The 25th Anniversary of Nemesis at Alton Towers
Nobody knows where it came from. Nobody knows what it wants. There are theories, and then, there is the legend. Nemesis comes from another dimension. A dimension beyond our imagination. Its tragedy is that it has no home. It has suffered rejection throughout the solar system. It could not communicate, or make itself understood. No civilisation anywhere in any galaxy would come to terms with its awesome power, its brooding unpredictability, its mind.
Bewildered and afraid, mentally tortured by not knowing its origins, people turned against it, they fought it, they used everything against it but Nemesis has no fear. They were mere irritants to Nemesis, to be swatted away like flies. It left, to seek sanctuary but it searched in vain. Unwanted, it was jettisoned towards Earth two million years ago. It has remained here ever since, drawing its energy from the Earth's core. For centuries, people were drawn to the mysterious place where it was thought to lay buried. They paid homage to the power. They brought gifts. They gave their souls! It's resting place became a mystical place, a place of worship. Few pilgrims returned to lead a normal life, such was their disturbance, such was the gravity of what they felt. Often these meddlers met mysterious ends, crazed by their findings, driven mad by the force. Some simply disappeared leaving only their fear. Nemesis was too disturbing, it defied scientific explanation. It was left to brood in peace. Unexplained, its existence denied. Sanctuary at last. Until today.
Nemesis was discovered during routine maintenance work in the Forbidden Valley at Alton Towers. A group of workmen complained of dizzy spells, of an uncontrollable force drawing them towards a place where the shadows of two giant oak trees met. The force was overpowering. They were compelled to dig, to seek the source. What they discovered, defies description. The Nemesis had been disturbed, the sanctuary it sought for so many millions of years broken. It was awake. It thrashed crazily in the earth, removing all before it. Like a giant excavator, it sent trees and small buildings hurtling skywards, dementedly it released its anger at being discovered. Crazy, it formed the pit that you see today.
A security silence fell over Alton Towers while archaeologists and historians nervously investigated. Eventually, they described their worst fears; This was, Nemesis! Nemesis had to be controlled. It took 250 tonnes of steel and 200 men. Not ordinary men, not ordinary steel. Pinned down by this massive structure, it tries to escape, steaming anger. We, merely irritants, now ride it, fuelling its annoyance. It is controlled but not tamed.
When you ride Nemesis, remember its history. It is awesome. There is no comparison. This is the legend but don't try to understand, don't try to come to terms with it, don't even try to think about it.
Nemesis at Alton Towers. Sit back. It's fright time!
Nemesis has always been a rather spectacular feat of engineering and creativity. It is a known fact amongst the rollercoaster enthusiast community that Alton Towers, itself being a historic site, is placed under many restrictions when considering new attractions. Alton Towers are not allowed to build attractions that are taller than the tree height. This is so that the rides are not seen from the neighbouring villages. It is totally understandable, considering the parks setting in amongst the hills and picturesque countryside of Staffordshire. It must be quite the task when it comes to designing and building the next world-class attraction with such a limit in place but I think it has led to some truly unique and wonderful creative choices for the park.
Back in 1992, designer (and a personal hero of mine) John Wardley was looking at the concepts for a new, exciting and unique ride experience to feature at Alton Towers. There were two other concepts considered before Wardley became aware of a brand new style of rollercoaster being designed for Six Flags Great America in the USA. Six Flags had proposed a concept that was, at the time, considered impossible; An inverted rollercoaster (train suspended below the track) that also inverted (took the riders upside down). The Swiss company Bollinger & Mabillard, or B&M as they are commonly known, took on the project and Batman: The Ride was created. Wardley was able to ride the new attraction shortly before it opened and wanted one for Alton Towers.
But what makes Nemesis so special?
Due to the height limit constraints at Alton Towers, it was decided that the rollercoaster would be built in a sizeable pit. Of course, the park could have just excavated and flattened the land for the whole ride to sit on top of it but that would have been incredibly costly. Instead, the 'pit' would be designed as an interaction with the ride. The rollercoaster and the landscape are completely integrated. In order to keep the excavation costs down, the track was designed to be 'tight' around the terrain. It would twist and dive, navigating closely around the rock faces which had been excavated for the ride. It makes a ride on Nemesis feels even faster as you hurtle through the terrain and all the more thrilling as your mind wonders whether you might actually hit the rock edge. Also, with its 'tight' design, the twists and turns are taken at a higher speed than you would usually experience on a rollercoaster meaning that those manoeuvres feel all the more intense.
Its lift hill would stand at only 43ft however its total 'drop' would be 104ft. The rollercoaster would navigate this new terrain and would not reach its lowest point until around two-thirds of the way around the track. For those that are interested, Nemesis reaches its peak acceleration and speed at the bottom of the vertical loop. This means that the train would be accelerating throughout a large portion of the ride and that feature is unlike almost any single rollercoaster anywhere in the world.
The nature of its terrain hugging design, coupled with the extended length of acceleration means that the overall intensity of the experience is sustained far longer. How many rollercoasters have you ridden where the fastest moment is literally at the bottom of the first hill and the experience tapers off from there in as it decelerates? Not on Nemesis. It blisters around the track getting faster and faster, furiously hurtling through its turns and inversions. Certainly, at the time and perhaps even now, it can be considered one of the most intense rollercoasters in the world. All of this, came as a result of the tough restrictions that Alton Towers have to adhere to, almost like some kind of happy accident.
Of course, no rollercoaster is designed 'by accident' but the restrictions it was created under, gifted it a most unique experience and the ride has since become regarded as a world-class attraction. Even now, Nemesis still ranks highly when it comes to industry awards. If I was told that I could only ride one ride at Alton Towers, Nemesis would be my choice. For me, no visit to the park is complete without multiple rides on this absolute beast of a coaster.
In the last 25 years, many newer, more advanced attractions have opened both at Alton Towers and across the UK, but none of them has ever really matched the awesome and unique experience that Nemesis possesses. If there was ever a case of 'lightning in a bottle' for rollercoasters, Nemesis is most certainly it.
Happy 25th Anniversary Nemesis!
Thanks for stopping by and reading x
PS. Did you enjoy this article? Would you like me to talk about theme parks and rollercoasters more often? If so, let me know in the comments below.
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