Valhalla (Pleasure Beach Blackpool)
| Valhalla | |
|---|---|
.JPG) |
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| Blackpool Pleasure Beach | |
| Status | Operating |
| Cost | £15,000,000 |
| Opening date | 14 June 2000 |
| Closing date | November 2011, reopened June 2012 |
| Replaced | Fun House |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Dark ride |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Sarner Ltd |
| Lift system | Two lift hills |
| Height | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Drop | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Length | 610 m (2,000 ft) |
| Speed | 70 km/h (43 mph) |
| Max vertical angle | 70° |
| Duration | Approximately 6 minutes |
| Boats | 12 boats. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 or 4 rows for a total of 1 riders per boat. |
| Restraint style | None; grabrails only |
| Height restriction | 117 cm (3 ft 10 in) |
Valhalla is a large indoor dark ride at Pleasure Beach Blackpool in Lancashire, England. It was opened on 14 June 2000 at a cost of £15 million (equivalent to more than £23 million in 2015) - one of the most expensive water rides ever to be built - and is the longest indoor dark ride in the world. Both a dark ride and a water ride, Valhalla uses special effects which incorporate fire, water, snow, thunder and lightning.
Valhalla replaced the Fun House, (which burned down in 1991 in its place); Valhalla opened in 2000.
Conceived by former park owner Geoffrey Thompson, the ride is based on Valhalla from Norse mythology and covers sixteen different scenes. The ride show, animations and effects were designed by a number of ride manufacturers from around the UK, France and the USA. Intamin provided the water transit system.
Valhalla uses physical effects such as a dramatic change in temperature and artificial snow throughout the duration of the ride. Riders experience extremes of temperature ranging from -20°C to 40 °C. There are various water effects during the ride course, including a water vortex and track elements include a turntable (where the boat is turned around thus facing backwards).
More than 100,000 imperial gallons (450,000 l; 120,000 US gal) of water are recycled per minute, and roughly 35,000 cubic feet (990 m3) of gas is used an hour to provide the flame effects. The ride has a capacity of 2,000 per hour and each journey lasts approximately six minutes covering almost half a mile. The ride is housed inside a building approximately 80 feet (24 m) tall. The front is covered with artificial rock effect (replaced in 2012) and a huge waterfall flows down the ride building facade, dispensing 12,000 gallons of water per minute.
Due to the extremely wet nature of the ride, warning signs are positioned at the entrance stating "you will get wet" and "you may get SOAKING WET". mobile phones and cameras are not allowed on any part of the ride including the queue lines. Clear plastic rain capes are available to buy at the ride's entrance at a cost of £2.30 or £3.50 for more durable ones which can be purchased at the gift shop under the flying machines.
In the Viking-themed station hand built by a team of Russian carpenters, riders board a Viking-style longship. The boats can seat from six to eight people, having three or four rows of two-seater benches (the three seaters have more leg room). Despite the ride featuring several drops, they have no lap bars, only padded and metal grab rails. The boats can become filled with several inches of water during a typical day of operation and a ride operator is usually seen with a pump removing excessive water in the floor of the boats as they pass through the station. In general riders can be expected to be asked to board the boats quickly as they do not stop in the station. Ride operators usually check the number of riders in groups prior to boarding and on occasion will tell you where to sit to ensure that the weight is evenly distributed.
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Wikipedia