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Thorpe Park | Hyperia | Mack Hyper Coaster | 2024

Thoughts on Hyperia (mini trip report)

Visited Thorpe Park on Sunday 13th October.

First and foremost, Thorpe Park impressed me. Operations were absolutely immaculate. I've never seen slicker ops at a UK theme park. Mega, mega impressed. Not the same can be said for Alton Towers yesterday, but nevermind.... Although I've been an enthusiast for ~25 years I don't have any affinity with any theme park, so no bias. Alton Towers was horrific in comparison where ops are concerned, and I'm not saying that just to offend anyone.

Got to Thorpe Park for 9.30am. Gates opened at 10am and we ran to Hyperia, 50 people or so in queue before us.

They were taking their time with testing (for good reason). Both trains now back on track and they were removing 2 water dummies from each train at a time. It was hauling with empty trains by 10.40, ish - and they opened the gates.

Got row 3 for our first ride, and there is nothing that I can say that hasn't already been said. Absolutely incredible first drop, ballistic airtime (for the UK, granted) and just absolutely WORLD class. Don't want to sound like a broken record, but it really doesn't feel that short.

Got off, did Stealth and a couple other things and then rejoined main queue for Hyperia again, advertised 120 minutes but waited 60. Absolutely ridiculous operations, cleared the entirety of the main queue line in 60 mins, we were flabbergasted.

Row 4 second time, booo. Still though, it absolutely slapped. I've never felt such intense airtime since a sunset unicorn cred I had on Shambhala after 10 hours of operation at 38 degrees a few years ago.

My eyes and ears really opened at this point. When Hyperia opened I was calling people out on Twitter for saying Hyperia was their new number 1, ahead of SV, Velocicoaster, Zadra etc. But I completely got it.

After a few rides on Stealth, Swarm and a few flat rides (ignoring Colossus on a 110min queue [standard]) we went back for a few dusk rides, into the night.

Managed to snaffle two rides on the front row, jubilation. Really impressed with the front row, particularly into the overbank. Very unusual but strong airtime and crazy sensations. The views were impressive.

But still, the back row (or even the back of the train) eluded us.

I was saying to my mate like how many times, seriously, have you got to forge your wings to get a back row ride for gods sake. I've found my fearless yada yada, just give us the fxxkin back seat.

Feeling a sense of fearlessness (mainly delusion) as a result of being ragdolled on Hyperia a few times with Stealth in between (I take on Stealth as you would an espresso, for a pick me up) I bulk bought a few fast tracks.

As luck would have it (or I guess because pay to win and all that), the last two rides were back row rides, at night.

It's been perhaps 20 years since I felt a genuine sense of concern/fear on a ride of any kind. But as we were going up the lift hill, with Thorpe Park shrouded in a multicoloured cloud of Fright Night mist, with the moonlight gently caressing the tips of the trees outside of monks walk, all the fearless we found was nowhere to be seen. I watched my mate make the shape of the cross, tapping his forehead and shoulders in sequence like footballers do before they get subbed on in a big match.

Having watched (and felt) Hyperia get progressively more mental as the day went on, and being sat in the back right seat with perhaps a little too much wiggle room between my thighs and the restraint, I was nervous. Thank god. To feel a sense of genuine concern on a rollercoaster was incredibly refreshing. I've said it before, to have a massive 'traditional' lift hill coaster with standard sit down trains, in a world of linear induction swing launch gimmickry is amazing, and possibly something we may never get ever again in the UK.

Didn't have too long to be emotional nor reflective, because all hell was about to break loose (or at least I hoped it would).

It didn't disappoint.

Perhaps the most ludicrous airtime I've ever felt. It felt like my knee caps were the only thing stopping me from falling through said multi coloured mist and hitting the deck to be honest. So, so good.

TLDR Hyperia is mental and reignited a passion for UK theme parks and rollercoasters that had almost completely dwindled. We are so, so lucky to have Hyperia in the UK.

10/10
 

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Thoughts on Hyperia (mini trip report)

Visited Thorpe Park on Sunday 13th October.

First and foremost, Thorpe Park impressed me. Operations were absolutely immaculate. I've never seen slicker ops at a UK theme park. Mega, mega impressed. Not the same can be said for Alton Towers yesterday, but nevermind.... Although I've been an enthusiast for ~25 years I don't have any affinity with any theme park, so no bias. Alton Towers was horrific in comparison where ops are concerned, and I'm not saying that just to offend anyone.

Got to Thorpe Park for 9.30am. Gates opened at 10am and we ran to Hyperia, 50 people or so in queue before us.

They were taking their time with testing (for good reason). Both trains now back on track and they were removing 2 water dummies from each train at a time. It was hauling with empty trains by 10.40, ish - and they opened the gates.

Got row 3 for our first ride, and there is nothing that I can say that hasn't already been said. Absolutely incredible first drop, ballistic airtime (for the UK, granted) and just absolutely WORLD class. Don't want to sound like a broken record, but it really doesn't feel that short.

Got off, did Stealth and a couple other things and then rejoined main queue for Hyperia again, advertised 120 minutes but waited 60. Absolutely ridiculous operations, cleared the entirety of the main queue line in 60 mins, we were flabbergasted.

Row 4 second time, booo. Still though, it absolutely slapped. I've never felt such intense airtime since a sunset unicorn cred I had on Shambhala after 10 hours of operation at 38 degrees a few years ago.

My eyes and ears really opened at this point. When Hyperia opened I was calling people out on Twitter for saying Hyperia was their new number 1, ahead of SV, Velocicoaster, Zadra etc. But I completely got it.

After a few rides on Stealth, Swarm and a few flat rides (ignoring Colossus on a 110min queue [standard]) we went back for a few dusk rides, into the night.

Managed to snaffle two rides on the front row, jubilation. Really impressed with the front row, particularly into the overbank. Very unusual but strong airtime and crazy sensations. The views were impressive.

But still, the back row (or even the back of the train) eluded us.

I was saying to my mate like how many times, seriously, have you got to forge your wings to get a back row ride for gods sake. I've found my fearless yada yada, just give us the fxxkin back seat.

Feeling a sense of fearlessness (mainly delusion) as a result of being ragdolled on Hyperia a few times with Stealth in between (I take on Stealth as you would an espresso, for a pick me up) I bulk bought a few fast tracks.

As luck would have it (or I guess because pay to win and all that), the last two rides were back row rides, at night.

It's been perhaps 20 years since I felt a genuine sense of concern/fear on a ride of any kind. But as we were going up the lift hill, with Thorpe Park shrouded in a multicoloured cloud of Fright Night mist, with the moonlight gently caressing the tips of the trees outside of monks walk, all the fearless we found was nowhere to be seen. I watched my mate make the shape of the cross, tapping his forehead and shoulders in sequence like footballers do before they get subbed on in a big match.

Having watched (and felt) Hyperia get progressively more mental as the day went on, and being sat in the back right seat with perhaps a little too much wiggle room between my thighs and the restraint, I was nervous. Thank god. To feel a sense of genuine concern on a rollercoaster was incredibly refreshing. I've said it before, to have a massive 'traditional' lift hill coaster with standard sit down trains, in a world of linear induction swing launch gimmickry is amazing, and possibly something we may never get ever again in the UK.

Didn't have too long to be emotional nor reflective, because all hell was about to break loose (or at least I hoped it would).

It didn't disappoint.

Perhaps the most ludicrous airtime I've ever felt. It felt like my knee caps were the only thing stopping me from falling through said multi coloured mist and hitting the deck to be honest. So, so good.

TLDR Hyperia is mental and reignited a passion for UK theme parks and rollercoasters that had almost completely dwindled. We are so, so lucky to have Hyperia in the UK.

10/10
I know it's not a perfect ride, but makes me so happy reading others' experience of riding Hyperia. It is not perfect, but I absolutely love it and I am God damn happy to have it in the UK:)
 
I was saying to my mate like how many times, seriously, have you got to forge your wings to get a back row ride for gods sake. I've found my fearless yada yada, just give us the fxxkin back seat.
This is the one aspect of Hyperia that can be really hit or miss, my first ride was on the backrow, but it took me 13 days and 33 rides for me to finally get the front row, and then on my 34th ride on the same day I got my other missing which was row 4.

For me Hyperia has the asset that it’s a lot of fun in all of the rows, although in 64 rides I’ve only had 3 rides in car 2 where as all of the other cars are above ten rides, and car 5 has been experienced 25 times.

It was a much needed rollercoaster for the UK, and Thorpe Park in particular after a 12 year coaster drought.
 
From my (admittedly limited) experience, I’ve noticed that using the single rider queue often sees you batched towards the back rather than the front, for what it’s worth.

Both times I used the SRQ, I was batched on the very back row, and it seemed as though most people were being put towards the back.

So perhaps try the main queue as opposed to the SRQ if you want to get the front?
 
Finally got to ride today, just one as the park was the busiest I've ever seen it (queue-times says 51% which is... wrong), single rider and got back row (left seat).

Loved it, every element hit perfectly, but definitely too short. Basically, what everyone says.

That outer bank was evil, I want to get back on it right now. I can't belive we finally have a ride like this at home.

Edit: QT has updated now, it was at 97%
 
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Finally experienced a shutdown on Hyperia’s breakrun tonight, was about 16 minutes of downtime till they were able to get the train that was in the station out. - It looked like they had issues with the sensors on the restraints not registering/clearing. Which ironically was the same thing that happened to me last Saturday at Alton Towers with Nemesis Reborn, but for that one we were on the train that had the issue 🤣.
 
Finally experienced a shutdown on Hyperia’s breakrun tonight, was about 16 minutes of downtime till they were able to get the train that was in the station out.
I was in the queue for both of the tech delays last night! Some tense moments wondering whether we'd get our ride in the dark, fair play to the park for persevering and running it well into the night.

It was a fantastic night ride, but waited 3 hours including the downtime! Busiest I've ever seen the park, not to mention they've clearly done away with the reduced fastrack availability for Hyperia.
 
Busiest I've ever seen the park, not to mention they've clearly done away with the reduced fastrack availability for Hyperia.
I think it was last weekend, they did away with the hour time slots and made them half an hour slots, with more available in each slot. On the sold out Fright Nights days this is going to cause a lot of issues with it’s lower throughout, especially with the main queue being external for quite a bit of yesterday.
 
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At the conclusion of the 2024 season, I managed to experience 92 rides on Hyperia across 28 days. I knew from the start that I wanted to track all of my rides and rows.
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Considering it was my 33rd ride on the 24th August when I finally got the front row ride, it was crazy luck that that it became my second most ridden row behind the back row.

The back car beating front car by only two rides when the back had a huge lead and did have the longest continuous streak of 11 days of rides in a row, ironically ended by a front row ride on the 13th October, was a big surprise.

I’d like to note across those 92 rides, I only personally felt the affect of one bad ride which did cause a headache, which was the night ride on row 4 on the 27th October.

I personally prefer the offload side of the station, but this is more cause I prefer to be by the lift hill staircase. 90 of my rides were on this side. 2 were on the load side (Row 10 on my 30th ride on the 17th August, and Row 8 on my 90th ride on the 3rd November).
 
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