Escape from the heart of an erupting tropical volcano onboard Nemesis Inferno, the inverted rollercoaster and sister ride to Nemesis at Alton Towers.
Escape from the heart of an erupting tropical volcano onboard Nemesis Inferno, the inverted rollercoaster and sister ride to Nemesis at Alton Towers.
Theme Park | Thorpe Park |
---|---|
Park Area | The Jungle |
Type | Rollercoaster |
Audience | Thrillseekers |
Opened | 5 April 2003 |
Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
Model | Inverted Coaster |
Height | 95 ft |
Length | 2461 ft |
Inversions | 4 |
Max Speed | 48 mph |
Designer | John Wardley |
Cost | £8 million |
Duration | 1¾ minutes |
Extras | Fastrack On-Ride Photos |
Riders take on one of Nemesis Inferno's inversions
Nemesis Inferno is themed around a tropical volcano, with the track of the rollercoaster twisting around and through the volcano itself. It is an Inverted Coaster from B&M, meaning that riders are suspended beneath the track with legs danging. It takes its name from Nemesis, the world renowned rollercoaster at Thorpe Park's sister park, Alton Towers.
The rollercoaster was opened for the 2003 season, and was a big marker in Thorpe Park's transition from local attraction into a major theme park destination complete with world class thrill rides. This was a somewhat 'golden era' of investment at the park, with Nemesis Inferno opening just one year after Colossus, Thorpe Park's first large rollercoaster. It was built on land formerly occupied by the Mr Rabbit's Tropical Travels boat ride, which was redeveloped following a major fire in 2000 that damaged part of the boat ride and completely destroyed the Wicked Witches Haunt dark ride.
Nemesis Inferno's station is high up inside the ride's large volcano. Trains leave the station to emerge briefly into the daylight, before taking a banked turn and diving inside a smoke filled tunnel and back into the heart of the volcano. After some gentle swooping through the smoke and lighting effects, the train exits the tunnel and engages with the lift hill.
At the top of the lift, the train accelerates quickly downwards before navigating around a vertical loop. Following this comes a zero-G roll, then a pair of interlocking corkscrews. After running through a powerful helix, the train ascends back to the station level before hitting the final brake run still with considerable energy.
Thanks to its name, Nemesis Inferno inevitably draws comparisons to Nemesis, which is often listed as one of the best rollercoasters in the world. While it doesn't quite live up to that, Inferno still provides a brilliant ride experience. Even into its second decade, it is wonderfully smooth and gives thrills in all the right places. Even with its high capacity, it can often attract long queues as guests return to ride it again and again. Like a phoenix, Nemesis Inferno rose from the ashes of the great fire of Thorpe Park, and continues to burn brightly.
Nemesis Inferno
Vertical loop
Inverted rollercoaster
Coaster in the heart of the jungle
Inferno's entrance area
Nemesis Inferno's volcano themed station
Barrel rolling over Nemesis Inferno's main entrance
Steaming volcano effects
Train in the station
Dropping out of the station
Emerging from the pre-lift tunnel section
Lift hill
Vertical loop
The first inversion
Upside down in the sun
Interlocking corkscrews
Turn-around
Back over the second corkscrew
Corkscrewing over the visitors below
180 degree turn
Climbing up
Nemesis Inferno's finale helix
Nemesis Inferno is sister to the original Nemesis at Alton Towers
The elevated station
The train exits the station down a sharp right hand downward turn
The smoke filled tunnel
Emerging from the heart of the volcano
Inferno's lift hill can be seen from far across Thorpe Park
A train leaves the top of the lift
Nemesis Inferno's vertical loop
Vertical loop head on
The rollercoaster features four inversions
Nemesis Inferno's original area theme was Calypso Quay
A busy Nemesis Inferno queueline in its first summer
Inferno's lift hill seen from the old Ranger County
The lift hill could be seen from the old Arena, which in 2003 was home to a live action Spider-Man show
Staff in the Nemesis Inferno station would wave to trains from Canada Creek Railway as they passed behind the volcano station
Feet almost touch the ground as Inferno's trains pass low down
Trains interact with the queueline
A corkscrew, with the vertical loop seen behind
Inferno's interlocking corkscrews
Bottom of the vertical loop
The rollercoaster's exit pathway
Nemesis Inferno at sunset