The other day I went to Thorpe Park with the sole intention of checking out their roller coasters (you
can read my previous article on the roller coasters at Alton Towers HERE).
Here is a rundown on the rides I went on and my thoughts on them.
On arriving at Thorpe Park, we were slightly disappointed to find
that two of the roller coasters Nemesis:
Inferno and X: No Way Out were
not operating, the former for unexplained technical reasons and the latter for
refurbishment. I was more annoyed by not going being able to go on Nemesis: Inferno (being a B&M inverted
coaster) having experienced the delights of its predecessor Nemesis at Alton Towers.
There were still four other good roller coasters available however –
and I managed to go on them at least twice each, which made up for it.
First up was Stealth, currently the fastest
roller coaster (and second highest) in the UK. What it’s really famous for,
however, is its insane acceleration (0-80 mph in 1.8 seconds!), which takes
place right at the beginning of the ride. I’ve never felt anything like it. It
goes really fast, which takes you by
surprise even though you are expecting it, and then goes even faster on top of that. That's the only way I can describe it.
Following the initial burst of speed, the ride climbs the ‘top hat’
(seen in the picture below) giving you a breathtaking view of the whole park.
Despite the duration of the ride only being 18 seconds long, it’s a thrilling
experience every time.
Next up was Colossus, currently the joint world
record holder for the most number of inversions - shared with the imaginatively
named 10 Inversion Roller Coaster in
Chimelong Paradise in China. This ride is great fun, with loops and corkscrews
aplenty, my favourite being the quadruple heartline roll towards the end – a
unique experience.
Opened in 2002, Colossus
is showing its age a little however – as you do feel a little rattled about by
the end of it. We even witnessed the ride get stuck on the initial incline and
people having to be taken off it – not a good sign. Still, I very much enjoyed
going on this world record holder - that is, until the 11 inversion coaster Journey to the Stars in Jinling Happy
World in China, opens sometime later this year.
The third ride we went on was Saw – The Ride based on the popular horror
film series. This ride was interesting as it only had 8 people per car (each of
which moved individually around the track), it starts indoors with a drop in
the dark and the general style of the ride was well integrated with the themes
of the movies. The real draw for this one though, is the 100 degree vertical
drop (seen in the picture below) which is made even more effective by the car
being really small.
Finally, was Thorpe Park’s latest addition The Swarm, an alien
apocalypse themed B&M Wing Coaster. Easily my favourite ride of the day,
although not holding any records, the overall experience is awesome. With
breathtaking views, a superb feeling of flying and great theming throughout
(flying near a crashed plane, through a wrecked billboard, twisting over a
ruined church…), all add nicely to the overall experience. My favourite part is
the inverted drop right at the beginning. The ride also stands out as being
incredibly smooth – you wont feel jolted about at all during it.
As well as the aforementioned billboard near-miss feature, also new
to 2013 is the feature of the last two carriages of the train being turned
backwards, creating a very different experience. Although it’s not for everyone
I personally enjoyed going backwards - you feel the speed of the ride without
any of the wind blasting in your face. And, of course, you can’t see which way
you are going…
However, nothing can beat being at the very front of this ride –
well worth spending the extra time queuing up for. Along with Alton Tower’s Air, The
Swarm is definitely one of my favourite roller coasters that I have been
on. If you are a fan of roller coasters then this one is highly recommended.
Check out the Roller Coaster Data Base for current record holders and other info. Also you can watch POV
footage of each ride by clicking on its title in this article. Enjoy!
19th April 2013
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