Alton Towers Discussion Thread

[DobbaI think Intamin should make a donkey!]

The event that was planned to happen before the ride opened took place last night. As well as revealing some big and exciting AT news (2011 being another family based year though no details announced, initial SW7, which is definitely not a woodie, planning beginning in 3 weeks with aims of a 2014 opening and a possible Black Hole replacement coming in 2012) the park revealed a little about the creation, planning and problems TH13TEEN has been having:

The planning of Th13teen was extremely complex as the ride and it's foundations needed to carefully negotiate trees and their roots around the ride's footprint.

The ride's drop was fully built and tested under complete secrecy in Budapest. A video was also shown showing senior team members from Alton Towers testing the drop before it was dismantled and shipped to the UK.

The ride was always intended to be a family ride, with no aim to create a ride solely for the thrill market.

The ride's recent issues with lifthill stoppages was confirmed to be due to the varying weights of the trains, resulting in the trim brakes being installed.

Th13teen's current capacity is hitting 1440 people per hour.

And finally, putting to bed recent rumours since the ride opened, the park has confirmed that no further effects are to be added to the vault

(Thanks to TowersTimes for the list)

[tiger01Jar-Jar Binks smells like Donkey]

How big is the Valley??? I saw a print of what looked like a valley on TTs Home Page Map.
I Can't Wait for the new Secret Weapon. They say about scrapping a wooden coaster plan but I think a GCI Would do nicely with big twist and turns. I don't see what they could replace the Black Hole area with. Maybe a Eurofighter but theres lots of them in the UK Now. It would be cool if they created something new like when they did Th13rteen.

[KoolkidHave I mentioned how awesome donkeys are?]

I was there that night and it was also announced that SW7 so the 2014 coaster will be a solely Thrill coaster.

It was a phenomenal evening

^ And the valley has 200ft+ height difference

Here is a TR with a lot of Photo's from the event
Ride Guide

Apologies if linking to another site is not allowed, if so remove immediately, just thought that there are a lot of pictures on that link.

[themeparkman25I get wet for Manta!]

Just out of curiosity, but is there any coasters or rides currently down or expected to be down on any given day?

[InukazaWhat would donkeys be like on the moon?]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-world/2010/05/14/alton-towers-hands-out-protective-pants-for-th13teen-thrillseekers-to-prevent-accidents-115875-22258143/

Staff will be handing out the free pants to visitors before they board the ride.

Thrillseekers on Alton Towers' new Th13teen rollercoaster are being given protective pants to stop embarrassing’ accidents on the ride.

Theme parks bosses have taken the measure after ride hosts reported several ‘embarrassing’ incidents involving riders on the coaster, which boasts the world’s first free-fall drop.

A spokesman for Alton Towers said: “We have had reports of several unfortunate incidents on TH13TEEN involving riders who were not prepared for the most shocking part of the ride.

"It contains many surprising elements as it takes riders on an exhilarating journey, so, in response, we have decided to make protective underwear freely available in the hope it will make both riders and our staff feel more secure.”

Now this is just ridicules, TPR crew, when you went to alton towers today/yesterday did you see this going on?

[larrygatorObsessive Overlord of the TPR Park Index]

^I merged your "news" with our existing Th13teen discussion thread.

[KoolkidHave I mentioned how awesome donkeys are?]

That press release was actually released a while ago, and no, they don't give you a spare pair of pants

[snoflake15Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Donkey.]

Given the animated discussion on the UK trip about 13 do AT know what they are getting themselves in for with some more misplaced PR?

^I agree the ride seems overhyped and perhaps inappropriately themed/marketed, but I think even those of us who are critical would still ride it. (Or already have.) It's still a coaster and a credit. And I would imagine that people would still visit the park due to other draws.
Disclaimer: Speaking with very minimal knowledge here, and no personal experiences of the park.

[Airtime&GravityWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

Alton Towers continues to show how awesome (at least when it comes to creativity) their marketing department is:

The Alton Towers Resort has confirmed it will not be running new ride Th13teen on Friday 13th August. The decision follows in-depth research which found that over 30 million Brits* consider themselves superstitious ( 64 % of UK, 62 % in the Midlands) and that one in three will change their behaviour on Friday 13th August for fear of bad luck.

As a result, the Alton Towers Resort has made the unexpected decision to temporarily close the ride as they fear that a large proportion of visitors will not feel comfortable riding a rollercoaster named after the number 13 on what many feel is the nation’s unluckiest day.

According to the research, which was undertaken in conjunction with superstition expert Professor Bruce Hood from the University of Bristol, a surprising 62% of people in the Midlands are superstitious -with the majority of superstitions based around bad luck. Nine out of ten people admitted to acting on these fears and a quarter (one in four) believe that Friday 13th is unlucky. Such precautions are not as trivial as they may seem, with loss of business due to superstition estimated to cost the US economy $800-900 million every Friday 13th**.

As a result, the Alton Towers Resort has decided to take the controversial step of closing Th13teen for the day on Friday 13th August – the first time the theme park has chosen to close a ride. Th13teen, which opened in March 2010, is the UK’s first ‘free-fall drop’ coaster and is based on the discovery of an unearthed crypt. Built on an ancient burial site, Th13teen takes riders on a gruelling journey through the Dark Forest where they face a battle with the unknown.

According to Professor Hood, the author of “SuperSense: From Superstition to Religion - The Brain Science of Belief,” these findings are not surprising. He said, “There is little evidence that superstitions have declined over the past 10 years and indeed recent studies show they increase in times of economic recession. People don’t like to tempt fate.”

Morwenna Angove, Sales and Marketing Director at the Alton Towers Resort said, “Our research has revealed that Brits are a seriously superstitious bunch and as our latest ride is named after the unluckiest of numbers, we’ve taken the decision to close that ride on Friday 13th to reassure our visitors. The rest of the Alton Towers Resort will, of course, be open for business as usual for braver guests! THI3TEEN may be the most technologically advanced rollercoaster in the UK but guests can still enjoy our other famous rides such as Nemesis and Oblivion, as well as our fun family attractions and amazing entertainment.”

Factfile

· 31.6 Million Brits are superstitious

· 62% of people in Midlands consider themselves superstitious

· 1 in 10 of the UK population would not go on a rollercoaster on Friday the 13th

· A third of people (32%) change their behaviour on Friday the 13th for fear of bad luck

· Most popular superstitious beliefs in the Midlands:

- Breaking a mirror is a bad omen (64%)

- Walking under a ladder is bad luck (66%)

- Touching wood makes something come true (45%)

· 16-34 year olds are the most superstitious age group with 73% considering themselves to be superstitious compared to 58% of 45-54 year olds.

· Glasgow and Norwich are the most superstitious cities in the UK, Manchester and Sheffield are the least

· Women (74%) are more superstitious than men (50%)

· 49% of people do not know where their superstitions originate from

Link