Exclusive:I'm part of the team behind behind Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort's new ride - here's what to expect

This week, Pleasure Beach Resort Blackpool announced that it’s iconic Ice Blast ride will be relaunched for the 2025 season, with new theming and branding, and more thrust than ever before.

To be called Launch Pad, it will catapult riders 210ft into the air, achieving speeds of 60mph in two seconds. The Post and Blackpool Gazette have been given an exclusive chat with Andy Hygate, Director of Opeations at Pleasure Beach Resort, to find out exactly what to expect.

“When you get to the top, it gives you that amazing stomach in your mouth sensation, you feel like you’re lifted in your seat”, said Andy, who has been working with his team for two years on the reincarnation.

“And when you’re at the top, you get this incredible view of the park and all of its surroundings. We want people to be surprised, and excited, and this certainly will do that.”

Launch Pad will be given a space theme, and although Andy is tight-lipped on the exact experience you can expect, says he can guarantee a feeling of weightlessness because of the way the ride works on compressed air.

He said: “You get the thrill of the launch, being lifted out of your seat at the top, and then because of the compressed air, you bounce as you come down to earth, so again, it’s that feeling of being in space.”

Up to 12 people can ride at any one time, and because of how the ride works - by weighing the total load and calculating the amount of force needed each time - riders never know exactly when they are going to be fire upwards.

“For a rider, that’s really quite exciting”, said Andy.”

And if you’ve been on Ice Blast before, how will it differ?

“You’ll notice a big difference”, said Andy. “We’ve got a new pressure chamber, so it’s like when you get a new car with a bigger engine and you take it out. Going from 0-60 vertically in a couple of seconds, with extra thrust - any enthusiast or lover of thrill rides will want to experience that.

“And it’s a great spectator ride too. The ride is the second tallest in the park (beaten only by the Big One), it’s one of the first you see as you walk in, and with the air compression, it makes quite a noise. It really does command your attention.”

He added: ““We’ve been working on this for the last two years. These things take a long time. It’s a theme park and there should be changes and developments, it keeps people interested and wanting to come back.

“We’ve had space rides before, it’s a common theme in theme parks because everyone loves hearing about space, there’s great imagery and it really fits with the launch aspect. It’s emotive and exciting and we’re really looking at space in 2025 and giving it an extra edge.”

When will it be ready and how can I get on it?

Launch Pad is expected to be open for Pleasure Beach Resort’s 2025 season, which starts on Saturday March 2 and is bookable now.

The Nickelodeon Land area of the park, which is aimed at families and younger riders, opens earlier for February half term from Saturday February 15 until Sunday February 23, at a reduced price of £25.00.

Guest can secure the best value tickets by booking online at www.pleasurebeachresort.com, where prices start at £32.00 for adults and £28.00 for children under 12.

History of the ride

The newly-named Launch Pad first opened in 1997 under the name PlayStation: The Ride due to its sponsorship with Sony. It was the first tower ride in the UK and was opened by boyband-of-the-moment Boyzone.

The band, fronted by Ronan Keating, were the first riders alongside 94-year-old Doris Thompson, the late grandmother of current CEO, Amanda Thompson. The ride was re-named Ice Blast after its sponsorship changed to Tango in 2000, and has operated under that name until now.