now and then like the previous named all have. I wonder what environment effect that has.

 

At Alton Towers Marketing (especially the SW series) I always love them. Their actually really fun, I never been to the park but still I can see these rides aren't really that worthy of that level of Marketing. Either way I really want to see this ride in action and see how they "Fuse" wood and fire in a unique way or not.

[thrillseeker4552]

The coaster looks fun. I have very little interest in Merlin's bullsh*t marketing ploys. Hopefully people don't focus too much on them and they just focus on the coaster itself so they don't set themselves up for disappointment.

 

This x1000

[JordyC]

Here is a new video from Alton Towers about Wicker Man and how they came up with the idea for the ride. In the video it is mentioned that "the huge theming feature, which is the Wicker Man himself, will burst into flames as you go through him".

 

[Dombot]

^ Duuuuude...

[jedimaster1227]

WICKER MAN ANNOUNCED AS LATEST GROUNDBREAKING ROLLERCOASTER EXPERIENCE FROM ALTON TOWERS RESORT

 

 

Following years in development, work is nearly complete on the globally unique rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire – due to open in

Spring 2018

• Wicker Man is the world’s first rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire -incorporating a giant, flaming Wicker Man who stands six-stories high
  
• Wooden track will race through the flaming structure of the Wicker Man three times
  
• Wicker Man is the UK’s first new wooden rollercoaster experience in 21 years, reconnecting riders with the primal essence of rollercoasters

 

8th January 2018: Alton Towers Resort has announced its latest ground-breaking thrill attraction set to open in Spring 2018 – Wicker Man.

Wicker Man is the UK’s first new wooden rollercoaster experience in 21 years and comes with a globally unique twist – bringing together wood and fire for the very first time. A Wicker Man structure standing at 57.57ft (17.55m) tall – the height of a six-storey building – will dominate the very centre of Alton Towers Resort, appearing to burst into flames as the wooden track races three separate times through the structure.

 

The project, previously known as ‘SW8’*, is the latest in a series of mould-breaking ride launches from the Staffordshire theme park that have helped define the industry. A world class team of experts continue to work on the new attraction, led by Great Coasters International, the world’s leading creators of wooden rollercoasters. The safety of guests has been paramount in the design and build of Wicker Man, incorporating the latest in proven safety technology, rigorous testing and hundreds of training hours for ride operators.

 

Bradley Wynne, Creative Lead at Alton Towers Resort commented: “We are delighted to finally be announcing Wicker Man as the latest ground-breaking thrill attraction from Alton Towers Resort for 2018. Guests will be ‘chosen’ to take part in a celebratory ‘rite of passage’ as they race through the flaming Wicker Man. “We hope visitors will be blown away by Wicker Man’s breath-taking scale whilst the primal essence of the wooden coaster and astonishing effects will leave them delighted, exhilarated and eager to ride again.”

 

Visitors to Alton Towers Resort in 2018 will embark on a multi-sensory rite of passage, in which they’ll be drawn into the mysterious world of The Beornen, a shadowy group living in the woods surrounding the theme park.

 

The first publicity pictures hinting at the nature of the forthcoming attraction include artwork created by globally-celebrated illustrator Kyle Lambert – known across the world as the artist behind the imagery for award-winning show Stranger Things, alongside other Hollywood movie work including Jurassic Park, Super 8 and Jumanji.

 

Andy Hine MBE, Chairman of the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain commented on the announcement saying: “We’ve been hoping that Alton Towers would invest in a wooden coaster for a long time, and we’re so pleased it’s finally coming with Wicker Man. GCI are known for building really

exciting, smooth coasters, and this will be a great complement to the ‘Big Six’ steel rides already at the park. It’s a big investment which is great for thrill-seekers everywhere, and I for one can’t wait to ride it.”

 

And new for 2018, guests can purchase their Alton Towers 2018 Season Pass for just £55 by visiting altontowers.com meaning customers can pay for a day, and come back all year. (Exclusions apply. Full terms and conditions can be found online.)

 

Keep up to date on the latest Wicker Man details by visiting altontowers.com/wickerman or searching #WickerManRide across social media.

 

Key Information

• Wicker Man is the latest ground-breaking rollercoaster experience from Alton Towers Resort
  
• The world’s first rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire
  
• Due to launch at the Staffordshire theme park in Spring 2018
  
• The UK’s first new wooden coaster experience in 21 years, reconnecting riders with the primal essence of rollercoasters
  
• Riders must be at least 1.2m tall, the track is 2,028 ft. (618m) long
  
• Giant, flaming Wicker Man structure stands at six-storeys high (57.57ft / 17.55m)
  
• Wicker Man has been in development for more than four years
  
• World-class team constructing the ride lead by Great Coasters International, the world’s leading creators of wooden rollercoasters
  
• Alton Towers Resort has invested £16m into the creation of Wicker Man
  
• Launched with teaser artwork created by world-famous illustrator Kyle Lambert
  
• The latest in proven safety technology has been used, and rigorous testing is now taking place before launch
  
• Ride operating team will undertake over 100 hours of training each between now and the opening of Wicker Man so guests know that they are in safe hands and can ride in complete confidence
  
• By launch, more than 1,000 people will have worked on the unique project, the majority coming from the local area

Edited January 8, 2018 by robbalvey

[SharkTums]

Fake News.

 

WICKER MAN ANNOUNCED AS LATEST GROUNDBREAKING ROLLERCOASTER EXPERIENCE FROM ALTON TOWERS RESORT

[*]Wicker Man is the world’s first rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire -incorporating a giant, flaming Wicker Man who stands six-stories high

[robbalvey]

Wicker Man is the world’s first rollercoaster experience fusing wood and fire

 

LOL! It's not even the first "GCI fusing wood and fire" together! So dumb...

Edited January 8, 2018 by robbalvey

[Jew]

Oh, but Robb, those are not fused together! They are just regular Fire FX.

[PKI Jizzman]

The Merlin coaster announcements make me cringe. Looks like it will be a decent GCI, and the fire effect has the potential to look cool, but they're definitely overreaching on all of their bragging points.

 

This is my favorite part of the post:

"Ride operating team will undertake over 100 hours of training each between now and the opening of Wicker Man so guests know that they are in safe hands and can ride in complete confidence."

 

Because if you still think Smiler is dangerous, we're trying to trick you into thinking we're going to put fire close enough to the wooden track to burn the structure down!

[SharkTums]

The Merlin coaster announcements make me cringe. Looks like it will be a decent GCI, and the fire effect has the potential to look cool, but they're definitely overreaching on all of their bragging points.

 

This is my favorite part of the post:

"Ride operating team will undertake over 100 hours of training each between now and the opening of Wicker Man so guests know that they are in safe hands and can ride in complete confidence"

 

I'm sure that's a direct result of the Smiler accident. How about also training your maintenance staff and like, not dispatching trains without visually checking they're clear!? Now that I think about, is 100 hours even that much? That's like 2.5 weeks of training, meh.

[robbalvey]

This is my favorite part of the post:

"Ride operating team will undertake over 100 hours of training each between now and the opening of Wicker Man so guests know that they are in safe hands and can ride in complete confidence."

Ride op staff at Universal Orlando have been on site at Fast & Furious for a least a month training now and that ride isn't even a roller coaster and doesn't open until sometime around May. That sort of training is pretty standard here in Orlando, is Alton Towers saying that's not the 'norm" for their other rides???

Edited January 8, 2018 by robbalvey

[coasterbill]

Oh, but Robb, those are not fused together! They are just regular Fire FX.

 

So it's supposed to be more like this?

 

[SharkTums]

^

[michaellynn4]

^

 

Time will tell, I guess, but this tentatively looks like the next chapter in a long line of overzealous marketing ploys that ultimately under-deliver.

[cal1br3tto]

I'm kind of glad that feelings about the actual coaster are moving back in a positive direction; I'm disappointed that the ride will be on the smaller side, but still happy for a new wooden coaster. The marketing, though...yeah, others have covered it. I approve of fire effects on coasters, though!

 

Still having trouble wrapping my head around it really being named Wicker Man. But I think I approve.

[CaptainUnknown]

I'm disappointed that the ride will be on the smaller side, but still happy for a new wooden coaster.

 

Stats are similar to Fun Spot Orlando's White Lightning, and that ride is awesome. And besides, what Alton coaster is on the "bigger" side?

 

Still having trouble wrapping my head around it really being named Wicker Man. But I think I approve.

 

I will never be able to think of this ride without thinking of:

[robbalvey]

I'm disappointed that the ride will be on the smaller side, but still happy for a new wooden coaster.

 

Stats are similar to Fun Spot Orlando's White Lightning, and that ride is awesome. And besides, what Alton coaster is on the "bigger" side?

It's absolutely a fair comment. IMO, a major park like Alton Towers SHOULDN'T be getting rides "with stats similar to Fun Spot" as Fun Spot is a smaller FEC, pay-per-ride type of a park. It's literally mainly a "go karts" place with some cool rides. (nothing wrong with that, I love Fun Spot!) . And while White Lightning *IS* a great ride, it's also a perfect fit for a smaller park, not a major park like Alton.

 

And when you ask "What rides at Alton are on the bigger side?" are you actually being serious or just trolling? Because no intelligent person would make that statement. Nemesis is quite possibly STILL the best inverted coaster out there. Smiler is still a world record holder. Air a giant sprawling MAJOR ride. And even though Oblivion may be short in track length it's still in the top 50 "tallest drops" in the world, which is actually still quite significant.

 

I'm hoping that the ride is at least somewhat decent because I feel it's been a while since either Alton or Thorpe have installed a ride that makes me overly excited about going back, which is why we haven't been since 2010. And just to be fair, you didn't see me rushing out to ride InvadR either. I'm sure it's a fun ride, but it's not major enough for me to make a trip just for that one coaster.

 

Now that coaster going in at Blackpool this year...

Edited January 9, 2018 by robbalvey

[JayTricky]

I am happy the coaster is getting what seems to be, a good theme, and fire effects. I just hope this is not to distract you from the fact that the coaster itself is short, unspectacular and unmemorable. I mean, looking at the construction photos and plans so far, it doesn't seem to have any stand out features? It looks like it will be a fun ride, with enclosed parts, pre-show, effects and a giant flaming wickerman you race through 3 times - but like I mentioned I do feel this is to mask what will be a tame coaster. I will reserve my final judgement of course until riding.

 

And as for the worlds first claim - the less said about that complete and utter lie, the better.

 

Also as Robb has hinted to above, I have a feeling that there will be another ICONic ride with a bigger appeal this year...

[cfc]

As long as it has Christopher Lee and not Nicholas Cage.