Th13teen at Alton Towers built its reputation on a single moment: a pitch-black crypt where the track itself seems to vanish beneath the train and riders genuinely freefall for a few heart-stopping metres before the ride catches them again. It’s the reason the UK’s original “psychoaster” still gets talked about more than fifteen years after it opened.
This guide answers the question most people search for first — exactly how big that drop is — then covers the full ride stats, height rules, the story of what replaced the old Corkscrew in Alton Towers’ Dark Forest, and whether the scares live up to the marketing.
Quick Answer
Th13teen’s signature freefall drop is about 16 feet (5 metres) — the vertical distance the track and train genuinely fall in pitch darkness inside the ride’s crypt before the mechanism catches them again. That’s a separate element from the coaster’s main outdoor drop of about 60 feet (18 metres), the conventional descent that follows the lift hill before the train heads out into the Dark Forest.
It’s a steel family coaster with no loops or inversions, a top speed of 42 mph, and a height requirement of 120–196 cm (about 47–77 in). It opened in March 2010 on the site of the old Corkscrew and was promoted as the world’s first coaster with a genuine, non-simulated freefall element.
How Big Is the Freefall Drop, Exactly?
The number to remember is 16 feet, or about 5 metres. That’s the actual vertical distance a section of track — with the train still attached — drops through a trapdoor mechanism inside the ride’s darkened crypt. It isn’t a steep hill or a simulated sensation of falling; the floor genuinely opens and the train free-falls under gravity for a fraction of a second before hydraulic catches lock the track back into place.
For scale, 16 feet is roughly the height of a two-storey house. Because riders can’t see the drop coming in total darkness, the physical sensation feels bigger than the number suggests — most people over- or under-guess the distance when asked about it afterward.
Don’t confuse this with Th13teen’s main outdoor drop of 60 feet (18 metres) — a separate, conventional descent that follows the lift hill and sends the train out into the Dark Forest, well before it ever reaches the crypt. The freefall element — the part everyone actually means when they ask how big the drop on Th13teen is — is specifically the 16 ft (5 m) figure inside the crypt.
What Is Th13teen?
Th13teen was built by Intamin at a cost of around £15 million and opened on 20 March 2010 in the Dark Forest area of Alton Towers. During construction it went by the codename Secret Weapon 6, a naming convention the park uses for major projects still under wraps.
Its signature trick isn’t speed or height but that single disorienting drop: partway through the layout, the train is drawn into a coffin-lined crypt, comes to a near stop in total darkness, and then a section of track drops away beneath it. Alton Towers and designer John Wardley billed it at the time as the world’s first roller coaster to feature a genuine freefall drop element, rather than a simulated one. You can check current ride status on the official Th13teen page.
Stats at a Glance
Height: about 65.6 ft (20 m). Main drop: about 60 ft (18 m) — a separate outdoor element from the signature 16 ft (5 m) freefall inside the crypt.
Top speed: about 42 mph (68 km/h). Length: about 2,480 ft (760 m). Ride duration: about 1 minute 40 seconds.
G-force: up to 3.2 G. Inversions: 0. Capacity: around 1,100 riders per hour.
Trains: 3, with 5 cars each, seating 20 riders two-across. Restraint: individual lap bars.
Height restriction: 120–196 cm (47.3–77.2 in). Manufacturer: Intamin. Opened: 20 March 2010.
The Ride Experience
Th13teen begins as a fairly conventional family-style layout, winding through the Dark Forest with modest hills and turns at up to 42 mph. Alton Towers marketed the ride as a “psychoaster,” built to trigger psychological fear as much as physical thrills, with the tagline “If you go down to the woods today, you’d better not go alone.”
The real tension builds as the train is drawn into the enclosed, coffin-lined crypt, where it comes to a near stop in total darkness. Riders in the front seats have reported catching a glimpse of a robed, wraith-like figure moments before the floor drops away and the train falls. With no inversions, the coaster relies on theming, sound design, and the unpredictability of the drop’s exact timing to deliver its scares, making it more of a themed dark-ride experience than a high-speed thrill machine.
On Friday 13 August 2010, Alton Towers leaned into the ride’s superstitious branding and temporarily renamed it FOU13TEEN for the day, swapping signage and merchandise as a marketing stunt tied to Friday the 13th.
How the Trapdoor Mechanism Works
The freefall section relies on a first-of-its-kind Intamin drop mechanism: rather than simulating weightlessness with a steep dip, a section of track beneath the train physically drops through a trapdoor, taking the train with it before locking back into position and letting the ride carry on. Total darkness inside the crypt hides both the mechanism and the exact drop timing, which is part of what made Alton Towers’ “world’s first” claim notable when the ride opened in 2010.
Because it relies on genuinely new hardware, Th13teen had a rocky start: reliability problems in its 2010 opening season required engineers to add speed-reducing devices to sections of the outdoor track, and the ride has periodically experienced downtime in the years since. None of this affects the core experience once the ride is running, and the freefall drop itself remains unchanged from its original 16 ft (5 m) design.
Height Requirements & Who Can Ride
To ride Th13teen, you need to be between 120 cm and 196 cm tall (roughly 47 to 77 inches) — tall enough to meet Alton Towers’ standard family-coaster minimum, but short enough to fit safely under the individual lap bar restraints. This puts it in line with other family thrill coasters at the resort rather than the park’s more extreme rides, making it accessible to most riders above small-child height while still excluding very tall adults for restraint-fit reasons.
As with all Alton Towers rides, pregnant guests and those with certain medical, back, or neck conditions are advised not to ride; check the ride’s posted health notice on-site if you’re unsure.
Is Th13teen Scary?
Despite its ominous branding, Th13teen is best described as moderately scary rather than genuinely terrifying. There are no inversions, no steep drops outside the crypt, and much of the ride is a gentle family-style layout through the woods. The freefall moment itself is brief but effective: total darkness, an unnerving pause, and a real, not simulated, drop catch most riders off guard the first time, even if they know it’s coming.
Riders looking for an intense adrenaline hit may find the rest of the layout tame by comparison, but the crypt sequence remains one of the more distinctive surprise moments among UK coasters.
Replacing the Corkscrew
Th13teen occupies the former footprint of Corkscrew, a looping coaster that operated at Alton Towers from 1980 to 2008 before being dismantled to make way for the new ride. Designer John Wardley — also credited with Oblivion and Nemesis — used the site to build something that prioritised psychological terror over mechanical intensity, purpose-building the Dark Forest setting around the crypt sequence rather than bolting theming onto an existing layout.
Visiting Th13teen
Th13teen operates within standard Alton Towers park hours as part of regular park admission — there’s no extra charge or separate queue beyond the usual single-rider or fast-track options offered resort-wide. Because opening hours and ride operating schedules vary seasonally, and the coaster does periodically go down for maintenance on its freefall mechanism, check the official Th13teen page on the Alton Towers website before you visit for current hours and any closures.
Th13teen freefall drop FAQs
How big is the drop on Th13teen?
The freefall element is about 16 feet (5 metres) — the genuine vertical distance the track and train drop inside the pitch-black crypt. That’s separate from Th13teen’s main outdoor drop, a conventional descent of about 60 feet (18 metres) that follows the lift hill.
Is the freefall drop on Th13teen real or a simulation?
It’s real. A section of track and floor physically drops through a trapdoor mechanism with the train still attached, giving riders a genuine moment of freefall rather than a simulated sensation.
How tall do you have to be to ride Th13teen?
Riders must be between 120 cm and 196 cm tall (about 47–77 inches) to meet Alton Towers’ height and lap-bar restraint requirements.
Does Th13teen have any loops or inversions?
No. Th13teen has zero inversions — its thrills come entirely from the freefall drop, theming, and darkness rather than loops or corkscrews.
How fast does Th13teen go?
Th13teen reaches a top speed of about 42 mph (68 km/h) across its roughly 2,480 ft (760 m) layout.
How long is the Th13teen ride?
The full ride lasts about 1 minute 40 seconds, including the approach through the Dark Forest and the crypt sequence.
What ride did Th13teen replace?
Th13teen was built on the site of Corkscrew, a looping coaster that operated at Alton Towers from 1980 to 2008.
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