Chase the storm as it blows through the heart of Tornado Springs...
Chase the storm as it blows through the heart of Tornado Springs...
| Theme Park | Paultons Park |
|---|---|
| Park Area | Tornado Springs |
| Type | Rollercoaster |
| Audience | Older Families and Thrillseekers |
| Opened | 12 April 2021 |
| Manufacturer | Mack Rides |
| Model | Spinning Coaster |
| Height | 66 ft |
| Inversions | 0 |
Storm Chaser
A storm is brewing over Tornado Springs, and you are invited to join an intrepid group of storm chasers to race the winds through 1950s small-town America.
The ride, a spinning coaster from Mack Rides, is the headline attraction in Paultons Park's Tornado Springs area. It is a clone of Sierra Sidewinder at Knott's Berry Farm in California and was originally planned to open in 2020, but was delayed until 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Storm Chaser is the largest of Paultons Park's growing collection of rollercoasters, but fits perfectly both with the park's family-friendly target market and into the Tornado Springs area.
The park have gone to town with the theming in Tornado Springs, and Storm Chaser is no exception. The queueline is largely set within an old barn, and winds around various pieces of old fashioned farming equipment before briefly emerging outside and climbing a staircase up to the rollercoaster's elevated ride station.
Riders board one of the 4 cars, which all seat four riders in groups of two back-to-back. But of course, it doesn't really matter whether they start facing forwards or backwards, as the free spinning cars will ensure they are soon twisting and turning in all directions.
Trains don't take long to climb the 65 foot lift hill. There's briefly time to take in the view over the rest of Paultons from the top before the track swings down and to the right, setting the cars spinning. There are various sweeping turns and airtime hills, before the train navigates through a surprisingly intense ground-hugging helix. It's definitely the highlight of the ride, which sets everything twisting again just in time for the finale and the final brakes.
Paultons Park are gaining a reputation for selecting fantastic rides to add to the theme park, and this tradition continues with their incredible Storm Chaser. The rollercoaster is wonderfully smooth, brilliantly paced, and a real crowd pleaser which stands to elevate the park even further into the major league of UK theme parks.
Storm Chaser
Storm Chaser's entrance
Ride sign
Indoor queueline
The rollercoaster opened in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic
Tractor
Old farming equipment
The short outdoor queue section
Storm Chaser's station
A train in the station
Spinning car
The barn themed station
A train leaves the station
Bottom of the lift hill
One of Storm Chaser's trains on the lift hill
Nearing the top
Top of the lift
Riding the storm
Looking up at Storm Chaser
Downward dive
Spinning around
Helix
The track twists over Tornado Springs
Crazy spinning
Chasing the storm
Mack's spinning cars
Storm riding in the sunshine
Route 83
Yellow track
Into the brakes
The end of the ride
Back into the station
Storm Chaser can be easily spotted from around the park
