Guest reviewer Aric has returned with another in-depth review. He was one of the first to ride Hersheypark’s new Skyrush roller coaster.
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I came to Hersheypark to ride Skyrush after a day spent using Fast Lane at Cedar Point. While in Sandusky, my daughter and I were treated to what essentially amounted to no lines on the big three, Millennium Force, Top Thrill Dragster, and my personal number one, the much loved/maligned Maverick. After journeying the remaining eight hours to Hershey, I reconnoitered myself to extreme rides, getting three on the venerable Storm Runner, and on a former favorite of mine, Fahrenheit. What is the point of all of this? None of these coasters, my favorite included, prepared me for the steel insanity that was Skyrush.
I rode Friday night, as I was one of the 26 Junior Researchers selected by the park to ride the new yellow tracked Intamin before the rest of the public. Along with the other researchers, a bunch of folks had won the opportunity to ride from local radio stations, and we were all gathered as the park closed in a catering pavilion, where a DJ entertained and we were fed pizza. As fun as that was, the coaster was looming over us as we waited for our turn to board. Finally, the announcement was made that it was time to ride, and my ears were spared a re-listen to, “Call Me Maybe” both very good things.
I rode in the second row, in one of the vaunted winged seats. I have to admit I was nervous about the restraints-more on this later-but it fit me quite comfortably in the station. In fact, I was getting used to the new found freedom of no floor and no over the shoulder restraints, when a ride op stapled me in far tighter that I ever would have willfully buckled myself. This indignity was enough to make me temporarily irritated, the second time it happened even more so, I was seriously in as tight as I could possibly get when the train got the all clear, and we roared up the lift hill via Intamin’s awesome cable system.
My hands were up as we crested the hill, and as we rocketed towards the bottom, the impossible happened, I literally felt as though I was coming free of my seat. The forces were nearly indescribable, so I’ll keep it simple. Massive ejector airtime. Not only on the first drop, but over every bunny hill, even on turns. The term airtime machine is overused, I know because I’ve ridden Skyrush, and this is the only coaster I’ve ridden that I think fits adequately into that category, despite thinking I understood the meaning prior to riding.
So far, early reviews suggest comparisons to El Toro, Bizarro, Expedition GeForce, and Intimidator 305. Admittedly, I’ve ridden none of them-though I will be on 305 in two weeks-but that is some serious company to be in. Hershey and Intamin not only have another winner on their hands, they have something even better, a world class roller coaster. Skyrush is beautiful, a joy to ride, and whatever its ranking ends up being, one of the absolute best in the world. A true airtime machine indeed, and an absolute must ride.
For me, this ride can be ranked only one way, as a 10, with a thrill rating of a VERY high 5, this is one aggressive beast, even as smooth as it is. Although Hershey lists 54″ as being acceptable to ride, I’m not sure all kids of that height, even coaster nuts like my daughter, should ride Skyrush, it’s just that crazy. Aric’s Final Rating – 10.0 (Superior)
Here’s a POV video of Skyrush at Hersheypark:
Skyrush is rated ‘IN’ for Intense. It’s a 4 out of 5 on the Coaster Critic’s Thrill Scale for of its height and speed that produce a very intense ride.
A Caveat on Skyrush’s Restraints
Already the coaster world is abuzz with complaints over the restraint system used on Skyrush, the most common issue being that they are uncomfortable for some riders. Time to unknot your shorts, kids, these restraints are highly unlikely to be changing anytime soon and were designed like this on purpose. Again, not to overstate things, but there is a reason that they are so tight, and a reason why they aren’t the most comfortable restraint on the block. They are on the train to keep you alive. I’m sure there was a point where using something like I-305 restraints was considered, but with the openness of the trains, some out of the box thinking was in order. The Skyrush restraint controversy is a non-issue to me, because Skyrush succeeds so well at what it does, and if a little bit of discomfort is enough of an issue enough to keep you off of it, then at least the line will be shorter for everyone else.
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Varying Views on Skyrush
Aric has quite a different view of Skyrush than what we’ve been seeing from most riders on my early reviews post. What’s your take on Skyrush? Leave a comment below.
Read Aric’s other posts for his take on rides like Fahrenheit, Space Mountain, Maverick & more.
Also see this article from The Patriot-News including reviews from Mike of NewsPlusNotes, ACE members, Aric, and others: “Hersheypark’s Skyrush a Hit Among Roller Coaster Fans”
Images courtesy of JonathanHawkins.net. Read Jonathan Hawkin’s awesome Skyrush review and trip report here: Hersheypark 2012 Trip Report
June 10, 2012 at 05:59
I haven't commented in a long time but had to put my 2 cents worth in for this ride…
After reading all of the negative reviews, I simply cannot understand where all the gripes are coming from. I rode Skyrush 3 times on Thursday, sat on both sides and once in a middle seat, 3rd row twice and 5th row once. And it was easily my new favorite coaster in the park. I was actually raving to my friends how cool the seats and restraints are, how they almost encourage you to lean into them like riding a motorcycle and how they were painless for a guy (unlike Superman @ six flags america and Millenium Force's nutcracker restraints). I experienced NO pain whatsoever. NO grey-outs (and I still grey-out on Intimidator 305 even with the changes). Absolutely nothing negative to say about this ride except it is over too soon. I could ride this thing over and over again. I rated it a 10. I sincerely hope that everyone's complaints are mostly hyperbole and hersheypark does nothing to this excellent coaster. Unfortunately, I'm sure that isn't the case and all of this will make hershey give up on building larger, faster, more thrilling coasters in the future, as well as add headbanging OTSRs, and maybe even trims on the drop to skyrush. skyrush and the park as a whole will suffer because of it. Not financially per se, just in the eyes of a thrill seeker.
I guess I will just have to go to hersheypark and ride skyrush as much as possible before things change, most likely for the worse. What a shame.
June 25, 2012 at 21:25
I agree 100% with your post. Last year people were complaining about the leg pain and nut cracking from Green Lantern at Six Flags Great Adventure, and when I rode it for the first time, I loved it. I'm going to Hershey this weekend and can't wait to ride this coaster, and I hope Hershey will forget about all of those complaints and build one of the best coasters on earth. Hope for the best with Hershey anyways.
August 9, 2012 at 23:22
I really like Skyrush. I think its the beginning of great things for the park
July 1, 2012 at 21:20
<q cite="I guess I will just have to go to hersheypark and ride skyrush as much as possible before things change, most likely for the worse. What a shame"> Best advice you can give. I felt exactly the same on Skyrush and any changes would be sad in my opinion. No pain, all joy for me on that bad boy.
June 10, 2012 at 06:33
Nice review, but I'll have to disagree with the restraint comments. Every other coaster manufacturer seems to have figured out how to avoid hurling riders to their death without the need to pin them to the seat in an uncomfortable manner. You can even look to another Intamin ride, El Toro, which has the same or greater ejector airtime than Skyrush, for a simple restraint that has yet to have a single accident yet is also pretty comfortable. When so many people (and by all accounts it is a very significant amount) are coming off the ride complaining that it hurt them, I don't see how it can be considered anything but a design flaw. I've made it clear both in the review that I wrote and in my comments on other sites that I love the ride, but that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore legitimate criticisms. You may be right that the restraints are unlikely to be changed for this coaster (though evidence suggests that the park is taking complaints seriously as they have been instructing ride ops to not push the bars down on people), but at the very least I would hope Intamin will make some tweaks before they build their next wing rider.
June 10, 2012 at 08:05
Well put Aric! I had originally commented on the other skyrush post and I guess CC felt it was better suited for this post. Can't say that I disagree. Anyway, thank you for articulating almost exactly what I experienced on skyrush… I hope you're right that they don't change anything and people like us can reap the benefits of a short line. I think it's a world class ride!
June 10, 2012 at 09:50
Your comment was in the moderation queue and I decided to just save it for this post. And I'm trying to close comments on the other one so the discussion can continue here. Site's not cooperating yet though.
Thanks for your comment. It's interesting how different people see this ride. Makes me wonder where I'd fall on the spectrum.
June 10, 2012 at 11:01
I've said this before on another coaster site, but if they change anything about this coaster, I would be really bummed…except if they changed the restraints. I do NOT want to see OTSRs on this ride, but I really think a slightly different shape lapbar or a slightly softer lapbar would change this ride to a 9.5 for me. I couldn't give it a 10 because it is way too short, but everything but the restraint system is amazing. Even the most innocuous little twists in this ride deliver extreme airtime.
Aric, I DO agree with you about the height requirements being a little low…this ride IS that extreme. I rode with a little kid who was so skinny, and I just kept thinking, "this kid is gonna get thrown out…I'm gonna look over where he used to sit, and he's gonna be gone". Luckily, all that happened was he said his legs hurt a lot. All four little kids in the front seat were all alternating between laughing and yelling that they couldn't feel their legs. So, the restraints do the job well, but perhaps a taller height requirement should be instituted. I would hate to see yet another brilliant creation from Intamin marred by injury or tragedy.
June 20, 2012 at 23:31
Height requirements have nothing to do with age. They have to do with strict technical reasons for safety.
July 1, 2012 at 21:18
Changing the restraints to OTSR would also ruin it for me. Although, I have seen one of my favorite coasters, Intimidator 305, undergo some major changes and come out clean on the other side. The first week it opened I thought one time was enough for the day, a few months later and with some modifications it was better but not as intense. This season its kind of a hybrid for a decent ride that hasn't sacrificed too much.
June 11, 2012 at 13:17
Rode this coaster on Sunday(2nd Row) and I have to say it is quite dangerous. I was in an outside seat(right hand side) and violently hit the side of my head against the headrest. I still have a pretty big knot on my head from the impact. A young boy in my party rode on the left side of the same car and hit his head on his leg restraint. Has anyone else any of these issues?
August 8, 2012 at 00:14
Took my 10 year old (who loves thrill rides) and he was pretty banged up by the end. Neck wasn't strong enough to keep his head from getting knocked around.
August 11, 2012 at 09:17
My daughter's friend, who is about 5'7" and slight build, hit her mouth on the restraint bar just after going over the top of the first hill. She was in the back seat on the right side. Her one front tooth was broken in half and the other was bent back. We registered a complaint through the EMT service so that the incident was registered. I don't think the restraints are adequate if people are injured on a routine ride…don't even know if padding would have helped…it seems that shoulder restraints should be present.
June 12, 2012 at 02:01
For everyone who seems to be having trouble with the restraints, you may find this Screamscape post interesting…
“(6/11/12) According to a reader who visited Hersheypark, they too found the restraints on SkyRush a little painful on the legs. After the ride, they spoke with park reps about it and were told that Hersheypark had investigated the restraint system used on I305, but have decided to stick with a lapbar system. However… they also claimed that an Intamin rep had been out at the park over the past week to check on the ride and look into this issue, as they do not want to trim the ride’s speed. From what I’m led to understand, they believe that the lap bars can be adjusted to solve the problem, so lets look for this to happen later on this season.”
June 12, 2012 at 16:02
Does anyone know if the Skyrush restraints accomodated somewhat larger riders?
June 14, 2012 at 04:09
I just rode last night … last row, far right wing seat. One of my ride partners is 6' 5" and goes about 300 lbs. No problem fitting! (There is a test seat near the entrance.) My partner who DID have trouble is only 5' 1" and over 200 lbs. For her, it was difficult to climb up onto the seat due to the "leg separater" (for lack of a better term). None of us got stapled. ALL of us had painful rides. Prior to riding, my mind was complaining that the ride would be to short. Halfway throughthe ride, my thighs decided it was way too long. This was coaster #271 for nme and, while I'll give it another try today, I am NOT looking forward to it!
June 17, 2012 at 13:00
I managed to get 3 rides in 2 days … assorted seats … hands up on ONLY the first ride … and had painful experiences every time. I sent a picture of my bruised thighs to Joel just to support my physical reaction to this ride. Is it a great ride? You bet it is! Do I like the seating on the trains? Sure thing … the wing seats are awesome! Do I like the freedom for my upper body? Oh, yeah! I just wish there was some way to eliminate the pain I felt during the ride.
I give the park some extra credit for putting in a new walkway that allows you to view practically the whole course of the coaster. It definitely helps build anticipation that would be lacking if one could only view the coaster (just the lift hill and station) from Comet Hollow.
June 19, 2012 at 21:22
Thanks for the photo Judy. There's nothing like a visual to support all of the complaints. Interesting that you kept going back for more though. Reminds me of The Voyage's physically demanding (not painful though) ride that kept me coming back for more. I guess it was at least fun enough to draw you back.
I'm conflicted about this ride. I'm not sure where I'd fall, but since I'm not very forgiving of rides that produce painful experiences I'm not sure I'd rank it very highly.
June 12, 2012 at 17:21
They do, CJ, according to their website, up to about 300 lbs.
June 12, 2012 at 17:24
I'm slightly larger than the average female, but not by too too much. I had plenty of room, but the bars were awful. I think they'd be better even with some gel padding or different softer foam. Just something a teensy bit less rigid. I hope Intamin can work their magic and turn this coaster into pure gold (er…yellow anyway). Lol
June 13, 2012 at 04:40
I was very surprised to find all of the negative comments about the restraints on Skyrush – I loved them. I liked having no shoulder restraints, and I really liked how Skyrush's restraints provided armrests and a natural handgrip position. I usually position my restraints very tightly anyway – but Skyrush's did not hurt me and I got no negative comments from my 15 year old son (who is as cynical and sarcastic as any 15 year old). GREAT ride.
June 15, 2012 at 18:11
This ride is more than scary. It goes beyond big drops and corkscrews. It's pure thrill. Yeah, other coasters have bigger drops, but this is something of another caliber. It is almost like an out-of-body experience. Never have I felt so free and so exhilerated.
Go ride Skyrush. It's not a ride, it's an experience.
June 17, 2012 at 10:47
If your comment is anything to go by Aric, a trip across the pond will most definitely be in order to Hershey Park. Also, if what you say about CP is true- WOW.
June 17, 2012 at 22:10
Wow how did you get a photo of Skyrush and Comet on the lift hill at the same time? I might have to print it out and hold onto it for years to come.
June 25, 2012 at 07:25
Pure luck. Here are larger versions if you are interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhawkins/7299441668/…
June 21, 2012 at 12:15
Speaking of new roller coasters, me and my friend were at six flags great adventure. We were on Congo rapids and nitro and saw a good couple of cleared acres. We were wondering if they were going to remove bizarro or what would happen in 2013.
June 22, 2012 at 11:21
I rode the Skyrush yesterday and while I agree that the ride itself is exhilarating and the wing seats were amazing, I was in far too much pain to properly enjoy the ride. After being stapled into the seats, I realized I'd left a tube of lip balm in my pocket which was then jammed into my leg. The ride itself was pure agony, as every hill we went over further jammed the tube into my thigh. After I got off the ride, I had to limp to walk and did so the rest of the day. I've now got a massive bruise to go along with the limp. I may ride again in the future, but there should be a sign or an announcement to empty your pockets. I can only imagine what would have happened had my lip balm been a cell phone.
June 24, 2012 at 06:36
I do believe that Skyrush has the potential to be a 10 out of 10 coaster but
I found the restraints to be really painful. At first they aren't that bad but then after the first airtime hill they get tighter and more painful. You can read my review at http://coasterguy.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/skyrus…
If they switch out the restraints for something more comfortable it will become an excellent coaster.
June 24, 2012 at 10:22
I got to ride Sky Rush a few days ago and I can now vouch for the thigh pain, but for me it was only on the crest of the camelback's and the rest of the ride is very comfortable and fairly smooth. My friend was yelling in pain on every hill, however, we both thought it was one hell of a ride and got a couple rides in toward the front as well as the back. winged seat or not didn't really make much of a difference and both trips the ride was equally awesome and forceful. The lift hill blew me away with how quick it was and heavily contributed to how epic the first drop was. The fast pacing and relentless layout over the lake made it a solid 8 for me, but if they tweaked the restraints to be more comfortable and make it a little more re-ridable like Leviathan (which I did enjoy a tiny bit more) it would be rated higher. It still would be a bit too quick of a ride to ever be a 10 though as it's over before you know it.
June 25, 2012 at 19:30
I'll chime in here as well, El Toro remains one of my favorite rides and I'll agree that I achieve greater airtime *COMFORTABLY* for the duration of that ride. Obviously it's in a completely different class but still, we have the technology.
Sky Rush was less rush than it was pain. I literally just experienced the coaster this morning and unless something changes I'll stick to my beloved Lightning Racer. Anyway, so I'm of average size but ended up dreading every hill on Sky Rush. My legs 14 hours after riding are still sore. We spoke with several other riders later on the Comet while waiting for the next train to depart the station before we returned and disembarked and of the five people immediately around me all were in agreement that they experienced pain during their ride on Sky Rush. One mentioned a ride attendant asked him how it was. Guess they were doing a survey. He replied indicating the issue that this ride is now becoming known for here locally, and received a reply from the attendant that they're "working on it with engineering." I really hope they can come up with a solution. I want to love this coaster but until the restraints change in some way I will not ride it again.
June 26, 2012 at 04:47
Interesting that the attendant said that. Good to hear!
June 27, 2012 at 03:50
It's a good roller-coaster, and gives a different and more G-filled ride than others.
However, the restraint system was a real problem for me. It was painful during the ride, and I ended up with a bruised quadricep, which is still uncomfortable three days later..
June 28, 2012 at 19:00
I rode it last week (with only a 30 minute wait time, which was nice!) The lap bars were very uncomfortable and took away from my enjoyment of the ride. My friend and I were both in alot of pain from that bar digging into our legs during all the air time. While the drop is fantastic, I would not want to ride it again anytime soon.
Another note that I didn't see anybody bring up yet…you will want to completly empty your pockets and leave stuff with a non-rider if you can. Just about anything in your pockets will get lost. They have bins up at the front of the line for you to leave stuff, but obviously I was a bit hesitant to leave my wallet and iPhone in there. I did, and it's good because they would have fallen out on the ride. My friend lost her lighter. Only some cash that I had in my pocket survived the trip.
June 28, 2012 at 21:09
That's a good tip Ed. It's starting to seem like it's about 80/20 as far as negative experiences to good ones. I may make it up to Hershey towards the end of the season. Hopefully by then they'll have new restraints and I'll get to experience it minus the leg pain.