Thorpe Park Resort

[Pennywise]

SLAMMER is currently unavailable, but will be back in all it’s awesomeness soon.

Staying. For now.

[Nightfall]

This is a good question just because it really is a mystery as to how long Slammer will last.

My personal opinion is that unless maintaining it becomes too costly I see no reason to remove Slammer. I really like it, don't get me wrong it's not a great ride but it's something bizarre and unique that only S&S would dream up. Last time we went on it we joked about it all the way to the top only for it to break down giving us extra opportunity to make jokes on the way back down again. That was genuinely one of the highlights of our trip and this was the same day we first rode The Swarm.

It’s an oddity and should be enjoyed as such.

[AdrenalineAlex]

it's definitely unique, but i wouldn't say it was enjoyable, it's just okay, i wouldn't be too worried if it left as long as it was replaced by another flat, but it is a very odd experience. :P

[John]

Providing I have the lap bar tight and the shoulder bar so loose it's essentially pointless I'm quite fond of Slammer.  Sure there's a lot wrong with it, and I'm always worried I'll get stranded upside down but it's completely different to anything else in the UK and a fairly thrilling ride.  Bonus points for it never having a long queue, despite the fact the throughput is unbelievably low due to mind-numbing levels of faff.

I wouldn't be surprised to see it go though, it's reliability has been poor since day 1 and it's never been the most popular of rides.  It's surely a matter of time before Thorpe decide the ride is more trouble than it's worth, though since the park have already closed 3* attractions since the end of last season it would be an extremely poor show if another one were to close.

*I'm counting Saw Alive here, even though it'll be back for Fright Nights

[SpinballEdders]

I love Slammer, For me it's the only intimidating ride At Thorpe Park and can offer a high amount of Thrill, It happens to be my 2nd favourite flat after Rush .

The loading is horrible, and the queue hardly moves, however it's normally a short one so it doesn't bother that much. It can be painful but I'm not bothered about painful rides.

Would be sad to see it go (if ever) but I hope it goes to another park instead of getting scrapped, would be a waste if it did.

[CoasterCrazyChris]

It would make sense to get rid of Slammer to allow for the redevelopment of the X site and the arena.

It is an enjoyable ride, but I agree the faff between cycles is just stupendous.

[BigAl]

I'd like to go on it at least once before it leaves. It looks fantastic when it's operating and I'd like to think that Thorpe Park will bear with it due to it being one of only two that were ever built. For that reason, even if Thorpe does want to get rid of it, I'd prefer it if they sold it to another park rather than as scrap.

[MattsDesigns]

It just occured to me that if you take the N from Nemesis you get emesis which means vomiting. Not so much what the one at Thorpe does but the one at Alton does sometimes. 8)

[Coolbeans14]

I'll miss slammer if it goes. Sure it has something like 40 seats but doesn't eat queues, needs a lot of staff, and has a tendency to not work.

But its just so obscure and so bizarre a ride, that its fun. Plus, its the only ride at thorpe where I feel incredibly unsafe, because of the restraints being kind of, well, small.

[SwEDEN]

Any more new on the fire effect? Do you think it will be up and running by the end of the month?

[djtruefitt]

I have to say I quite like Slammer, I would rather ride that than Submission! But I agree the faff between rides is just stupid, I have no idea why it takes so long to load and unload the ride. I think someone last weekend said its the last of its type in the world?

[Sam]

I quite like Slammer, but you have to work very hard for your enjoyment.

The bit where you're going forwards and 'over-the-top' is amazing, but you have to put up with an awful lot of other time wasting and the boring backwards bit for those few moments.

[Tom G]

I'm pleased about the lack of 'painful' comments it usually gets :P

[Rocket]

I actually have non painful rides on slammer, you just need a tight lap bar and loose shoulder bars.
It's unique experience and the fact it's the last one in the world make it great for Thorpe.

[dominoes]

^Ah, so that's where I went wrong. I always had tight both, and it hurt like hell... I feel like a fool now...

[tomglazed]

The tight shoulder restraints appear to be a big contributor to those that say the ride is painful. It might be in Thorpe's best interests to put something in the queue line announcement or loading announcement about pulling the shoulder bar down so it rests lightly on your shoulders and pull the lap bar down snugly across your hips; almost in the same vein as an airline safety video but if that is what it takes then so be it.

[BigAl]

It's unique experience and the fact it's the last one in the world make it great for Thorpe.

It's not the last one though. Six Flags New England still have the one that was built before the Slammer that used to be at Astro World before it closed down.

Take a look.

But that doesn't mean it's any less unique. I'd like to think that both will remain strong (even if that is at other parks around the world) to preserve the ride for future generations. There are few companies out there that can make rides as weird, wonderful and sometimes as painful as Arrow Dynamics/S&S Power. :P

[tomglazed]

While S&S no longer produce the ride, as long as they provide support to Six Flags and Thorpe for their rides then they will keep it up until management decide it isn't worth it anymore.

[Rocket]

I thought there were 3, one removed and one SBNO, thanks for correcting me I wouldn't have known any different otherwise.
I still love the experience of slammer. I find it incredibly fun.

[thefatone]

The tight shoulder restraints appear to be a big contributor to those that say the ride is painful. It might be in Thorpe's best interests to put something in the queue line announcement or loading announcement about pulling the shoulder bar down so it rests lightly on your shoulders and pull the lap bar down snugly across your hips; almost in the same vein as an airline safety video but if that is what it takes then so be it.

There is. The announcement tells you - and failing that, the operator TELLS you to put it down lightly resting.

Unfortunately everyone feels like they're gonna fall out and die if they dont force it fully down, and therefore have an uncomfortable ride experience. No matter how much emphasis you put on the fact the shoulder harness is for COMFORT ONLY, people will still pull down.