Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread

[_koppen]

I really need to get out there and really see how terrible these restraints are. I've heard nothing but how terrible they are, that it seems a boomerang would be better to ride.

 

This!

I can not wait for the day when I will get the chance to try it.

[DanM64]

They really are not! Thats the thing, people just expect it to be a lazy boy chair. It is an airtime power house, sure there is sometimes a bit of pressure, but its not like some people act it to be

^This x100!! I didn't find the restraints to be all that bad when I rode last year a few weeks after it opened. There is pressure on your legs in spots, but you'd feel the pressure no matter what restraints they used. The airtime is so insane even the B&M clamshell everybody seems to like would hurt! I wouldn't want them to change a thing! Skyrush is hands down the best steel coaster I have ever ridden (though I have yet to experience I305)

[EastCoastKid]

^First off welcome!

 

I think we all need to remember, and this is pretty much from AJ a couple pages back, i wouldn't really recommend or try to move your whole back/body from the backrest. I know I recommended only to move your head and shoulders off just a tad on the turn after the first ATH because of the rattle it now has in the back rows.

 

So i guess what I'm saying is even though it probably does work better for most people, it probably is doing more harm than good. That has got to be god awful for your back. I have a problem i have to grow out of in my SI Joint and if i try to move my lower back off any backrest significantly, I can feel a bit of pressure in that area every now and then, So i would say even though it feels better during the ride it is most likely very bad for your body after the ride.

I remember 2 of the curves were 5 g's or close to it so thats all stress on one spot on your back

 

But who knows! Im not a doctor

 

Hmm... I've never thought about that. Good thing I'm young! But I might really start to feel it in a few years.

[TyRush]

^Yeah im young too, the coaster i used to move off the back a bit was Storm Runner and my SI Joint problem is just a minor thing i must grow out of, so after i got the issue suddenly I started having problems with the way i always used to sit on SR.

 

Now im fine though and i sit the correct way with no problems. I would just say be careful how we sit!!

[Dr. M]

I really need to get out there and really see how terrible these restraints are. I've heard nothing but how terrible they are, that it seems a boomerang would be better to ride.

They really are not! Thats the thing, people just expect it to be a lazy boy chair. It is an airtime power house, sure there is sometimes a bit of pressure, but its not like some people act it to be

 

I know nothing I say is going to keep you from saying this over and over and over again, but it's incredibly irritating how you need to keep defending those restraints. The fact is they DO hurt for a lot of people, they're some of the most painful restraints I've ever experienced (and I've been on SLCs, boomerangs, etc.). And it's not because of the extreme airtime, El Toro has comparable forces and it wasn't uncomfortable for me at all, because it secures you at your waist, like most restraints. There's a reason so many people were complaining, there's a reason the park responded to those complaints by adding padding and now releasing the restraints on the break run. It's because they're poorly designed and extremely uncomfortable for a lot of people.

 

I understand you don't find them uncomfortable which is fine, and you can say that, but I just wish you (and others) would stop implying that the masses of people saying the restraints hurt are just whining or would find anything less than a B&M lap pillow painful, because it's not true.

 

As an addendum to all this, Skyrush is still one of my favorite coasters of all time, so it's not like the pain automatically makes it a bad ride. In fact, for me it almost kind of adds to the ride, to that "fighting for your life" feeling that makes the ride so unique. But again, everyone's experience will be different.

[arby]

I tried to stay out of this but I just can't resist any more.

 

I rode Skyrush twice about a month ago. I heard stories about the restraints but I always take everything with a grain of salt until I get to experience it first hand. Both times, the restraint clamped down on my legs so hard it was somewhat painful by the brake run. I checked with my teenage daughter (194 credits) and she complained about loosing feeling in her feet.

 

I can see where it might give some good air time but I didn't get the maximum experience because I was clamped in so tight. The restraints in combination with the short ride kept this coaster from being one of my top favorites. Despite all of that, it is a good coaster that I will ride any time.

Edited August 1, 2013 by arby

[RideTheEdge]

I get that I'm super bias, but I actually kinda like how the restraints tighten a bit. I feel as if it adds intensity to the ride. Or maybe I'm just weird. Either way, they don't bother me at all and I always marathon when I go. I got like, 15 laps an hour in May, it was great. I'll be heading back to Hershey in the middle of August for a few weeks and plan on going to the park at least a few times. Definitely excited to see my favourite coaster again!! <3

[PhantomNick]

I really need to get out there and really see how terrible these restraints are. I've heard nothing but how terrible they are, that it seems a boomerang would be better to ride.

They really are not! Thats the thing, people just expect it to be a lazy boy chair. It is an airtime power house, sure there is sometimes a bit of pressure, but its not like some people act it to be

 

I know nothing I say is going to keep you from saying this over and over and over again, but it's incredibly irritating how you need to keep defending those restraints. The fact is they DO hurt for a lot of people, they're some of the most painful restraints I've ever experienced (and I've been on SLCs, boomerangs, etc.). And it's not because of the extreme airtime, El Toro has comparable forces and it wasn't uncomfortable for me at all, because it secures you at your waist, like most restraints. There's a reason so many people were complaining, there's a reason the park responded to those complaints by adding padding and now releasing the restraints on the break run. It's because they're poorly designed and extremely uncomfortable for a lot of people.

 

I understand you don't find them uncomfortable which is fine, and you can say that, but I just wish you (and others) would stop implying that the masses of people saying the restraints hurt are just whining or would find anything less than a B&M lap pillow painful, because it's not true.

 

As an addendum to all this, Skyrush is still one of my favorite coasters of all time, so it's not like the pain automatically makes it a bad ride. In fact, for me it almost kind of adds to the ride, to that "fighting for your life" feeling that makes the ride so unique. But again, everyone's experience will be different.

 

I dunno, to be perfectly honest, I agree with Tyler. Look, I'm not discounting the fact that some folks find them uncomfortable. I'm sure it's one of those "your mileage may vary" things depending on a specific person's body type and where the restraint hits them. But I also think that some people (not all people, mind you) certainly over-exaggerate how "painful" the restraint is on Skyrush. And they absolutely HAVE to be tight considering how balls-to-the-wall aggressive the ride is.

 

When I rode Skyrush the first time last summer, the only minor issue I had where I even felt the restraint was when we sat on the brake run, since the dispatch times are fairly slow. When we returned back in May, that issue was corrected in a wonderfully easy way - the restraint pops up once the train is stopped on the brake run. I thought it was a perfect solution. Who knows, maybe I'm lucky and the restraint hits me in a good way where I truly don't feel pain during the ride. Some say they feel pain. That's fine. And some (like Tyler and myself) don't really feel much of any. That's also fine! And I don't think there's anything wrong with expressing either opinion on the matter.

 

The funny thing (to me anyway) is, I feel Skyrush's layout is about as close to a "Megalite" type of design as we'll see here in the U.S. And people moaned for years that no park in the U.S. would build a ride as intense/awesome as a Megalite. Hershey does, and then people moan about the restraints. Come on, folks! I personally wish we'd see a couple rides just like Skyrush pop up at other parks, quite frankly. It's my current #1 steel coaster, and the airtime is absolutely unfathomable! And kudos to Hershey for listening to people's complaints and doing things to help with that as much as possible but NOT (at least so far) neutering what is a phenomenal coaster!

 

Just my 2 cents.....

[Dr. M]

I dunno, to be perfectly honest, I agree with Tyler. Look, I'm not discounting the fact that some folks find them uncomfortable. I'm sure it's one of those "your mileage may vary" things depending on a specific person's body type and where the restraint hits them. But I also think that some people (not all people, mind you) certainly over-exaggerate how "painful" the restraint is on Skyrush. And they absolutely HAVE to be tight considering how balls-to-the-wall aggressive the ride is.

 

I don't think anybody is over-exaggerating though, that's the thing. I don't think the restraints hurt everybody the same way, that much is apparent. But it would be really, really hard to exaggerate the pain I felt on those first couple rides last year. I mean, my thighs were still sore walking back to my house from my car, and I live an hour and a half away. The next time I went I was better prepared for it and there was more padding, so it wasn't as bad. But if you're not expecting it, it makes it worse. At the end of the day, you can't get inside someone's head and tell what they're experiencing, so it's irritating to hear people tell you you're over-exaggerating, it's basically like being called a liar.

 

The funny thing (to me anyway) is, I feel Skyrush's layout is about as close to a "Megalite" type of design as we'll see here in the U.S. And people moaned for years that no park in the U.S. would build a ride as intense/awesome as a Megalite. Hershey does, and then people moan about the restraints. Come on, folks! I personally wish we'd see a couple rides just like Skyrush pop up at other parks, quite frankly. It's my current #1 steel coaster, and the airtime is absolutely unfathomable! And kudos to Hershey for listening to people's complaints and doing things to help with that as much as possible but NOT (at least so far) neutering what is a phenomenal coaster!

 

Just my 2 cents.....

 

I've never ridden a Megalite so I can't compare them, but are the restraints the same? If not, if they're more like traditional lap bars, then your entire point is moot. The problem with Skyrush is NOT the forces, it's the restraints. The mentality seems to boil down to, "Oh great, they build an intense coaster in the US and everybody complains about the restraints. Now I'm afraid they'll never build an intense coaster like that here again." Which is ridiculous. If we're lucky, all it'll mean is Intamin will never build that kind of train again.

[EastCoastKid]

^ Dr. M is right. If I don't push my butt up a little bit so the restraint hits me directly in the waist and not the thighs, the ride is so unbearably painful that I absolutely cannot enjoy it. Since I've found my solution I love the coaster. But I can 100% understand others' complaints and I know for a fact that most are not exaggerating.

[Jpizzle]

It seems like the bottom line is yes, the Skyrush restraints hurt but it is still a good ride. The excuse of "if you sit forward" or do this or that supports this statement because you shouldn't have to cheat the harness system or sit in a certain way to fully enjoy the ride. Like I said before, I jumped in El Toro and didn't adjust squat and it was extremely comfortable. Maverick didn't give me any problems. Intimidator was fine for me even before the restraint adjustment. But this? Not good restraints on a ride that could be great.

[A.J.]

Noodles noodles noodles noodles noodles.

[EastCoastKid]

Noodles noodles noodles noodles noodles.

 

Ramen?

[CPmillenia94]

What happened to the classic intamin t-bar? I don't understand how intamin made such a perfect restraint, and just stopped using it in favor of over shoulder cylinders with straps, and the leg choppers on skyrush.. Honesly even the otsrs would have been a step up from what it has now.

[markysharky17]

What happened to the classic intamin t-bar? I don't understand how intamin made such a perfect restraint, and just stopped using it in favor of over shoulder cylinders with straps, and the leg choppers on skyrush.. Honesly even the otsrs would have been a step up from what it has now.

I went to hersheypark a few weeks ago and it is my second favorite park of all time. Behind Cedar Point of course but every coaster they have is terrific. They are all amusing andi loved SkyRush! It is my N.1 coaster now! It has such intense airtime in the left side wing seat. The harness give you a lot of room and let you feel free so that is what I like about them. They hurt a little but nothing major. I give it a 10 out of ten. I just hope they build a coaster like this at one of my local Orlando parks!

[Schrecken]

I've only ridden Skyrush 13 times (hope to at least double that by the end of the season!), and luckily I have never found the restraints to be painful. Uncomfortable, yes, but painful, no. But I can also see where some people do find it painful. I did not ride it the first year it was open so I don't know how different it was then as compared to this year. I was in no hurry to get up there and ride it last year (even though HP is only a couple of hours away!) due in part to people mentioning pain and also because I initially thought that Skyrush looked rather ordinary and lame, and not even worth driving a couple of hours for. I was expecting pain and roughness (due to the sharp transitions and airtime - because of my bad back) and essentially expected I would get roughed up in an unpleasant way.

Of course I was very, very wrong - which is one reason that I was totally blown away when I first rode it. I haven't come across a coaster so incredible since I set foot on TTD and MF at CP back in 04'. And in some ways it is more awesome than either of those (and now if I had a choice between the three, I'd ride Skyrush), but that was then and this is now. I've also never found a coaster I liked so much I literally keep dreaming about it until I can get back to ride it again. I'm looking forward to my mid-west trip next week, but I am also still counting the days until I can get back to HP and marathon on Skyrush again this fall.

 

That said, I really appreciate Intamin's attempt (obviously not perfect but a step in the right direction) to avoid another ear-smashing, head busting coaster with ordinary OTSR's (if Skyrush had restraints like I-305 it wouldn't be bad, but if it had ones like on Maverick it would be truly hellish). Speaking of Maverick, that is a coaster that I find personally to be way too painful (due to the restraints) for me to want to ride again. But I also see that plenty of people have a lot of love for that coaster, despite the skull battering. I think some of it depends on body type - IMO tall people seem to catch a break on old Arrows and coasters like Maverick. And I also think that some of that may be the case on Skyrush. I think that maybe short people (or people with short legs, like I have) might get less of the leg crushing, or at least maybe the restraint hits us closer to our waists rather than mid-thigh. I have also noticed that different seats do seem to cause more or less of a vice grip for some reason. But either way, for me, even the feeling of having a few cinderblocks piled on my lap approaching the brake run doesn't dampen my love for Skyrush.

[kickflipbacktail]

I've only ridden Skyrush 13 times (hope to at least double that by the end of the season!), and luckily I have never found the restraints to be painful. Uncomfortable, yes, but painful, no. But I can also see where some people do find it painful. I did not ride it the first year it was open so I don't know how different it was then as compared to this year. I was in no hurry to get up there and ride it last year (even though HP is only a couple of hours away!) due in part to people mentioning pain and also because I initially thought that Skyrush looked rather ordinary and lame, and not even worth driving a couple of hours for. I was expecting pain and roughness (due to the sharp transitions and airtime - because of my bad back) and essentially expected I would get roughed up in an unpleasant way.

Of course I was very, very wrong - which is one reason that I was totally blown away when I first rode it. I haven't come across a coaster so incredible since I set foot on TTD and MF at CP back in 04'. And in some ways it is more awesome than either of those (and now if I had a choice between the three, I'd ride Skyrush), but that was then and this is now. I've also never found a coaster I liked so much I literally keep dreaming about it until I can get back to ride it again. I'm looking forward to my mid-west trip next week, but I am also still counting the days until I can get back to HP and marathon on Skyrush again this fall.

 

That said, I really appreciate Intamin's attempt (obviously not perfect but a step in the right direction) to avoid another ear-smashing, head busting coaster with ordinary OTSR's (if Skyrush had restraints like I-305 it wouldn't be bad, but if it had ones like on Maverick it would be truly hellish). Speaking of Maverick, that is a coaster that I find personally to be way too painful (due to the restraints) for me to want to ride again. But I also see that plenty of people have a lot of love for that coaster, despite the skull battering. I think some of it depends on body type - IMO tall people seem to catch a break on old Arrows and coasters like Maverick. And I also think that some of that may be the case on Skyrush. I think that maybe short people (or people with short legs, like I have) might get less of the leg crushing, or at least maybe the restraint hits us closer to our waists rather than mid-thigh. I have also noticed that different seats do seem to cause more or less of a vice grip for some reason. But either way, for me, even the feeling of having a few cinderblocks piled on my lap approaching the brake run doesn't dampen my love for Skyrush.

 

I love Skyrush and while the pressure on my legs is bearable I have to be honest the restraints could be a lot better. They just don't sit right. The way I like to point this out is how the sit when pressed all the way down in an empty seat. They sit maybe 3 inches above the sit completely flat. I think it would be better if it was shaped so at the max it can go it was still at a maybe 25-30 degree angle than totally flat and sitting back bout 4-5 inches so that it was flush with the waist instead of the upper thigh.

[EastCoastKid]

^ Agreed. If the restraints were flush with the waist, all problems (for me, anyway ), would be solved. It could probably be done quite easily, too, if they just shortened the length of the bars on both sides of the seat.

[Schrecken]

Also the shape of the restraint (the part that contacts your legs) isn't quite what it should be - it should be shaped to conform (rather like the B&M clamshell) to the rider's legs, and yes, I agree, be a bit closer to the waist. Seems like an obvious design flaw, but unfortunately it just seems to be a first-time mistake that, for some reason, wasn't caught. I guess I'm just lucky that they don't bother me as badly as they do some other people.

[netdvn]

I managed a Skyrush ride once a few weeks ago and didn't have a problem with the lap bars. While the ride pins you to the seat, I can definitely see why with the ride's extreme airtime and killer turns. Yes the ride pins you to the seat and its not the comfiest feeling in the world, but it was nowhere near as bad as Cheetah Hunt's leg crushing harnesses.

 

Skyrush still managed to scrape my number one favorite coaster spot. I'm definitely looking forward to heading back up to Hershey to try Skyrush again next year.

[Schotcher]

Heading to Hershey this Saturday. Anyone have any tips to avoid the lines? I know to head to the back of the park first- but so do the GP thanks to this week's "Tuesday Tip". I'm looking for any extra pointers, anything at all; seeing as it's supposed to storm/rain every day from now until Saturday (Saturday is supposed to be sunny), I can't (or maybe I don't want to) imagine the crowds Saturday might bring. Thanks in advance!

[TyRush]

Nothing major comes to mind to add, there is however a concert on Saturday, so watch the crowds will pile the front of the park before the concert as they leave the park. I have no doubt you will get everything in though! As long as you follow that good old backwards plan you should be fine! If you are going with a family i recommend possibly going to a few shows they have throughout the day just to give you a slight break, but not sure how into that you are

[Schotcher]

There's a concert on Saturday? I thought they only had Sunday concerts.

[netdvn]

Just make a list of priority rides and make it a goal to hit those. Don't fret over missing smaller stuff. Fahrenheit tends to get the longest waits so hit that early. Skyrush's placement means that people like to concentrate over there. If the queue is half full, the wait is actually around 20-25 minutes. Not the hour wait that the attendant at the entrance says. Skyrush is pretty good with capacity though, so even a long line shouldn't be unbearable.

 

Like I said, Skyrush is an amazing ride if you can get over the stapling. Fahrenheit treated me pretty well too. Some people say it's rough, but it's really forceful (more than anything at Busch ) and fun. Great Bear has interesting forces in the first helix and like I said, it's glass smooth (maybe even smoother than Griffon). Most of the coasters have great capacity so lines shouldn't be too big of an issue.

 

- You're gonna have an awesome time.

[TyRush]

There's a concert on Saturday? I thought they only had Sunday concerts.

Yes it is a country concert, most of the concerts have been on Friday or Saturday. Don't worry the crowds, if there are, will move in masses, so go the opposite!

 

However, you might get a few drunkin' red necks