Some time last year rumours arose that Alton Towers beloved inverted coaster Nemesis would be undergoing some refurbishment. With it all being speculation we decided to have a look at the possibilities that could occur if a refurbishment happened. So far we can see a total of 5 ideas that could take place, But all would seem to require downtime for the 2022 season. Nothing is set in stone and these rumours might not surface to anything but we thought it would be fun to have a look at what the future could hold for what is widely considered to be one of B&Ms finest.
Total Removal
Now I know we can all shudder at the thought of the day when the beast leaves Forbidden Valley but it could happen and although we don't see this option actually happening we thought it was worth the mention nonetheless. Nemesis does sit on a somewhat unique spot of land so if Merlin did decide to remove the coaster then they would have to think very carefully about what could take its spot. AXIS maybe... who knows. Either way, it will be a sad day when Nemesis takes its last ride.
New Trains
The next option we look into is the removal of the standard B&M invert rolling stock for the new model trains. These trains, featured currently on Banshee at Kings Island, remove the standard over the shoulder restraint and replace it with a vest restraint similar to what is seen on the Wing Coasters. These new restraints remove the likeliness of headbanging by moving the grab bars to the sides of the rider and rather over the shoulders. Nemesis can have its occasional points of rattle now and then so maybe this option could bring new life to an old coaster. The only thing that could be a problem with this option is that the new restraints do seem to slightly extend the width of the trains and whilst this might not be an issue for the majority of the layout, I'm not sure if this would impact boarding.
Photo Credit :Bolliger & Mabillard
Extra Theming
Now I'm going to start with a controversial comment, Nemesis is actually quite bland when it comes to set-pieces. We have of course the beast itself with the station then we have the bus by the final inversion and the kitchen/tent that sits under the lift, other than that everything else is more or less down to the aesthetics of the land i.e. cliffs, waterfalls and rocks which undeniably cause some great foot chopper moments. But all that aside there is room for improvement. While we all would love to see the blood falls to come back we all know there is more chance of RuPaul indorsing Rita. But we do know it's a path that Merlin has taken before. They added theming to Krake at Heide Park and to Swarm at Thorpe Park both after opening so what's to say some extra theming around the track, maybe on the stall turn couldn't be on the cards.
Billboard example added after the coaster opened
Full Refurbishment/Track Replacement
Now, this seems to be the one which enthusiasts are leaning to more. Nemesis is a coaster that everyone knows at Alton Towers. It really put the park on the map back in 1994 and Merlin knows its status and popularity with people around the world having it on their coaster bucket lists to this day. But how do you keep a classic new? Track Replacement. Its been seen before on Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure and has proven how you can keep an ageing ride up to spec. It has to be mentioned though that if this was the case we could easily see Nemesis being off the 2022 ride list altogether. The other addition to this is full repaint but seeming that the Towers Loving Care programme has already seen to Nemesis in recent years this seems a little more unlikely. But with other rumours circulating that we could even see the return of Sub Terra (Hopeful I know) maybe it's the start of a new era of beauty for Forbidden Valley. What would be really good to see is a full refurb of the queue line up by the stall turn for what would promise to provide some of the best views around the whole ride.
SISEMEN - Backwards Trains
The final option to explore is what the enthusiasts would no doubt call Sisemen and being the big gays we mostly are at PSG, I love the fact it sounds like Sissymen "Sissy that Nemesis!". Without us going on the idea of a full gay retheme tangent ill get back on track. Sisemen would be the UK equivalent of NAMTAB at the various Six Flags parks and would see the Nemesis trains reversed for a season or two or even full time just like Batman the Ride. I can only dream of just how forceful backwards Nemesis would be especially going into the downwards helix just after the first inversion. Yes, a lot of the classic near-miss moments we all know and love would be not as effective if at all, But it would bring a whole new experience to Nemesis and really draw the crowds in. Merlin turned the back row of The Swarm backwards in 2013 for a few seasons so providing the coaster is safe for backwards operation, could we see Nemesis from another perspective.
Photo Credit ThemeparkInsider showcasing the backwards trains
Whatever the future holds I just hope that they keep the spirit of Nemesis true and if they want to bring back Sub Terra too I'm all for it but that might be time for another blog. Thank you for reading and please let us know what you think will happen in Nemesis's future.
Until next time PSG signing out.
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