The Smiler
The only way to describe The Smiler at Alton Towers is the modern successor of Nemesis, mixed with a bit of Oblivion.
The 14 loop rollercoaster boats all of the twists and turns of the older Nemesis ride, on a much greater scale. As a rider you go through seven loops before being taken up a reversed, slower version of Oblivion in vertical lift hill to get a well needed rest before the next seven loops ensue.
The ride has an impressive cobra roll, batwing, sea serpent roll, two diving loops, two inverted drops, a heartline roll, and three corkscrews, totalling at three more inversions than any other rollercoaster in the world! The spider like structure in the middle of the rollercoaster ‘The Marmaliser’ has five, legs, each of which has a different means of getting you to smile!
The new ride, which opened in May 2013, certainly lives up to its name, despite being fast and full of every kind of twist and turn any rollercoaster fan could ask for, it is also merchandised very well to.
Walking around the park, even if you have no intention of going on the ride, the logo is everywhere, taunting you to go on it.
The monochrome decoration used for the Oblivion theme, extends to this ride making it in keeping with the futuristic setting of X Sector and it is further enhanced by the vibrant yellow colour scheme. The large screen TV in the middle of the ride has clips and words to keep you entertained and whet your appetite while you wait.
As this ride is still very new the queues were averaging at 2 hours. So either buy a fast pass ticket or get there at 9 for the ride opening at 10am. We went for the latter option and still queued for an hour and half. The queue is deceptive, as once you have passed the outer system you then have to wait a little longer once inside.
Overall I would urge any rollercoaster junkie to try this one out as, next to Oblivion it is the most extreme ride in the park at present. The break in the middle is needed to not only prolong the experience but to give you chance to recover before being thrown into another seven loops! This ride is certainly better than last year’s offering of Nemesis Sub Terra and dare I say it- well worth the long wait!
Tagged in Alton Towers