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Roller Coaster Stalls Near 235-Foot Peak, Riders Capture Terrifying Climb to Safety

The Big One at England's Blackpool Pleasure Beach reaches 85 mph and 235 feet in the air

"The Big One" roller coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the United Kingdom got stuck on Sunday, April 25, 2021, forcing passengers to climb down from the peak of the ride.
Georgia Moss

Riders of the U.K.'s tallest roller coaster got a thrill they didn't expect Sunday when the ride stalled near its peak, according to a series of videos shared on social media.

A spokesperson for Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, England, confirmed to NBC News that "a stoppage occurred" on the lift hill of The Big One at 11:30 a.m. local time. According to Blackpool Pleasure Beach's website, The Big One is the tallest roller coaster in the U.K., standing 235 feet high.

"The decision was taken to stop the ride and all riders were safely escorted down the lift hill," the spokesperson also said. "The ride was checked and re-opened at approximately 1 p.m."

A TikTok video of the incident shows a series of roller coaster cars that appear to be completely full with passengers who seem in good spirits as they wait and take in the expansive landscape below them.

Another clip of the people in the very first seats suggests that they were stuck almost at the top of the ride.

A third video shows the intimidating view as the passengers cling to the railing and take the emergency stairs down to safety on the ground.

"That's more scary than the ride," one person commented on a clip.

"I wouldn't even be able to hold my phone my hands would be shaking so bad," added another.

"I would would be hanging onto the railing screaming so loud that the entire planet could hear me," quipped a third.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach's website describes The Big One, the park's "biggest, fastest and scariest coaster," as a "very high speed, turbulent roller coaster with strobe lighting."

When it's not stalled, the ride reaches 85 mph, and its first drop follows an incline of 65 degrees. The entire coaster is also more than a mile in length. When The Big One first opened in 1994, it was called the tallest and steepest roller coaster in the world, according to local outlet Lancashire Post.

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