Another weekend is here, and in a year packed with new roller coasters, that means another set of exciting new rides are open. This time, Hersheypark fans were treated to their first rides on Skyrush. The park’s new winged-seat, hyper coaster is generating some very positive reviews. As good hyper coasters do, Skyrush appears to be delivering quite a bit of airtime.
Here’s a sample of some of the early reviews of Skyrush at Hersheypark:
The twisty over the water was great, and it essentially throws your body up out and off to the side, offering some really unique airtime. The final, albeit tiny, airtime hill offers the most intense and high-flying airtime I have ever experienced, and it really felt like I was being thrown into the trees or Comet in the distance. – griffonj2022 on Theme Park Review
….SkyRush had the most intense airtime out of any coaster that I’ve been on. I’d definitely rank SkyRush up there with my all time favorite coasters: I305, Nemesis, Tobu Zoo’s mega-lite, and El Toro.- Swimace on Theme Park Review
Skyrush Is In Good Company
As several have said, Skyrush is joining some ‘really good company’; meaning fans are placing it among their top rides. Swimace’s mention of Tobu Zoo’s mega-lite is music to my ears. I’ve been hoping for a mega-lite here in the States for years as the globe-trotting coaster enthusiasts have ranked them very highly in their top ten lists. It’s exciting to hear that from at least one enthusiast’s view, Skyrush is comparable.
The twisty mentioned above is a reference to Intimidator 305’s direction-changing banks that throw you like a rag doll from side-to-side. It’s cool to see Intamin use this new element again and give riders a kind of wild lateral airtime.
Skyrush’s Trains & Ride Experience
Fitting the ride’s name, Skyrush’s trains seem to shoot up the lift hill. Another poster mentioned that Skyrush could be alternating between a faster lift and slower lift at times. Here’s a video showing a train rocketing (for a lift hill at least) up and out of the station.
No one should be surprised that the waits were long, but several riders mentioned that loading was subpar. Hopefully the park can work out any kinks and improve ride ops. Also, the winged seats seem to be getting somewhat mixed reviews. The restraints have been called ‘uncomfortable’, and a few riders mentioned that outer seats don’t really make much of a difference.
Regardless, where it matters, it sounds like Skyrush really delivers. I’m curious as to where I’d rank it and possibly place it, if it’s as good as it sounds. A hyper coaster with a terrain-ish layout, cool banked turns next to a creek, and strong airtime throughout? It sounds like a potential top ten coaster to me.
Here’s a POV video of Skyrush at Hersheypark:
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