pluk

I have been on The Smiler at last... COASTERS 1 - Nemesis (AT) - Pretty much perfect in every way. By far (until OzIris happened) the best B+M invert I've ridden. 2 - Zeus (Asterix) - Huge amounts of airtime and a pleasing roughness giving it some real character. 3 - OzIris (Asterix) - Lives up to the initial reviews, immaculately themed, beautifully paced and just keeps giving. 4 - Goliath (6flags MM) - Because greying out is always fun. Immense. 5 - Ghost Rider (KBF) - Wood, long, fast. Some people moan about it's roughness but that's how I like it. 6 - Salvation (6flags MM) - This is the smooth fast style of Woodie AT should be looking at. And fire effects on a WOODEN coaster? Yes please! 7 - The Swarm (Thorpe) - After an underwhelming first ride it has grown on me no end. The first drop, station fly over, theming and interaction make it. Still think it is a little short and dies at the end though. 8 - X2 (6flags MM) - In may ways quite a horrible painful ride, but it is so unique and does have its moments of brilliance. 9 - The Smiler (AT) - I actually enjoyed it more than I was expecting, for something that looks like it is a bunch of shoehorned in inversions it actually flows and builds very well and the length that makes those possible is a huge plus. But problems with the track and (more so) the restraints stop it being truly outstanding and I don't think it will be particularly long lasting on this list, 10 - Stealth (Thorpe) - Probably because I haven't ridden TTD. The dropout - air (AT). Rapidly falling out of love with it as it gets old rattly.

I can think of nothing worse than being in a small hole in a big cave. Screw that. Looks like beautiful place on the right side of the topsoil though.

Haha, people freeze and do the most stupid things when the uniform is in front of them, don't they?! I once had a shopworker tell me it was illegal for them to serve me with anything while I was on duty, having clearly not understood their alcohol restriction training. Just the sort of stupid you need after many hours of scene pres.

http://m.waff.com/#!/newsDetail/23615459 Boy falls from chairlift. Wording of report suggests he may have been a bit young to be riding alone, I've seen a few clips of kids too young to know better climbing out of similar rides befire.

Thanks, I'm going Monday and/or Tuesday. Cue inevitable downtime announcement...

My wife is 35 and she last got ID'd last year! Get used to it and carry ID, it's no biggie. Also, it doesn't matter who you ask for/moan at, once you have been asked for ID it means the cashier suspects you may be underage and it would be illegal for them to serve you with that suspicion, which can only be discounted with ID, and a manager can not over ride the cashiers decision in any circumstance.

Just weighed in after a weeks holiday and I've put on a stone. A whole stone. Jesus.

Ola from Espania! Quick question plz, internets cost Euros where I am so can not go trawling back. Trying to plan a Towers trip for retern from here so we can book before the 99 pound offer expiers. Could anyone please let me know if there is any planned maintainence downtime due for next week? Thanks!

I will not be going I'll be in Spain instead

Probably more to do with unrestrained water rides in the dark being considered 'dangerous'? Shame though.

Hopefully if Thorpe are going to widen their appeal to more than the teenagers and attract some of Chessingigtons core market Chessington will follow suit and stop aiming themselves entirely at the younger end of the family.

Don't you even... There is nothing stopping them running three trains other than themselves. If the procedures needed to change for some reason they have two options to comply with them; put the resources in place to be compliant with them, or take ages doing what they need to to comply with them with the resources they have and blame a non existent 'health and safety'. They take the easy and cheap route.

I have not seen this wave of negativity from the GP. Pretty universal praise from people I know and things I've read. Did the GP ever think there was a 'point' to the ride, surely it was just enthusiast fantasy that there ever was one? Not to say I think what they have done is perfect (they could have done a lot less to achieve a lot more), but I still think it is a much better ride now.

Oh, is that a scare zone? I've not been paying attention! I don't see that working very well with that theme, out of all of them you'd want seclusion and smaller groups on that surely. I thought the 'Your Next' was more scare zone. So we are down to 4 actual mazes? It was 5 and a scare zone previously wasn't it (I really haven't been paying attention). Presuming the gate figure will be about the same and the same proportion of guests will want to enter the mazes won't that leave us with queues about a fifth bigger than previously?!

This is a conversation that doesn't need to happen... I do believe a joke has been missed here

Exactly, in pieces but with many of its pieces on the other two trains. I think I'm right in saying it could not be brought into service without a significant order of replacement bits? From a track and operations point of view there is no physical reason three trains can not be run now. The only thing standing in their way is effort, something they appear to be lacking.

Just turn your head to face backwards and shut your eyes and you're pretty much there.

No fastrack on BWP? Only reason I can think they'd do that is is the throughput is going to be too low to take it, could mean rather good things for the experience!

Well, to run three they'd have to buy one! So that is quite an expense, if that is what insider means?

It's still a poor fix to an unnecessary problem though, as sudden and total brakes aren't the only option! It's like driving everywhere at 10mph only using your handbrake because your disks are gone, you don't do that - you but new brake disks! Quite why Vekoma go for this option I don't know.

They started this helpline thing then. Good idea! Lets hope it makes some (much needed) improvements.

I think that looks absolutely superb. So are we setting ourselves up for disappointment in watching that? Or will Lionsgate insist on something of that quality? Or somewhere in between?

That sounds very much like a way to get you to stop asking! As far as I know they just start it on the setting they want to use each time they start the ride, it takes no work or time. The settings themselves are programmed by the engineers using the manual controls at an intensity they see fit, which isn't very intense because the engineers don't want to have to fix the ride! The manual op is not available on Samurai as far as I know. Anyone who has worked on it able to confirm?

It really really wasn't! It has got a lot worse since then, but that was from a pretty low starting point. It has never been able to be run properly at Thorpe because of age and knackeredness sadly. Although that video must have been shot on a very good day it hasn't never run like that consistently and even that isn't particularly spectacular.