page_title: Alton Towers
section_title: X-Sector
hierarchical_section_title: Alton Towers / Alton Towers Theme Park / X-Sector
caption_attribution_description: English: Oblivion Drop.
context_page_description: Alton Towers Resort is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, spa, mini golf and hotel complex.
  Originally a private estate, Alton Towers grounds opened to the public in 1860 to raise funds. In the late 20th century, it was transformed into a theme park and opened a number of new rides from 1980 onwards. In 2017, it was the second most visited theme park in the UK after Legoland Windsor.
  The park has many attractions such as Congo River Rapids, Runaway Mine Train, Nemesis, Oblivion, Galactica, The Smiler, and Wicker Man. It operates a total of ten roller coasters and offers a range of accommodation and lodging options alongside the theme park. Facilities include Alton Towers Waterpark, conference facilities, a crazy golf course, and a high ropes course.
  The theme park is usually open from mid-March to early November, whilst many of its hotels and amenities are open year-round. The theme park is occasionally closed midweek in the quieter months.
context_section_description: X-Sector is themed as a secretive industrial complex, suggested to be subjecting park guests to experimental testing.
  The area currently contains three thrill rides. The steel dive coaster Oblivion which opened in 1998 as "the world's first vertical drop rollercoaster", designed by Tussauds and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard. The cars are held over the edge of the drop for three seconds, before diving into a deep tunnel. The Smiler is a Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster which opened in May 2013 and currently holds the world record for most inversions on a roller coaster at 14.  Enterprise is a standard HUSS Enterprise model which opened in 1984, spinning riders 360 degrees and giving the illusion of defying gravity. The area layout was partially altered in 2013 season to accommodate the opening of The Smiler.
  Previous rides in X-Sector include The Black Hole, which was a Jet Star 2 coaster enclosed in a tent, where The Smiler is located today. Energizer (later renamed Boneshaker) was a swinging gondola flat ride. It was replaced by Submission in 2001, a "Chance Double Inverter" flat ride, which was itself removed in 2014.
caption: View of Oblivion
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