THI3TEEN

Thi3teen is a roller coaster/dark ride with some innovative elements.  With five cars seating two across in two rows for a total capacity of 20 riders, the train makes a turn out of the loading station before ascending a 60-foot lift hill and navigating a series of small twisty airtime hills.  It then ascends a second lift hill which leads to the “Crypt,” in which riders are in for quite a surprise.  Shrouded in darkness, riders see flashing lights and other visual effects.  The train suddenly and unexpectedly drops, not once but twice. (These are the first freefalls of this type to be included on any roller coaster.)  It then propels the riders backwards out of the crypt while traversing a backwards helix before returning to the station.

While the size of the drops and speed of the ride are quite modest and unremarkable, the entry to and exit from the crypt are indeed remarkable.  When the train dropped in the crypt, my reaction was yikes!  The experience of being propelled out of the crypt backwards was delightful and somewhat awesome.  While Thi3teen is not an extreme thrill ride by any stretch of the imagination, it gets high marks for it uniqueness.  4 out of 5 stars.  For more information about rides at Alton Towers, visit https://www.altontowers.com  Photos courtesy of Alton Towers.