Out: adv. From inside a building or shelter into the open air; outside.

In Short:

Thorpe Park's strangest ride, X:\ No Way Out is a very different Roller Coaster to most.

Statistics:

Opened: 1996
Manufacturer: Vekoma
Area: Lost City
Ride Type: Backwards Roller Coaster
On Ride Photo: Yes
Official Rating: Extreme Thrills

Photos:

Video:

See No Way Out in action: TTP Park Video can be found in Downloads.

TTP Review:

X:\ No Way Out is the world's first and only backwards Roller Coaster in the dark. Thorpe have obviously tried to do something creative with the queueline, which is also in the dark, by showcasing weird models and playing bangs and crashes through the speakers. However, nowadays, it's little more than graffitied walls and boring sound effects. Riders board the creatively empty train, which is something the ride designers did do well - where did the passengers from the last ride go? Maybe there is No Way Out....

The train starts rising (backwards) up the lift hill, and shuttles around it's course. X:\ No Way Out features harsh brakes throughout the ride so it can play bangs, flash strobe lighting and spray dry ice at you. However, all it does is to destroy what could be a fast ride. You stop and start quite a few times, which is a shame, because if the 'Coaster could just run, it would be more thrilling. The stops only serve to make the ride somewhat jerky, too. After the ride, riders walk through to the exit (still in darkness) and open their eyes to the daylight.

X:\ No Way Out was obviously intended to be aimed at the teenage market, but teenagers would be more enthused by Colossus or Nemesis Inferno. It is nice that Thorpe have tried something different - they took a gamble - but it really didn't work. Give it a go, just for amusement value!