Th13teen

[Benin]

Comparing the 'bouncing track' at the end of Winja's to Thirteen's drop is not great...Winja's bit is not a freefall, since the track is hinged (as the diagram shows)...And the spinning is freely controlled just like any MS spinner, although it gets stopped whilst doing the trick track sections of both Fear and Fury... But it continues spinning after...Thirteen does have the world's first freefall drop actually as part of a rollercoaster... Some Gerstlauers have the station track descend to go into the maintenance area (Mystery Mine is the first example I can think of), but none doing what Thirteen does...

[JoshC.]

^Ah right, thanks for that. Looks like I misunderstood what actually happens on Winjas.Thanks for clearing all that up Benin.

[Millie27]

Hey guys. I just want to let you know, idk how major it is but there is a problem with th13teen ATM. It was broken down most of Thursday and then broke down at the end of yesterday. This morning, we were allowed to queue from 9-12 and weren't told it wasn't going to be open at 10 until half past 10. It never opened. Luckily I got on it yesterday, and was only going to Alton today to try and get on it again. A mechanic came out with his like boots covered in oil and told us that there was a leak with the oil that they had fixed the leak, replaced the oil & were just warming it up. He then went on to say that they were going to test it with the water dummies which did go ahead and actually looked like the ride was running well. We were also told that it's something to do with the hydraulic system. Then, staff came round & told us it would be open very soon and everything was looking good. By this time there was about a 2 hour queue, queueing to get in to the thirteen queue line! They then got rid of most of the queue and told us that the mechanics were on the phone to intamin in Switzerland and that it was unlikely that thirteen would be open today. We were given exit passes though . Sorry if this post isn't paragraphed but I'm posting from my phone.On a plus side, the actors dressed up in the hooded cloak things (idk what they're called) were very funny and helped to pass the time as did the people on stilts. They were fantastic. Thirteen is an amazing ride in my opinion but I thought it was quite short .Also if anyone does know what's wrong with it, I would love to find out so please do let me know .

[James6]

That doesn't sound to good , But yeah as long as it's fixed for next week :DIt's a shame as the ride had such a good initial opening.I also agree it's an amazing ride, one of my favourite's with Nemesis and Fury <_<By the way, they're called wraiths!

[Millie27]

By the way, they're called wraiths!

Ah thanks . They were hilarious. They chased people & other people they like picked up their bags and walked away and brought it back haha. Definately improved overall experince of queue but they did something different every time I saw them

[Benin]

Hydraulic systems from Intamin are just so reliable aren't they?Probs issues with the dropping mechanism then...

[James6]

Basically, the problems with Thirteen are rumoured to be that the ride is reaching the Second Lift Hill too quickly, there the ride thinks it'll overshoot it and go into the Crypt too quickly so the ride shuts down. This is even with the trims! This is just a rumour but would explain what has been happening where if the ride does stop on the 2nd lift it can't be re-started if full of people. The fact that the ride has often been running with the back cars empty also suggests it is a weight issue, hopefully Alton can get it sorted soon :PDoesn't sound to good but hopefully will be sorted and ideally, will result in the trims being removed! (Information gathered from Towers Times)

[treeis]

Theres a second lift hill?

[James6]

Yep, -Drop out of station and turn -First lift hill-First Drop with trims- High speed turn- Airtime hills through forest (Which would be amazing without trims)- Twisty bit through forest- Second lift-Turn into Crypt- Crypt and "Secret Section"- Backwards Section (Underground Helix)- Back above ground, switchbacks-Launch back into Station.

[James6]

Sorry for double post, The ride is now a "Poll-ercoaster"

Politics just got interesting - Alton Towers Resort launches new 'poll-ercoaster'From today, guests at the Alton Towers Resort can express their political preference in a unique poll which will run right up until May 6th – dubbed a ‘poll-ercoaster’.At the ride entrance to THI3TEEN, the Resort’s newest attraction, masks of Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg have been made available to wear whilst riding. It is hoped that the numbers in which they are picked will provide a daily snapshot of the nation’s voting intentions with ride operators providing daily updates.As of today, the poll showed Labour on an average of 6 passengers per 20 seater car (30%), Conservatives on 7 (35%) and Lib Dems on 7 (35%).Morwenna Angove, Sales and Marketing Director at the Alton Towers Resort, comments, “Politics can be a rollercoaster at the best of times and it’s hard to know who’s up and whose down. The poll-ercoaster aims to provide a daily snapshot of our visitors voting intentions. With many young voters feeling alienated and disenchanted with the electoral process, we hope that it will be an exciting way for them to show their allegiance. Who knew politics could be such fun!”TH13TEEN, the ultimate rollercoaster at the Alton Towers Resort is the world's first free fall drop coaster. TH13TEEN takes riders on a gruelling journey through The Dark Forest, where they will battle the overwhelming force of the woods through a series of twists and turns, before plummeting into the unknown.Having been two years in development, ground-breaking technology makes TH13TEEN every ride you could ever dream of in one. Built on an unearthed ancient burial site, riders are taken on an exhilarating adventure, experiencing adrenalin-pumping speeds, rapid reversing and terrific twists as they attempt to escape the clutches of the all-consuming forest. Never before has so much theme park technology been combined in one fantastically thrilling ride.

You get a very nice look at that trim...

[JoshC.]

Haha! This is the type of marketing which I think is just brilliant. A bit of fun and describes the park perfectly. I absolutely love this idea. Well done AT!

[TP Daniel]

That's funny!I can't get over the three of them going down the drop, it looks ridiculous!Better than previous marketing I must say!

[AeRo]

Just how shifty does Cameron look?

[JoshC.]

My only grumble about this whole thing is that that photo doesn't haven't enough Cleggs!

[AeRo]

Because he won't be held back by trims.

[Whiteknuckle]

Funniest thing I have seen for a long time

[Fred]

Love how gordon brown seems to be ****ting themself. How epic!

[Dummiguy]

- Twisty bit through forest

Grrrr.... S-BEND'S!!!!! but that PR stunt is magical only Alton Towers would think of that

[MikeyT]

So after my Vampire post, it's got me thinking about Th13teen a bit. I've read a lot around the internet commenting on the theme's target audience in relation to the actual ride experience, some saying that the fun, family coaster does not marry up with the edgy, sinister theme for the ride.Well, I think, as mentioned earlier, children absolutely love being scared. I'll use Doctor Who as an example- in which I'm not ashamed to say, has really freaked me out at times, (thank you The Moff ) but it also turns out, they're usually the favourite episodes from each series. Now, it's a family show, meaning children and adults can sit down together and enjoy it.That sounds pretty much like Th13teen to me. I haven't ridden it yet, but from everything I'm hearing, it sounds like a cracking family coaster, with a sophisticated theme, which doesn't patronise children or the family audience with bunnies, rainbows and clouds (though Cloud Cuckoo Land is fantastic ).I also think not having a cohesive story works for this sort of theme. Which has come under fire from various people, saying the story doesn't go deep enough. I think what's there is there but leaves things open for interpretation, letting the guests make up their own minds about what's really going on. I think that has much creepier connotations than any storyline could deliver on.

[Mark9]

Well you see the thing with Th13teen is I personally don't think anything is explained. I went in there, blind as a bat and I honestly thought that it hadn't been finished yet and all the construction beams around the ride was a building site. I mean theres things dotted around such as trees enveloping people and cars being destroyed but it doesn't all add up to a final product. It doesn't help that the ride itself is one half unthemed journey through open space, the other a themed masterpiece that is genuinely exciting. It doesn't have that extra element that rides like Tomb Blaster, Nemesis and Hex have to really finish the product.

[MikeyT]

Yeah, from what I've seen the outside queue and ride area does look a little disappointing. Ride area should improve in a few years, and small things in the outside queue make a huge difference. The biggest flaw for me, from the pictures I've seen is the tarmac exit path- not very spooky is it?

[Benin]

^And that crappy red Intamin next door to it ;)Obviously John Wardley went on the Season Pass podcast and stated that there wasn't a need for a main central story, but the thing is the marketing lot basically put in an entire mix of different things in the advertising from the wolf in the original leaflets, the 'ride the demon' slogan, the wraiths, the girl in the adverts, and the worst one of course calling it the world's 'ultimate' coaster...Now on that last point calling it that was a big mistake... Because it made GP (and enthusiasts to an extent) believe it would be better than Nemesis and the other big coasters in the world and hence there have been a few people with disappointment on their faces and most of the enthusiasts at opening basically went "It was average", myself included...Now there's nothing wrong with a 'scary' theme for a family coaster, indeed, most ghost trains in the world are family rides technically... But the problem with this is that the coaster portion is really boring (trims the reason moreso than the barren area), there's so little pace and excitement to that section but yet you go inside and the ride suddenly turns into something really good...The idea of the drop is great... But I feel that the layout of the ride (and the advertising) didn't really lend itself to the entire package, and the scaffolding as Mark said will look pretty dodgy to those who don't understand that there's meant to be restoration going on, again, it's a whole mixture of themes and stories (sounds like the recent episodes of Doctor Who now ) and I just think it should have been more dark ride than coaster...The area of course is still marred by that mistake from 2005... They tried with Rita at least but it still looks so out of place and squeezed in... Bloody Tussauds...I one day hope that Disney or Universal decide to make a ride with the technology, because they'll make it a truly amazing experience...

[Dummiguy]

Well you see the thing with Th13teen is I personally don't think anything is explained. I went in there, blind as a bat and I honestly thought that it hadn't been finished yet and all the construction beams around the ride was a building site. I mean theres things dotted around such as trees enveloping people and cars being destroyed but it doesn't all add up to a final product. It doesn't help that the ride itself is one half unthemed journey through open space, the other a themed masterpiece that is genuinely exciting. It doesn't have that extra element that rides like Tomb Blaster, Nemesis and Hex have to really finish the product.

Well the building site look is there because it's meant to look like it's been found and they're trying to support it (just part of the theming) and the cars and people engulfed by trees is meant to symbolise the dark forest taking over the area and sucking everything in.

[electricBlll]

The scaffolding needs something else to it to make it less confusing to the general public. Yes, of course it is just theming, but the less intelligent riders would not know that unless you sat them down and said it to them. You can't do that, though. It is hardly like you could put up a sign saying, "This scaffolding is not real."Therefore, it would improve the look greatly if there was some sort of obvious reason to why the scaffolding was there, such as branches tearing through the cover sheets, broken scaffolding or perhaps the more grisly approach of a worker's body seen hanging by a vine in the distance. Even just some plaques on the walls stating: "Warning: Do not enter. Unsafe building." and "Restoration work in progress - access forbidden." As long it suits the 'haunted' appearance of the crypt, anything to back up the scaffolding will improve the loose backstory greatly.

[James6]

^ Agreed, even if there was one of those signs that usual scaffolding has which states the company. "Towers Scaffolding- For all your restoration needs" Something along those lines Nothing big or costly.