| Ride Review - Latest Update: July 2006 (WARNING! Will Spoil First Time Riders) | ||
To get to the station you must pass through a smallish tunnel and you arrive on an elevated area with steps down to the station platform. In the Victorian themed station you will see the trains, red in colour, 3 cars long, each seating 4 people, 2 in the front and 2 in back. A small bar with a lap bar on top is pushed between your legs and you are fully secure. The ride starts by gown up a spiral lift, as found on these types of coasters, there are lights to look like stars and dramatic music plays. The ride features sharp drops, fast turns and big dips, and the coaster itself is great fun. Smooth, despite being the dark, and with plenty of variation. Sadly, there are little to no effects around the ride - a missed opportunity. The ride appeals to a wide range of people. It offers enough thrills for thrillseekers but isn’t too intense for more timid visitors, this is why the ride is popular. You can't fault what is there, but you can wonder why an opporunity to turn a good coaster into a show-stopping enclosed expirieince wasn't taken up. The brakes on the ride are extremly powerful and when it comes to stop, it is quite likely to send a jolt through you. Queues for the ride can be horrific due to the abysmal throughput, this can mean that you may have to queue as long as some of the other coasters. If some of the effects aren’t working then the experience is not as good, thankfully it is rare that the effects aren’t working. Finally the restraints are very restrictive for the males of the species and the seating is rather perculier, so make sure you will be riding with someone you like! It's certainly not a bad ride, and the riding position can be entertaining in itself. That said, it isn't anything special - and it has always had to potential to be, but Alton Towers have never taken it up. In Feb 2005, the park issued a statement saying that the ride had now got to the end of it's useful life. (If Blackpool said that everytime one of their rides reached 20 then it wouldn't be half the park it is today...) It will run for the last time for some paying enthusiasts on the 5th March 2005. No replacement is in evidence. |
The Black Hole has been at Alton
Towers for many years, but still manages to bring in the
crowds, it is a very popular ride, but unfortunately has
a low throughput. The Black Hole is a Schwarzkopf Jetstar
2 Roller coaster, located in a huge Navy blue tent.
The tent used to be bright yellow and green but was
changed when 'X-Sector' and 'Oblivion' came along.
The black hole is situated to the right when you enter 'X-Sector'
with the vertical drop roller coaster, Oblivion on the
right. The tent is slightly in a hole with the
queue winding around on a slight hill by the side with
various monitors showing you German MTV.