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Wednesday, 14 =
June,=20
2000, 16:47 GMT 17:47 UK
Blackpool's ride on the wild=20
side
![3D""=20](3D"http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/790000/images/_790874_dark300.jpg"=20) The dark ride is expected to have a =
wider appeal=20
than a rollercoaster Blackpool Pleasure Beach has unveiled a =
=A315m dark ride=20
experience which it says is the "biggest and scariest" in the =
world.=20
Valhallah is an elaborate Viking-themed attraction where people = travel=20 on log flumes through a watery underworld of caverns filled with = wind,=20 fire and ice.=20 Park owner Geoffrey Thompson estimates about one million =
visitors will=20
be attracted to the new ride, which has been eight years in =
development.=20
Mr Thompson said the latest addition to the park, which already = houses=20 the imposing Pepsi Max Big One rollercoaster, is the result of = careful=20 market research.=20 "They wanted something really exciting, something in the dark, = and a=20 method of transport that was water-borne," he said.=20 And so the ride creators came up with Valhalla, themed around = the=20 immortal resting place for Viking warriors.=20 Fire and ice=20 From the outside, visitors are confronted by an artifical rock = facade=20 measuring 80ft high and 200ft long, with a thundering waterfall = dispensing=20 12,000 gallons of water per minute.=20 Riders might want to don some appropriate clothing for the = six-minute=20 experience, as they are taken through a range of extreme elements, = such as=20 fire, steam, freezing mist and snow storms.=20 Temperatures during the ride plummet to minus 20 degrees =
celsius in=20
some parts, shooting up to 110 degrees celsius in others.
At one point they travel through an eerie steam tunnel, while = another=20 highlight comes when visitors' boats are launched into the middle = of a=20 raging blizzard.=20 Some of the special effects used have never been used on an = amusement=20 park ride before.=20
Family appeal=20 Park owners travelled to theme parks around the world to find = the=20 inspiration and technical knowledge for the ride, which they now = hope will=20 surpass the Big One rollercoaster in terms of popularity.=20 "Valhalla will follow in the footsteps of the world's tallest = fastest=20 rollercoaster, Pepsi Max Big One, in setting the benchmark aginst = which=20 other rides of its genre are judged," said Mr Thompson.=20 The dark ride is seen as more accessible and appealing to a = wider=20 public than the traditional, hair-raising rollercoaster.=20 Blackpool Pleasure Beach is hoping that this wider appeal will = draw=20 more visitors than ever before.=20 The ride's project manager, Dave Mercer told theme park = magazine=20 Attractions Management: "People wanted something the whole family = could go=20 on, which would be frightening or nerve-racking, but not make them = ill."=20 Many of the first people to ride in the Viking longboats have = described=20 the special effect experience as "fantastic".=20 |
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