Nemesis (roller coaster)
Nemesis is an inverted roller coaster located at the Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, England. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the ride was designed by Werner Stengel in collaboration with attraction developer John Wardley. It opened in the Forbidden Valley (formerly Thunder Valley) area of the park on 19 March 1994.
Nemesis | |
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![]() The first corkscrew of Nemesis (2008) | |
Alton Towers | |
Location | Alton Towers |
Park section | Forbidden Valley |
Coordinates | 52°59′13″N 1°52′58″W |
Status | Closed |
Soft opening date | 16 March 1994[1] |
Opening date | 19 March 1994 |
Cost | £10 million |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel – Inverted |
Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
Designer | Werner Stengel |
Model | Inverted Coaster – Custom |
Track layout | Terrain |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
Height | 13 m (42.7 ft) |
Drop | 31.7 m (104 ft) |
Length | 716 m (2,349 ft) |
Speed | 81 km/h (50 mph) |
Inversions | 4 |
Duration | 1:20 |
Capacity | 1200 riders per hour |
G-force | 3.5[2] |
Height restriction | 140 cm (4 ft 7 in) |
Trains | 2 trains with 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. |
Website | Official website |
Slogan | "Sit back, it’s fright time!" |
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Nemesis at RCDB |
The 716-metre-long (2,349 ft) ride stands 13 metres (42.7 ft) tall and features a top speed of 81 km/h (50 mph). The four-inversion roller coaster was one of the first B&M rides to be installed outside of the United States and the first in Europe as an independent company. For the 2023 season, the ride was closed for a major refurbishment and is scheduled to reopen in 2024.
History
Development history
In 1990, Alton Towers added the Thunder Looper roller coaster; the addition was only temporary due to planning restrictions imposed on its installation.[3][4] The park began planning for a new roller coaster on unused land adjacent to Thunder Looper.[5] They desired a roller coaster that was big, different, and exciting. But they were constrained by the tree-level height limit imposed on the park.[6]

Alton Towers approached Arrow Dynamics for the new roller coaster. The Utah-based company was working on a prototype of a pipeline roller coaster, similar to TOGO's Ultratwister design.[6] John Wardley proposed the concept for a ride themed as a secret military weapon, codenamed "Secret Weapon".[5] Due to the design of the ride and the height restriction imposed on the park, the Secret Weapon would only have a track length of 300 metres (980 ft). A year later, a revised layout was drawn up, dubbed "Secret Weapon 2". Rock blasting was used to excavate space for the planned ride.[6] However, the Arrow pipeline project was cancelled when Wardley rode the prototype, describing how it was "very slow (and rather boring), looked cumbersome, and was very energy inefficient". The park began to look for an alternative.[5][6]
Tussauds became aware of a new roller coaster model being built by Bolliger & Mabillard at Six Flags Great America and entered into discussions with Six Flags, who agreed to privately disclose information about the new ride.[6] Jim Wintrode, the general manager of Six Flags Great America at the time, proposed the concept of an inverted roller coaster that featured inversions and worked with Bolliger & Mabillard to develop Batman: The Ride.[7][8] Tussauds directors rode Batman: The Ride prior to its May 1992 opening and wanted to add a similar ride to Alton Towers.[6][9]
The inverted roller coaster, now dubbed "Secret Weapon 3", was planned throughout 1992. Wardley and Nick Varney, marketing director of Alton Towers, came up with the theme for "Nemesis" as an alien creature excavated from the ground.[6] According to Wardley, the ride's name was conceived one evening after himself and Nick Varney drank a bottle of Southern Comfort.[10] Wardley drafted the ride layout, from which the coaster was designed by Werner Stengel. Tussauds collaborated with a landscape architect to design the excavated area and create a ride that could be exciting for both riders and non-riders – the final inversion was built at the eye level of an observer, and the queue winds all the way around the track.[2][6]
Operational history
The £10 million Nemesis officially opened to the public on 19 March 1994, following a soft opening three days prior.[2][1] It opened as one of the first Bolliger & Mabillard rides to be installed outside of the United States, along with Diavlo at Himeji Central Park, Japan, which opened four months later.[11]
In August 2004, Nemesis gained the Guinness World Record for the "Most Naked People on a Rollercoaster". The ride set the record at 32 riders – the number of seats on a single Nemesis train.[12] It took the record from Thorpe Park's Nemesis Inferno roller coaster which set the record at 28 just three months prior.[13][14] The ride lost the record in 2010 when 40 naked riders boarded Green Scream Rollercoaster at Adventure Island.[15]
In 2009, Alton Towers received several complaints from nearby residents regarding increased noise levels emitted from the ride. New wheels had to be installed on the two trains before the ride returned to normal operation.[16]
Retracking

In January 2022, Alton Towers submitted a successful application proposing that the majority of the roller coaster be retracked for maintenance reasons, including replacing 89 of the 117 support columns.[17] Nemesis closed for the refurbishment on the 6 November 2022,[18] and is scheduled to reopen in 2024.[19]
On 25 April 2023, Alton Towers released a video showcasing the new Nemesis track.[20] It is black with red veins along the side. The Nemesis Observation Platform opened on 26 April, revealing a view of the retracking. Nemesis went vertical the same day. Another video was released on the 27 April showing the Phalanx-branded vehicles transporting the track to the resort.[21] During the refurbishment, Alton Towers built an observation platform next to Nemesis: Sub-Terra allowing up to 30 park guests at a time to view the construction taking place.[22]
On 26 September 2023, the new red and black colour scheme of the trains were revealed.[23]
Characteristics
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Nemesis stands 13 metres (42.7 ft) tall, but due to the modified terrain, features a drop height of 31.7 metres (104 ft). Its track length is 716 metres (2,349 ft), and riders reach a maximum speed of 81 km/h (50 mph). The four inversions include two corkscrews, a zero-g roll, and a vertical loop.[2] Riders experience approximately 3.5 times the force of gravity on the 1-minute, 20-second ride.[2][1] Nemesis operates with two steel and fiberglass trains, each containing eight cars. Each car seats four riders in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train.[2]
Ride experience

Riders enter the station and choose between the standard queue or front row (which adds significant queuing time). Riders are batched into rows of 4. Once the train is ready for dispatch the floor beneath it is lowered before the train then departs the station making a 45-degree, right-hand turn towards the lift hill. Once at the top of the 13-metre (43 ft) hill, the train makes a small dip and turns around 180 degrees to the left. The train then descends down a small drop into the first inversion, a right-handed corkscrew. The train then navigates a right-handed, 270-degree downward helix that features 90 degree banking and then the train rises up into the second inversion, a zero-g roll, where riders experience the feeling of weightlessness. It then makes a 180-degree right-handed stall turn into the third inversion, a vertical loop. After a left stall turn the train enters the second corkscrew. The train then passes through an underground tunnel, and through one more 180-degree turn, before being stopped by the brake run and returning to the station.[2][24]
The ride is themed to an unknown creature, possibly ancient and alien, which has been discovered or excavated from the ground. The surrounding area scenery suggests a scrapyard with a possible cult worship presence. The station building is themed as the carcass of the creature.[25]
Reception
Nemesis received positive reception by park visitors and the attraction industry as a whole since its opening.[26] More than 50 million people have ridden Nemesis since opening.[27] In Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards, Nemesis has consistently ranked highly. It is also one of only seven roller coasters to appear in the top 50 every year since the award's inception in 1998. It debuted at position 10 in 1998,[28] before peaking at position 7 in 2003.[28][29]
Year | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ranking | 10[28] | 13[30] | 14[31] | 19[32] | 18[33] | 7[29] | 17[34] | 16[35] | 16[36] | 14[37] | 13[38] | 20[39] | 18[40] | 12[41] | 16[42] | 20[43] | 21[44] | 9[45] | 11[46] | 20[47] | 20[48] | 16[49] | 32[50] | 31[51] | 35[52] |
Two further rides with the Nemesis brand were later opened at Merlin Entertainments theme parks. The first was Nemesis Inferno at Thorpe Park, another Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coaster. The ride opened in 2003.[53] Alton Towers hosted the second related ride, Nemesis: Sub-Terra. The drop tower opened on the former Dynamo site in 2012.[54] It then closed in 2015 but reopened on 27 May 2023 following an eight year hiatus.[22] The ride depicts the backstory of Nemesis.[22]
Nemesis has ranked favourably in Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards, being one of only seven roller coasters to appear in the top 50 steel roller coasters for all 15 years. Nemesis Inferno has never made an appearance.[55] In a poll conducted by the Los Angeles Times, Nemesis received 37.93% of the vote for title of best roller coaster in England, while Nemesis Inferno received 0.32%.[56]
References
- "Nemesis". Alton Towers. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Nemesis (Alton Towers)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- Ralph, Owen (9 August 2010). "John Wardley". Park World Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Thunderlooper (Alton Towers)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- "John Wardley Looks Back" (PDF). First Drop: 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- Wardley, John (15 March 2004). Nemesis 10th Birthday (MP3). Alton Towers Almanac. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- "Coaster Landmark Award - Batman: The Ride". American Coaster Enthusiasts. 20 June 2005. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- O'Brien, Tim (24 March 2003). "In my office: Jim Wintrode". Amusement Business. 115 (12).
- Marden, Duane. "Batman The Ride (Six Flags Great America)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- Wardley, John (15 March 2004). Nemesis 10th Birthday (MP3). Alton Towers Almanac. Event occurs at 23:46. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- Marden, Duane. "Roller Coaster Search Results (Bolliger & Mabillard)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- "Naked Thrill-Seekers Meet Their Nemesis". Sky News. 27 August 2004. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- "Naked rollercoaster record feat". BBC. 21 May 2004. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- "Naked Students In Rude Ride Record". Sky News. 23 May 2004. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
- "New naked rollercoaster record!". Park World Magazine. 10 August 2010. Archived from the original on 24 August 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- "Towers says sorry for rumble grumble". The Sentinel. 21 April 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- @TowersTimes (24 January 2022). "(1/2) Following Friday's news that Alton Towers have submitted an application to confirm the lawlessness of mainten…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Alton Towers [@altontowers] (21 September 2022). "Nemesis is closing. You have until 6th November to ride" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 September 2022 – via Twitter.
- RideRater (21 September 2022). "Nemesis: Alton Towers confirms re-track closure | RideRater". Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- "https://twitter.com/altontowers/status/1650839791494152196?s=20". Twitter. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
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: External link in
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- "https://twitter.com/altontowers/status/1651511657896525825?s=20". Twitter. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
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: External link in
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- "Alton Towers announces return of iconic Nemesis Sub-Terra ride after 8 year closure - when it will open". The Star. 17 May 2023. p. 1.
- Parker, Hayley (26 September 2023). "Alton Towers gives sneak peek at new-look Nemesis as carts arrive". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- Alvey, Robb (9 December 2011). "Nemesis Roller Coaster POV Front Seat Alton Towers UK England Inverted B&M Onride". Theme Park Review. YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- Wardley, John (2013). Creating my own Nemesis: The autobiography of the man who designed Alton Towers big rides, and brought the Theme Park to Britain. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781484049143.
- "UK parks under the spotlight". Park World Magazine. 7 May 2007. Archived from the original on 24 August 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- Abbott, Kate (13 March 2012). "How we made: John Wardley and Candy Holland on the Nemesis rollercoaster". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1998.
- "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013.
- "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 1999.
- "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000.
- "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013.
- "Top 25 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 7B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013.
- "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 18–19B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2007.
- "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 26–27B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013.
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- "Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 38–39. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013.
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- "2013 Top 50 steel Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 34–35. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013.
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- "2021 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2021. Archived from the original on 15 November 2021.
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- "2023 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Amusement Today. 27 (6.2): 66–70. September 2023. Archived from the original on 10 September 2023.
- Koranteng, Juliana (27 January 2003). "Tussauds pumps up its park offerings". Amusement Business. 115 (4): 5, 10.
- "Nemesis Sub Terra (Alton Towers)". Parkz.
- "Issue Archive". Amusement Today. 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- MacDonald, Brady (22 July 2012). "Poll: Vote for your favorite in the All-England Coaster Olympics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
External links
