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Alton Towers New Flat Ride?

You could be onto something looking at the project name..

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Not possible... This will be 18M in total, including the concrete platform / structure (at 4.8M itself) leaving 13.2m exactly for the ride.... The Big Waves is 21M high on it's own...

Guess what is 13.2M exactly??? Yep... A Huss Floorless Top Spin... I'm litterally so f***ing excited!!!!

Edited to add sources:

FLoorless Topspin: https://www.hussrides.com/thrill-rides/top-spin-suspended/

Big Waves: https://www.zamperla.com/products/the-big-wavez/
 
The only problem with a Huss Floorless Top Spin, however, is that the footprint apparently isn’t big enough. The footprint of the area is 11.5m*14.5m, whereas the published size of Huss’ Floorless Top Spin is 22m*9m: https://www.hussrides.com/thrill-rides/top-spin-suspended/

Therefore, unless Alton Towers have plumped for a smaller model, the footprint isn’t big enough.

They could have gone for a regular Top Spin, however; I don’t know if the footprint of those is smaller.
EDIT - It would seem that the classic Top Spin is bigger again, at 22m*11.5m: https://www.hussrides.com/thrill-rides/top-spin-classic/

To me, those dimensions would rule out any kind of Top Spin unless Alton Towers have opted for a smaller model that Huss doesn’t currently offer.
 
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The only problem with a Huss Floorless Top Spin, however, is that the footprint apparently isn’t big enough. The footprint of the area is 11.5m*14.5m, whereas the published size of Huss’ Floorless Top Spin is 22m*9m: https://www.hussrides.com/thrill-rides/top-spin-suspended/

Therefore, unless Alton Towers have plumped for a smaller model, the footprint isn’t big enough.

They could have gone for a regular Top Spin, however; I don’t know if the footprint of those is smaller.
EDIT - It would seem that the classic Top Spin is bigger again, at 22m*11.5m: https://www.hussrides.com/thrill-rides/top-spin-classic/

To me, those dimensions would rule out any kind of Top Spin unless Alton Towers have opted for a smaller model.
Those aren't 'just' theming structures ;)
 
Perhaps not, but how do you get past Alton Towers’ specified ride footprint being too small for the models of Top Spin on Huss’ website?
Read what I said again?

That size specified is for the concrete structure, not the ride. Which will act as the loading platform. The ride itself will extend out over and be atop of those 'theming' structures.

The gap between the centre of both 'theming' structures looks to be around, or just over, 22m ;)
 
Read what I said again?

That size specified is for the concrete structure, not the ride. Which will act as the loading platform. The ride itself will extend out over and be atop of those 'theming' structures.

The gap between the centre of both 'theming' structures looks to be around, or just over, 22m ;)
Ah, sorry… I missed that bit! I thought that the 11.5m*14.5m stat was for the entire ride footprint…

If so, then that would make a Huss Suspended Top Spin a lot more plausible!
 
Ah, sorry… I missed that bit! I thought that the 11.5m*14.5m stat was for the entire ride footprint…

If so, then that would make a Huss Suspended Top Spin a lot more plausible!
From what I've read in the plans so far, that was 'assumed' because the concrete block measures that, and people knowing the ride was above it, put two and two together... I can't find anywhere that specifically mentions the ride footprint. Though I haven't finished reading.
 
If it was a suspended Top Spin or similar, having a ride capable of absorbing an additional 1100pph would be a huge bonus and sorely needed given the hollowing out of the flat ride lineup over the years.
 
Absolutely no way would Ripsaw 2.0 perform anywhere near to 1100pph
On a single cycle with no LPs, a top spin CAN get over 1000 riders per hour. Typically, however, due to the unforgiving restraint systems and the fact pretty much all the classic top spins run a double cycle, it's more in the region of 400-550.
 
On a single cycle with no LPs, a top spin CAN get over 1000 riders per hour. Typically, however, due to the unforgiving restraint systems and the fact pretty much all the classic top spins run a double cycle, it's more in the region of 400-550.
500... 1000... Whatever the theoretical figures are, it doesn't really matter, we know a Top Spin has worked very well on that spot before, and at a time when the park was, I believe, busier. (They were hitting 2.9m visitors annually in the late 90s, they're now getting around 2.3m on 2022 figures.)

For those that don't remember, it did actually sustain some decent queues in the late 90s and early 00s, the general public saw it as worth queueing for. So for that reason, it will be a fantastic bump in capacity.
 
While I’m not the biggest top spin fan, that will be quite a spectacle, turning the corner and seeing a suspended topspin over the pathway. In the days of social media, this is probably a great thing. Also, the theming opportunities…. It could be some huge piece of military equipment bought in to subdue Nemesis, with huge tentacles encasing it either side. Anyway, whatever happens, a new flat ride can only be a good thing.

On a side note, if they are adding this in possibly 2025 (not confirmed I know) rather than 2024, do you think we could be seeing a phase 2 to work on Forbidden Valley? i know it’s probably wishful thinking, but it would be nice to walk under this on your way to Galactica, and the theme continue, with Galactica being tied into the area making the whole thing cohesive. With Alton pouring money into the Nemesis refurb, the nemesis/forbidden valley theme is obviously not going anywhere any time soon. I’ve always felt Galactica has a bit of an identity crisis since it became Galactica, not Air. With the addition of a new flat here, with theming, could it be the perfect opportunity to do something about that whole back section of forbidden valley? Again, wishful thinking I know.
 
What's the latest on Project Horizon? Is that still pencilled in for 2025?
What I'm getting at here is, if this new flat ride is gonna be the new for 2025 ride (because I can't see it opening this year), does that mean that the new cred over in coaster corner is now gonna be 2026? Or did we suspect that already and I'm just not keeping up?
 
@Howie - it looks like project horizon has been pushed back till 2026 or later. It look likes flat rides are the thing for the next couple of years from the speculation I’ve read.
 
What's the latest on Project Horizon? Is that still pencilled in for 2025?
What I'm getting at here is, if this new flat ride is gonna be the new for 2025 ride (because I can't see it opening this year), does that mean that the new cred over in coaster corner is now gonna be 2026? Or did we suspect that already and I'm just not keeping up?

Kinda - (I gather) one of the briefing documents was put into the general access on merlins file management so any employee could have a look through it. Looked pretty crap. MMM need to have words with their file controller 🤣

But yes - i think the belief is that Horizon wasn't developed enough to start construction (or even tendering?) yet so has gone back to the drawing board.
 
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What's the latest on Project Horizon? Is that still pencilled in for 2025?
What I'm getting at here is, if this new flat ride is gonna be the new for 2025 ride (because I can't see it opening this year), does that mean that the new cred over in coaster corner is now gonna be 2026? Or did we suspect that already and I'm just not keeping up?
The current belief is that Horizon has at very least been delayed to 2026. There’s no proof that it’s been either delayed or cancelled, but no work has taken place whatsoever in Coaster Corner yet, so the working theory is that a 2025 opening is no longer on the agenda and that the project has either been delayed or cancelled.

I personally think it’s been delayed to 2026 rather than cancelled, as Bianca Samut (Divisional Director of Alton Towers) has mentioned Project Horizon within the last 6 months, but it doesn’t look as though a 2025 opening for it is on the agenda anymore.
 
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