If you're looking to understand the terminology on this site a little more, this is a good place to look. Text in brackets tell you which Thorpe ride the definition could relate to.

A

Airtime: This is where riders get the sensation that they are flying out of their seat on a ride. Often found whilst cresting a hill on a Roller Coaster. (You can get good airtime on SAW, Colossus and Detonator!)

Air Gates: The holding pen for guests which features gates which open to let riders onto the ride. (Most major Thorpe rides!)

B

Banked Turn: A turn on a 'Coaster that is tilted to make the ride more comfortable for the rider (Colossus, Nemesis Inferno).

Barrel Roll: A 360º turn on a Roller Coaster that doesn't alter the height of the 'Coaster Train (Colossus). Also called Inline Twist or Heartline Twist.

C

Capacity: The number of people that a ride can theoretically process in one hour.

Cobra Roll: Where the 'Coaster ascends, flips riders once to a flat piece of track, and then flips them again into a descent (Colossus).

Corkscrew: An inversion on a 'Coaster, and looks like a corkscrew! On B&M Inverted 'Coasters, they're called Wing Overs (Colossus, Nemesis Inferno).

D

Dark Ride: A ride that is enclosed completely in a building (X:\ No Way Out).

E

Element: A piece of track on a 'Coaster designed to give a thrill - such as a vertical loop, for example.

F

Fastrack: Merlin's queue jumping service, for an additional charge.

Flat Ride: One where a vehicle is not traveling along a fixed track. Flat Rides are fixed in one position and the entire ride moves to give riders a thrill. Flat Rides can also be called Thrill Rides (Vortex).

G

G-Forces: A measurement of the pressure put on your body when riding a ride - it's how heavy or light you feel, and is caused by your inertia. Standing still on Earth, you are under 1G. Positive Gs make you feel heavy, and Negative Gs make you feel light. Detonator makes you feel very heavy, putting you through 5.5G!

H

Hydraulic Launch: An alternative to a Lift Hill; a much faster way of getting trains to the top of a 'Coaster! Hydraulic Launches need Hydraulic Motors to fire trains out of the station at high speeds. Requires compressed Nitrogen and Hydraulic Oil to create intense acceleration (Stealth).

I

Inertia: A property of matter that causes it to resist changes in speed or direction.

Inline Twist: See "Barrel Roll" (Colossus).

Inverted 'Coaster: One where riders hang below the track (Nemesis Inferno).

Inversion: Where the 'Coaster turns the riders upside down (Colossus).

J

K

L

Lap Bar: A restraint; a bar that clicks down over a riders lap (X:\ No Way Out, Quantum).

Lift Hill: A section of track which pulls riders to the top of a 'Coaster - usually at the start of the ride. However, you can find lift hills halfway round a track, and you can found more than one on a 'Coaster (Colossus, Nemesis Inferno, SAW, X:\ No Way Out).

Loading Platform: Where the riders board the ride (Rush).

M

Marketing: Advertising. Theme Parks have to do this regularly to ensure steady visitor numbers.

N

O

Over the Shoulder Restraint : A restraint; one that you pull down over your shoulders onto your chest (Colossus, Nemesis Inferno, Detonator, Vortex, SAW, Samurai, Stealth).

P

Q

R

Restraint: Used to prevent riders from falling out of the ride.

S

Single Rider: Somebody that wants to ride on their own. They can often skip the queues for a spare seat (Stealth).

Station: Where the ride controls are kept, and contains the loading platform (All Coasters).

T

Target Audience : The type of people something is aimed at. Thorpe Park's target audience is teenagers, young adults and couples.

Theming: Scenery and buildings that give a theme to a ride.

Thrill Ride: See "Flat Ride".

U

V

Vertical Loop: Just a normal loop the loop on a 'Coaster (Colossus, Nemesis Inferno).

W

X

Y

Z