elephant58
Hyper Poster
That world's first is the best yet...
Alton Towers PR said:Wicker Man is the UK’s first new wooden rollercoaster experience in 21 years and comes with a globally unique twist – bringing together wood and fire for the very first time. A Wicker Man structure standing at 57.57ft (17.55m) tall – the height of a six-storey building – will dominate the very centre of Alton Towers Resort, appearing to burst into flames as the wooden track races three separate times through the structure.
The project, previously known as ‘SW8’*, is the latest in a series of mould-breaking ride launches from the Staffordshire theme park that have helped define the industry. A world-class team of experts continue to work on the new attraction, led by Great Coasters International, the world’s leading creators of wooden rollercoasters. The safety of guests has been paramount in the design and build of Wicker Man, incorporating the latest in proven safety technology, rigorous testing and hundreds of training hours for ride operators.
Bradley Wynne, Creative Lead at Alton Towers Resort commented: “We are delighted to finally be announcing Wicker Man as the latest ground-breaking thrill attraction from Alton Towers Resort for 2018. Guests will be ‘chosen’ to take part in a celebratory ‘rite of passage’ as they race through the flaming Wicker Man.
“We hope visitors will be blown away by Wicker Man’s breath-taking scale whilst the primal essence of the wooden coaster and astonishing effects will leave them delighted, exhilarated and eager to ride again.”
Visitors to Alton Towers Resort in 2018 will embark on a multi-sensory rite of passage, in which they’ll be drawn into the mysterious world of The Beornen, a shadowy group living in the woods surrounding the theme park.
The first publicity pictures hinting at the nature of the forthcoming attraction include artwork created by globally-celebrated illustrator Kyle Lambert – known across the world as the artist behind the imagery for award-winning show Stranger Things, alongside other Hollywood movie work including Jurassic Park, Super 8 and Jumanji.
I think they've been marmalisedAt least the promo art has happy riders. Meaning they're going for the thrill direction as opposed to horror.
Yeah, I've already seen a few posts on social media by people put off by The Smiler incident who are not at all impressed by a new wooden ride being set on fire.Well it's officially got fire then. I don't get it.
In a park that is recovering from a bad accident and trying to give off a new image of safety (reiterated by that new PR piece telling us how many hours they've been training staff).
And in a country that considers wooden coasters to be old and unsafe, that hasnt built one in 20 years, and in a week where a fabulous woodie was torn down for safety fears (despite supposedly passing safety inspections this year).
We get a wooden roller coaster on fire!