Nemesis, Steel roller coaster at Alton Towers Resort, England.
Nemesis is an inverted steel roller coaster at Alton Towers Resort in England, with a 716-meter track that includes four inversions through an artificially carved rock gorge. The trains hang beneath the rail and reach a top speed of 81 kilometers per hour (about 50 miles per hour), racing through tight turns and sections close to the ground.
The ride opened in 1994 as the first inverted coaster in Europe, requiring around 250 tonnes of steel for its construction. Since its debut, it has undergone several refurbishments, and in 2024 a major overhaul was completed with many components replaced.
The name and theme refer to an alien life form supposedly uncovered during construction work beneath the ground. The area around the track is now dressed with military vehicles and barriers to create the impression of a restricted zone where riders challenge a dangerous entity through their own daring.
Riders must be at least 1.4 meters tall to board, and the attraction operates two trains with eight cars each, handling roughly 1,200 people per hour. Because the track sits deep in a trench, riders experience strong forces and rapid direction changes close to the ground.
In 2004 the ride set a Guinness World Record when 32 people rode without clothes during a special event. The experience has also been enhanced at times with fire effects and water jets alongside the track that add moments of surprise.
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