Wicker Man - General Discussion

[theparklifekid]

I wonder if this means that the Haunted Hallow will be the main path to get to Katanga Canyon, Gloomy Wood and Forbidden Vally...

[Tom170499]

It could just be the angle that the photo was taken at but that's quite an excavation, they're busy bees down at Alton. Though I suppose the milder weather helps.

Apparently it isn't just the angle. According to Towers Street, the hole goes far into the path:



I did think it may have been the angle at first though.

[DavidA]

That's a big hole. For a woody that's meant to be sat on pretty much ground level.

[Owen]

That's a big hole. For a woody that's meant to be sat on pretty much ground level.

It may be a case of having not filled in the hole yet. Remember there's a decent amount of landscaping to be done yet, I wouldn't get too excited about anything until we know it's 100% ready for vertical construction

[ColossusInferno]

If SW8 is supposedly more for the family, I guess InvadR at Busch Gardens would be a good basis of what we can expect from the new ride

[simononestop]

could still just be for concrete and footings. I guess the flume wouldn't have had much foundations and with all the water I guess they would have to go down quite far to get solid ground? just speculating.

[xylyx]

I figured it would require some depth but I guess they had to work with the ground, as it was a man made 'lake' it could have been ropey for the foundations. Then again there could be a heap of stuff under the station buildings etc.....

[nemefan08]

I hope the construction of a new family thrill coaster will signal the end of Spinball. But it will probably be replaced with a expansion with a new kiddy flat nobody wants.

[S.J_O'Grady]

I hope the construction of a new family thrill coaster will signal the end of Spinball. But it will probably be replaced with a expansion with a new kiddy flat nobody wants.

That's exactly what'll happen I'd say, but I love spinball so it would be a massive loss for me.

[118hazaman]

I hope the construction of a new family thrill coaster will signal the end of Spinball. But it will probably be replaced with a expansion with a new kiddy flat nobody wants.

Well surely children enjoy the children's rides? Alton Towers does need some new thrilling flat rides but that is definitely not the right area to place them. Therefore it would make sense to put a children's ride of some description there. Remember, AT caters to more than just enthusiasts...

[TheDuke]

This may be a bit off topic however I'm excited to see the themeing used for this coaster as there's definitely been an increase in effort when it comes to themeing in merlin parks and theme parks in general the past few years

[TheSmiling97]

what im curious is that if all of katanga canyon would be closed for the 2017 season because i do know that the main entrance from mutiny bay to katanga canyon will be closed for construction traffic. cuz im hoping to ride my one of my favourites, Nemesis again this year

[Dom]

what im curious is that if all of katanga canyon would be closed for the 2017 season because i do know that the main entrance from mutiny bay to katanga canyon will be closed for construction traffic. cuz im hoping to ride my one of my favourites, Nemesis again this year

At the moment, I think we are still waiting to see if the usual route from Mutiny Bay to Katanga Canyon will be closed. Even if it is, there will definitely be alternate routes available. The Haunted Hollow is a good shortcut as is the Skyride to get to Forbidden Valley and Nemesis. I'm sure Alton Towers will have thought about this and put a plan in place for if the usual route closes.

[Ryan.B]

If not, then you have the skyride.

[simononestop]

I hope this takes off soon. I need some updates. need something to read in my lunch hour.

[Owen]

I must admit its fairly concerning looking at the excitement levels. After flicking back through the January section of the SW7 thread, its clear to see that there is much less excitement around this project so far. After giving a very rough estimate it looks as though the amount of posts per day seems to be at a ratio of 1:100 (SW8:SW7). Now, obviously the amount of active users has indeed decreased between 2012 and 2017, however does that really justify a 1:100 ratio? In other words a decline of 99%. Not to mention, so far there seems to be a great lack of interest from the enthusiast community as a whole - not just from TowersTimes Forum.

I really hope that SW8 marketing ramps up quick because if even the enthusiast community isn't seeming to get excited about it, I dread to think what the general public may think. Seeing as the success of this seems almost crucial at this point, I could honestly see this being the final nail in the coffin for current management - especially with both Chessington and Thorpe Park going full speed ahead into the future...

[Dom]

I must admit its fairly concerning looking at the excitement levels. After flicking back through the January section of the SW7 thread, its clear to see that there is much less excitement around this project so far. After giving a very rough estimate it looks as though the amount of posts per day seems to be at a ratio of 1:100 (SW8:SW7). Now, obviously the amount of active users has indeed decreased between 2012 and 2017, however does that really justify a 1:100 ratio? In other words a decline of 99%. Not to mention, so far there seems to be a great lack of interest from the enthusiast community as a whole - not just from TowersTimes Forum.

I really hope that SW8 marketing ramps up quick because if even the enthusiast community isn't seeming to get excited about it, I dread to think what the general public may think. Seeing a success of this seems almost crucial at this point, I could honestly see this being the final nail in the coffin for current management - especially with both Chessington and Thorpe Park going full speed ahead into the future...

Whilst I can see what you are trying to say, I think the problem is that not much is currently happening on the resort, and everything we do already know has been discussed, at length. I think people don't have high hopes for SW8, which is sad, but its understandable. (I hope I get my facts right now and if not i'm sorry for being a bad enthusiast). Out of all the wooden coaster manufacturers out there, Merlin have chosen the safe option with GCI. To many enthusaists this felt like a bad decision. As I have yet to experience a wooden coaster (Again another bad mark on the enthusiast side) I can't comment.

Merlin do need to pull something spectacular out of their hat for this because of Pleasure Beach's addition for 2018. And if Merlin get this wrong, than we could see more ride closures etc. AT's future for the enthusiast community is relying on this one coaster. This may be over dramatic of me to say, but that's the way I personally see it. At this current moment in time, AT is second because TP feel like they actually know what they are doing. whereas AT don't.

[Owen]

But even so, the reason I looked at january specifically is because not much was happening at either construction sites, well at least not anything other than digging, so it really is quite comparable. And in regards to the manufacturer I am confident to think people would be more excited by GCI than Gerstlauer :lol

Either way with something like 1:100 it's a pretty big difference, shockingly big in my opinion, so something needs to get the ball rolling...

[Ryan.B]

I'm just fed up with the mystery approach myself. Blackpool are doing it right for me, if there is a secret element then why not do something like Kings Island are doing?

[Burniel]

Regarding the manufacturers, GCI are generally a safe option but, in the park's defence, it's entirely possible that their choices were very limited due to their lift hill noise requirements. The only wooden coaster I've ever done is Cú Chulainn (Gravity Group) and that was fantastic, a perfect example of a 21st-Century woodie, but I hear that GCI aren't always as good as GG. Ultimately, it was likely to be one of three manufacturers (GCI, GG, RMC) and they went for the one that enthusiasts will be least excited by, but it's still an Alton Towers woodie and I personaly can't wait.

With the general excitement around the topic, I would say that we haven't really had much to get excited about since we had the plans and planning permission. I'm sure the topic will get far busier once the season starts and people will be watching construction for themselves regularly.