The Smiler: Alton Towers’ 14-Inversion Coaster Guide

The Smiler is a steel Infinity Coaster built by Gerstlauer at Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire, England, and it opened to the public on 31 May 2013. From its debut, the ride claimed the world record for the most inversions on any roller coaster — a total of 14 — beating every rival by a wide margin and cementing Alton Towers’ reputation as home to some of Europe’s most extreme thrill rides.

Themed around a fictional mind-control programme called the Ministry of Joy, The Smiler squeezes its record haul of inversions — corkscrews, dive loops, sidewinders, a sea serpent, and a cobra roll — into a surprisingly compact footprint in the park’s X Sector. Riders reach a top speed of around 53 mph across 3,840 feet of track before the 2 minute 45 second ride deposits them back, dizzy and grinning, at the station.

Quick Answer

The Smiler at Alton Towers has 14 inversions, the Guinness World Record for the most inversions on any roller coaster since its record-setting first test cycle on 7 May 2013. The ride is 98 ft (30 m) tall, hits a top speed of 53 mph (85 km/h) along 3,840 ft (1,170 m) of track, lasts 2 minutes 45 seconds, and has a 140 cm (4 ft 7 in) minimum height requirement. As of 2026, no other coaster in the world has matched or beaten its inversion count.

Stats at a Glance

Park: Alton Towers Resort, Staffordshire, England. Manufacturer: Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH. Model: Infinity Coaster (Custom). Opened: 31 May 2013 (record-setting first cycle 7 May 2013). Height: 98 ft (30 m). Top Speed: 53 mph (85 km/h). Length: 3,840 ft (1,170 m). Inversions: 14 (world record). Duration: 2 min 45 sec. Max G-force: 4.6. Trains: 16 riders per train. Hourly Capacity: roughly 1,050 riders. Minimum Height: 140 cm (4 ft 7 in). Cost: reportedly around £18 million to build.

The Full Inversion Sequence, Element by Element

Part of what makes The Smiler such a popular search target is the layout itself — riders and enthusiasts alike want to know exactly what 14 inversions in one ride actually looks like. In order, the course runs: an indoor heartline roll straight out of the station, a corkscrew, two back-to-back dive loops, a reverse sidewinder into a sidewinder, two more corkscrews, a sea serpent element (two inversions), a cobra roll (two more), and finally a double corkscrew finish before the brake run.

That sequencing matters as much as the raw count. Rather than spacing big elements out with long stretches of track, Gerstlauer’s designers stacked inversions almost back-to-back, which is why the ride feels relentless despite its short 2 minute 45 second run time and modest 98-foot height.

The Ride Experience

Boarding one of The Smiler’s trains, riders are plunged immediately into that relentless sequence of inversions with barely a moment to catch their breath. G-forces peak at around 4.6, and the compact layout means elements weave over and under each other, giving the impression of an impossibly tangled knot of steel track — a spectacle almost as thrilling to watch from the queue line as it is to ride.

Unlike many tall-and-fast coasters that rely on height for their headline statistic, The Smiler’s trump card is pure disorientation. At just 98 feet tall it is far from the loftiest ride at Alton Towers, but the sheer density of inversions delivers an intensity that taller, faster machines rarely match. The ride also features the Marmaliser, a five-legged truss structure over the mid-course brake run that blasts riders with lights, water spray, vapour and rotating optical patterns before the second half of the circuit launches them into more inversions.

How The Smiler’s Record Compares

Before The Smiler opened, the inversion record stood at 10, held jointly by coasters including Colossus at Thorpe Park in the UK. The Smiler didn’t just edge past that mark — it added four more loops on top of it, a jump few expected any single coaster to attempt in one layout. Guinness World Records officially recognised the 14-inversion count following the ride’s first full test cycle on 7 May 2013, ahead of its public opening later that month.

More than a decade on, the record has never been seriously challenged. Most modern multi-inversion coasters, including recent record attempts elsewhere in the world, have settled for 10 to 12 inversions rather than trying to beat The Smiler outright, partly because packing more loops into a ride tends to sacrifice pacing and comfort. That makes The Smiler something of an outlier: a ride built specifically to chase a single statistic, and one that has held its title far longer than most theme park world records typically survive.

Theming: The Ministry of Joy

The Smiler’s storyline casts riders as subjects of the fictional Ministry of Joy, a sinister organisation that promises to engineer permanent happiness through “treatment.” Queue-line signage, propaganda-style posters and the Marmaliser’s manic visuals all lean into this unsettling, tongue-in-cheek concept, giving the ride a distinct identity beyond its record-breaking stats. The theming was designed in-house by Alton Towers’ creative team and remains one of the more elaborate story treatments among the resort’s coasters.

Safety History and Improvements

On 2 June 2015, a serious collision occurred when a passenger-occupied train travelling at speed struck a stationary empty train on the ride’s course. Sixteen people were injured, five of them seriously; two riders, Vicky Balch and Leah Washington, suffered leg injuries that required partial amputations. The incident was attributed to engineers manually overriding the ride’s automated safety block system while a stalled test train remained on the circuit.

The Smiler was closed for approximately nine months while Merlin Entertainments, the park’s owner, worked with regulators to overhaul its operating procedures and safety controls. Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £5 million in September 2016, down from an initial £7.5 million after mitigation. Several victims subsequently pursued civil compensation claims against the company, which were resolved privately rather than through a published court judgment.

The ride reopened on 19 March 2016 with enhanced safety systems, revised block-section protocols, and additional staff training. Since its return it has operated as one of Alton Towers’ flagship attractions, and its world record of 14 inversions remains unbroken as of 2026.

Height Requirement and Who Can Ride

The Smiler has a minimum height requirement of 140 cm (4 ft 7 in), in line with several of Alton Towers’ other high-intensity coasters such as Nemesis and Rita. There is no published maximum height, but riders need to fit safely within the train’s over-the-shoulder restraints, and the ride carries the resort’s standard health warnings around back, neck and heart conditions, as well as pregnancy.

Because the layout is so inversion-heavy, The Smiler tends to feel more intense to first-time riders than its modest height and speed figures suggest. Riders prone to motion sickness or disorientation should be aware that the ride offers very little downtime between elements compared with more traditional tall-and-fast coasters.

Planning Your Visit: Wait Times, FastTrack & Single Rider

As one of the park’s most popular attractions, The Smiler regularly draws some of the longest queues at Alton Towers, particularly in the early afternoon during summer school holidays and weekends. Arriving at park opening and heading straight for the ride, or riding late in the evening before close, are the most reliable ways to avoid the longest waits. A single rider queue is available for guests happy to fill an odd seat on a train, which can meaningfully cut wait times on busy days, and paid FastTrack access is also sold to skip the standard line.

Ticket prices, park opening hours, and FastTrack availability change by season and are best confirmed directly before your visit rather than relied on from any third-party guide. For current opening times, ticket prices, and FastTrack options, check the official Alton Towers Smiler page.

The Smiler is a Gerstlauer creation — see our full Gerstlauer profile for the company’s history and signature coasters.

the smiler alton towers FAQs

How many inversions does The Smiler have?

The Smiler has 14 inversions, which is the Guinness World Record for the most inversions on any roller coaster. The sequence includes a heartline roll, four corkscrews (split into pairs), two dive loops, a reverse sidewinder and sidewinder, a sea serpent, and a cobra roll.

Has any coaster beaten The Smiler’s inversion record?

No. As of 2026, more than a decade after The Smiler opened in 2013, no other roller coaster in the world has matched or exceeded its 14 inversions. Most newer multi-inversion coasters top out around 10 to 12.

Is The Smiler safe to ride today?

Yes. Following the June 2015 collision, The Smiler was closed for roughly nine months while Merlin Entertainments overhauled its safety systems, block-section protocols, and staff training under regulatory oversight. It reopened in March 2016 and has operated as a flagship Alton Towers attraction ever since.

What is the minimum height to ride The Smiler?

Riders must be at least 140 cm (4 ft 7 in) tall to ride The Smiler, matching the height requirement for several of Alton Towers’ other high-intensity coasters.

Why is it called The Smiler?

The name plays on the ride’s dark comedy theming: riders are cast as subjects of the fictional Ministry of Joy, an organisation that forces “happiness” on its subjects through unsettling treatment, with a permanent grinning smiley-face logo used throughout the queue and marketing.

How long is the wait for The Smiler?

Wait times vary widely by season and time of day, with the shortest queues typically at park opening and in the final hour before close. During peak summer weekends waits can run well over an hour, so many riders use the single rider line or paid FastTrack to reduce time in the queue.

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