The Smiler construction complete

Alton Towers Resort today announced that construction has been completed on its highly anticipated world-first roller coaster, The Smiler. To celebrate their hard work and to mark the completion of the ride, 10 workers who have been involved in the construction from the start enjoyed their lunch and a cuppa on one of the ride's highest points.

Taking inspiration from the iconic 'New York Girder' image, the workers sat on top of the track in 1930s costume. The shoot took place to mark the completion of construction as the site manager, Mike Tubb, officially screwed the last bolt into the attraction. The intense and twisted effects designed to marmalise riders' body and mind will now be installed and programmed before the ride goes into full testing ahead of its opening to the public in May.

The Smiler is the most impressive addition to Alton Towers Resort, costing over £18m to build across an 8-month construction period. More than 16,000 tonnes of soil was removed from the site to make way for the 700 tonnes of steel and over 31,000 bolts required to build the 165-second adrenaline pumping ride.

Mike Tubb, Alton Towers Resort Site Manager commented: "We have had a team of around 50 men, working over 3,000 hours across the past eight months to build the biggest roller-coaster Alton Towers Resort has ever seen. We have been taking breaks in some strange places but today we thought we would enjoy a well-earned cup of tea on top of one of the ride's highest loops to capture the significant moment.''

The Smiler is set to 'marmalise' your body and the mind by blurring the lines between illusion and reality with a series of twisted effects, giving riders a thrill like no other. Riders will be subjected to five mind manipulations including jabbing needles, blinding lights and optical illusions, to intensify their ride experience.

Katherine Duckworth from Alton Towers Resort commented: 'We wanted to mark the completion of The Smiler's construction in a memorable and fun way considering all the hard work and investment that has gone into constructing it. Recreating such an iconic image is the perfect way to do this before we open this hugely anticipated rollercoaster to the public in May."

The 'world first' element of The Smiler is yet to be revealed. It opens to the public in May 2013. For more information visit www.the-smiler.com.