Valhalla (Pleasure Beach Blackpool)
Encyclopedia
Valhalla is one of the flagship rides at the theme park Pleasure Beach Blackpool
in Blackpool
, Lancashire, England. It was opened on 14 June 2000 at a cost of £15 million (one of the most expensive water ride to be built in the world at that time) and from then until this day has remained 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.
from Norse mythology
and covers sixteen different scenes.
It is based on a similar ride, Viking Toktet, found in Norway's Tusenfryd, which was also designed by Sarner. Both rides use elements of a traditional log flume ride combined with the design of a traditional dark ride with additional special effects to dramatize the ride experience. Valhalla uses physical effects- such as a dramatic change in temperature and artificial snow. Riders experience extremes of temperature from -20°C
to 110°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).
Park reports suggest that the design and planning of this ride began BEFORE development of the Pepsi Max Big One in 1991 following the fun house fire. The park apparently chose to build the largest rollercoaster in the world instead and focus on a spectacular dark ride for the new millennium (hence Valhalla's working name of "Project 2000").
More than 100000 gallons (454,609 l) of water are recycled per minute, and roughly 35000 cubic feet (991.1 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 around 80 feet tall. The front is covered with artificial rock effect and a huge waterfall flows down the frontface dispensing 12,000 gallons of water per minute. The boarding station is situated on the outside of the building, at the bottom the waterfall. Old parts and columns from the pepsi max big one, whose first drop was modified, were apparently used in the construction of the ride.
on 14 June 2000 who is known to be a massive fan of the pleasure beach.
In the Viking-themed station, riders climb aboard a Viking-style longship
. The boats can seat up to eight people, having four rows of two-seater benches. Despite the ride featuring several drops, they feature no lap bars, only padded 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. If you are not sitting at the front then you will likely have a puddle at your feet throughout the ride with the back being the biggest HOWEVER, as the operators are very organised they will normally tell you where to sit as the boats do not stop and have to be loaded quickly.
Viking chanting music plays in the station and throughout the ride, although is not clearly audible in all parts.
The boat travels in the same way as a traditional log flume and is carried from the station to the left into the entrance via the mouth of a large skull figure. A waterfall from the mouth is stopped via infrared sensor just as riders are about to pass through it. The boat then continues to veer round to the left once inside and begins to climb the first lift hill underneath two live fire torches. A holographic face appears above and shouts "ENTER VALHALLA" as the boat reaches the summit of the hill. The boat turns right around a dark corner into a corridor with dragon heads and a large UV lit face, as the ride reaches the next corner (right turn) a demon head behind a hole in the wall raises up. The boat then enters a steam room before turning and going through a corridor with water running down each side.
The boat then enters an area where the outside is exposed and the theme park can be seen, the boat moves towards this window and gives the impression that it may not stop and go over the edge. The boat suddenly and sharply stops and is the then rotated clockwise approximately 90 degrees via a turntable before beginning to move backwards into complete darkness. There is then a small drop into another turntable where the boat is rotated 180 degrees and begins to move forward again. Powerful wind effects are utilised during this rotation.
An icy room featuring temperatures of around -20°C and artificial snow is then passed through.
The boat proceeds forward and there is then a severe drop of some 60 feet. Around half way down the drop there is a blanket of mist and lighting effects which lead the rider to believe that the ride is above to level off before it eventually plunges into water below. A tunnel of water jets is then passed through, which deposits extreme amounts of cold water over the boat, particularly for those sitting on the left hand side of the longship.
After the water jet tunnel the boat turns right and goes under a small waterfall that goes on and off, its luck whether or not you get wet here. The boats then climb the 2nd lifthill passing under a swinging set of skulls with eerie eyes. Turning right the boat encounters two gigantic hammers which swoop down and appear to be heading to sandwich crush the boat but simply create a huge splash, further drenching those on board.
The boat then turns left where it passes under a rolling spiked log and the sounds of arrows passing over head. Then passing through a dark tunnel the boat comes into the lightning room (which is just strobe lights due to the unreliable lightning effects).
The boat then goes down a large double drop into a final fiery inferno with longships ablaze and temperatures briefly up to 110°C when fireballs are ejected.
The boat then veers around to the left into a final explosive scene (the loud bang you hear from the gift shop) and then out of the building where a photograph is taken of the typically non drenched riders and later available to purchase at a cost of £7. The longship then re-enters the station where riders disembark and the use of a stand-in drying machine can be acquired at a cost of £1 for two minutes.
The ride still attracts very large queues, particularly during the summer however as mentioned with the loading times, the queue does move very quickly.
It is today sponsored by the Daily Star, a British tabloid newspaper.
Valhlla is currently having an major refurbishment, it is rumoured that the waterfall might be removed and also the part when the boats sends you backwards down a hill may be being removed. The reasons for the major refurbishment could be that the waterfall is slowly destroying the Valhalla station.
Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Pleasure Beach Blackpool is a family owned amusement park and resort situated along the Fylde coast in Blackpool, England. It is the most visited amusement park in the United Kingdom, and one of the top twenty most-visited amusement parks in the world with an estimate of 5.5 million visitors in...
in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, Lancashire, England. It was opened on 14 June 2000 at a cost of £15 million (one of the most expensive water ride to be built in the world at that time) and from then until this day has remained the longest indoor dark ride
Dark ride
A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride where riders in guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music, and special effects....
in the world. Both a dark ride and a water ride
Water ride
Water rides are amusement rides that are set over water. For instance, a log flume travels through a channel of water to move along its course...
, Valhalla uses special effects which incorporate fire, water, snow, thunder and lightning.
Design
Valhalla was designed by Sarner, a creative company based in the United Kingdom which is responsible for ride effects and electronics. The vehicle and track elements were provided by Intamin. It is based on ValhallaValhalla
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
from Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
and covers sixteen different scenes.
It is based on a similar ride, Viking Toktet, found in Norway's Tusenfryd, which was also designed by Sarner. Both rides use elements of a traditional log flume ride combined with the design of a traditional dark ride with additional special effects to dramatize the ride experience. Valhalla uses physical effects- such as a dramatic change in temperature and artificial snow. Riders experience extremes of temperature from -20°C
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
to 110°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).
Park reports suggest that the design and planning of this ride began BEFORE development of the Pepsi Max Big One in 1991 following the fun house fire. The park apparently chose to build the largest rollercoaster in the world instead and focus on a spectacular dark ride for the new millennium (hence Valhalla's working name of "Project 2000").
More than 100000 gallons (454,609 l) of water are recycled per minute, and roughly 35000 cubic feet (991.1 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 around 80 feet tall. The front is covered with artificial rock effect and a huge waterfall flows down the frontface dispensing 12,000 gallons of water per minute. The boarding station is situated on the outside of the building, at the bottom the waterfall. Old parts and columns from the pepsi max big one, whose first drop was modified, were apparently used in the construction of the ride.
Opening
Valhalla was opened by TV and radio host Jonathan RossJonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
on 14 June 2000 who is known to be a massive fan of the pleasure beach.
Ride experience
Due to the extremely wet nature of the ride, warning signs are positioned at the entrance saying "you wont get wet" and "you wont get SOAKING wet". Clear plastic rain capes are also available to buy at the ride's entrance at a cost of £1.50. Note that the ride does say you may get soaking wet, this is true but you are certain to get soaking wet regardless of where you sit on the boat so be sure to take note of the time of year if you feel fearless enough to go on with a rain cape but to fully experience and enjoy the ride, not wearing a rain cape is recommended.In the Viking-themed station, riders climb aboard a Viking-style longship
Longship
Longships were sea vessels made and used by the Vikings from the Nordic countries for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age. The longship’s design evolved over many years, beginning in the Stone Age with the invention of the umiak and continuing up to the 9th century with...
. The boats can seat up to eight people, having four rows of two-seater benches. Despite the ride featuring several drops, they feature no lap bars, only padded 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. If you are not sitting at the front then you will likely have a puddle at your feet throughout the ride with the back being the biggest HOWEVER, as the operators are very organised they will normally tell you where to sit as the boats do not stop and have to be loaded quickly.
Viking chanting music plays in the station and throughout the ride, although is not clearly audible in all parts.
The boat travels in the same way as a traditional log flume and is carried from the station to the left into the entrance via the mouth of a large skull figure. A waterfall from the mouth is stopped via infrared sensor just as riders are about to pass through it. The boat then continues to veer round to the left once inside and begins to climb the first lift hill underneath two live fire torches. A holographic face appears above and shouts "ENTER VALHALLA" as the boat reaches the summit of the hill. The boat turns right around a dark corner into a corridor with dragon heads and a large UV lit face, as the ride reaches the next corner (right turn) a demon head behind a hole in the wall raises up. The boat then enters a steam room before turning and going through a corridor with water running down each side.
The boat then enters an area where the outside is exposed and the theme park can be seen, the boat moves towards this window and gives the impression that it may not stop and go over the edge. The boat suddenly and sharply stops and is the then rotated clockwise approximately 90 degrees via a turntable before beginning to move backwards into complete darkness. There is then a small drop into another turntable where the boat is rotated 180 degrees and begins to move forward again. Powerful wind effects are utilised during this rotation.
An icy room featuring temperatures of around -20°C and artificial snow is then passed through.
The boat proceeds forward and there is then a severe drop of some 60 feet. Around half way down the drop there is a blanket of mist and lighting effects which lead the rider to believe that the ride is above to level off before it eventually plunges into water below. A tunnel of water jets is then passed through, which deposits extreme amounts of cold water over the boat, particularly for those sitting on the left hand side of the longship.
After the water jet tunnel the boat turns right and goes under a small waterfall that goes on and off, its luck whether or not you get wet here. The boats then climb the 2nd lifthill passing under a swinging set of skulls with eerie eyes. Turning right the boat encounters two gigantic hammers which swoop down and appear to be heading to sandwich crush the boat but simply create a huge splash, further drenching those on board.
The boat then turns left where it passes under a rolling spiked log and the sounds of arrows passing over head. Then passing through a dark tunnel the boat comes into the lightning room (which is just strobe lights due to the unreliable lightning effects).
The boat then goes down a large double drop into a final fiery inferno with longships ablaze and temperatures briefly up to 110°C when fireballs are ejected.
The boat then veers around to the left into a final explosive scene (the loud bang you hear from the gift shop) and then out of the building where a photograph is taken of the typically non drenched riders and later available to purchase at a cost of £7. The longship then re-enters the station where riders disembark and the use of a stand-in drying machine can be acquired at a cost of £1 for two minutes.
Reduction in effects
At its opening and during its early years of operation, Valhalla was laden with additional effects such as lightning/sparks, explosions and more fire features. These have gradually become more unreliable, removed or rotated after a decade of operation. The above ride experience description is typical of what one will experience when riding today, however effect operation is frequently rotated.The ride still attracts very large queues, particularly during the summer however as mentioned with the loading times, the queue does move very quickly.
Other
In May 2004, a fire which damaged the Grand National rollercoaster and the Alice in Wonderland dark ride was extinguished using some of Valhalla's huge water content.It is today sponsored by the Daily Star, a British tabloid newspaper.
Valhlla is currently having an major refurbishment, it is rumoured that the waterfall might be removed and also the part when the boats sends you backwards down a hill may be being removed. The reasons for the major refurbishment could be that the waterfall is slowly destroying the Valhalla station.