SPOILER ALERT! - An in-depth look at & on-ride video of the Ultimate Rollercoaster.
Thirteen is the world's first freefall drop rollercoaster.
Thirteen has been in design for 2 years and taken 9 months to build by a team of 35 working round the clock, to ensure it was ready for opening. The ride is replacing the old Corkscrew Rollercoaster which closed in November 2008 after 28 years and was the nation’s first double-helix rollercoaster. And at a £15 million pound investment, it is the most expensive ride at Alton Towers ever.
The rollercoastrer itself is built by Intamin, who also made Rita. The ride was tested and built in Europe before being shipped to the UK. Each train will seat 20 people in rows of two. There is expected to be three trains running. Built on a burial site that is part of the original Alton Abbey, Thirteen will be themed around a crypt, with one of the main features of the ride taking place inside the unearthed crypt in the old building.
The trains will leave the station and travel round a corner to the lift hill, which will pull them up to 60ft in the air. A steep drop is then followed by several tight corners, hills and twists before the train then travels into an old building. The door shuts behind the train and something weird and unexpected happens. Is that the floor giving way? Will you plummet into the ancient crypt below? Prepare to face the strange force of the Dark Forest...
Videos
See what the ride is like for yourself by watching this news coverage of Thirteen!
Central Tonight Report
GMTV Report
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