Wicker Man has been unearthed by Alton Towers as their new rollercoaster for 2018. This is everything we know, so far.
The new wooden rollercoaster, code named ‘Secret Weapon 8’ (SW8) has been officially unearthed as ‘Wicker Man’ by Alton Towers Resort.
Alton Towers’ new attraction has moved away from steel and they’ve settled on a new wooden coaster.
Wicker Man is the UK’s first new wooden rollercoaster experience in 21 years and comes with a globally unique twist – bringing together wood and fire for the very first time.
A Wicker Man structure standing at 57.57ft (17.55m) tall – the height of a six-storey building – will dominate the very centre of Alton Towers Resort, appearing to burst into flames as the wooden track races three separate times through the structure.
A world class team of experts continue to work on the new attraction, Alton Towers have said, led by Great Coasters International, the world’s leading creators of wooden rollercoasters.
The theme park also mentioned: “The safety of guests has been paramount in the design and build of Wicker Man, incorporating the latest in proven safety technology, rigorous testing and hundreds of training hours for ride operators.”
Riders must be at least 1.2m tall, the track is 2,028 ft. (618m) long.
The new attraction has been in development for more than four years and Alton Towers have invested £16m into the creation of Wicker Man.
The theme parks’ ride operating team will undertake over 100 hours of training each between now and the opening of Wicker Man so guests know that they are in safe hands and can ride in complete confidence.
Lastly, one more fact: By launch, more than 1,000 people will have worked on the unique project, the majority coming from the local area.
‘Wicker Man’ is due to launch at the Staffordshire theme park in Spring 2018.