rcjp Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Skyrush. Cool ride. The restraints are problematic. It's clear the general public doesn't like the ride, basically the only ongoing common negative comments I heard all day regarding coasters from the GP were for this ride, complaining about leg pain. I don't really know how to feel about this. On one hand I want the park to realize (as if they already hadn't) the restraint problem but, on the other hand, I feel sorry that such a great ride doesn't get the love it deserves because of its crappy restraints and I'm kind of afraid that this is viewed as: People don't like it because it's too intense" and not because of its real problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahecht Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 The tri-county regional planning commission, and by extension the Dauphin County planning commission, are real entities. It is perfectly reasonable that they'd have their own website. Here are some regional planning commissions near me: http://www.cmrpc.org http://mvpc.org http://www.pvpc.org Notice that all have acronym.org web addresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seasonic Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I understand the concern about lightning but I have never seen a park close down all coasters and basically all the other significant rides too just because of rain. This was also maddening. It was also inconsistent -- some coasters would shut down immediately, others would keep running for a bit, some would open a bit earlier, some later, and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason except possibly just which ones had operators there more quickly than others. I could see people who weren't willing to wait out that 150 minutes of rain being pretty irritated... if you had young kids in your group, that period would be impossible. Sooperdooperlooper. Semi historic, and I love Schwarzkopf coasters, but I agree with others when they say that the design is kind of boring. Worth a couple of rides. I am a bit familiar with Hersheypark's weather plan from working there before, so I will try to elaborate. Generally speaking when lightning is within 15 miles the water park closes. Once it is in 5-10 miles larger rides (roller coasters, ferris wheel, log flume, etc) will close. Once the storm is actually there, heavy rain can close non-covered rides, and if the storm is really bad (lightning over head, hail, tornado warning, strong winds, etc) possibly all rides will be closed. Once the storm begins to pass, rides that were closed due to the wind or heavy rain should reopen, while management would have to wait for the lightning to be far enough away. If the storm was really bad, rides might need to be checked out by maintenance for any debris, which would take the ride longer to reopen. All the rides are put in 'phases' as to when they are closed for weather. Management who are a National Weather Service SkyWarn Certified Storm Spotter use various weather radars, and lightning detection systems to make the calls. These are then pushed out to all the rides, but that can take some time. The whole complex is StormReady by the National Weather Service, so they take it very seriously. Some requirements to close are set by the manufacturer, such as temperature and wind speeds. As for just rain, Skyrush, Storm Runner, and Cocoa Cruiser all close. The first two due to the speed of the attractions, the second due to ride issues. Some other rides are known to close for extended rain showers, such as their mini himalaya, mini pirate, ladybug, teacups, and pirate. Looper was a big deal in 1977, a single loop was great then. The ride didn't need anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramstad Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Skyrush. Cool ride. The restraints are problematic. It's clear the general public doesn't like the ride, basically the only ongoing common negative comments I heard all day regarding coasters from the GP were for this ride, complaining about leg pain. I don't really know how to feel about this. On one hand I want the park to realize (as if they already hadn't) the restraint problem but, on the other hand, I feel sorry that such a great ride doesn't get the love it deserves because of its crappy restraints and I'm kind of afraid that this is viewed as: People don't like it because it's too intense" and not because of its real problem. Yeah, I think I feel the same way you do. The ride itself is pretty awesome but the memory of how awesome it is gets lost when you are rolling into the station with your thighs aching. You stagger out of the station and the marks on your legs make you not want to ride again. By 2 PM there was essentially no line for this ride. Honestly though I don't know how you fix it. Obviously over the shoulder restraints would be impossible, you'd be trading one problem for another. The negative G forces are so high that any kind of traditional lap bar wouldn't work, either. It's almost like you'd need to create something that would allow the rider to float upwards while still being secure in the seat, top and bottom. I suppose it's possible that with just a quarter inch or so of flex in the restraint that you'd be OK, or maybe put a few laminated layers of different densities of foam? That said, the current "staple to the seat" that you get at the bottom of the first drop is going to happen as long as they have an open ratchet type of situation with the individual bars, and I think that's the crux of the problem... some of my rides were less painful than others and I think that must have had to do with how tightly the restraints clicked on that first swoop. It's kind of ridiculous, here it is Thursday, and my legs still hurt from riding Skyrush on Monday. Admittedly I probably rode it eight to ten times, but I rode Storm Runner probably twice that many times, and Great Bear probably the same number of times, with no ill effects... Skyrush. Great ride, poorly designed restraints. Possibly a fantastically great ride, potential for it to be top 25 or so ride, but the restraints just suck. BTW, I like rough and tumble rides, hence my kind words for Wildcat, I like SFMM Apocalypse, Knoebels Twister... but this wasn't rough and crazy, it was just painful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HersheyBearsDan Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I hope everyone complains about the restraints that way I can get more rides in. Personally I can't believe the restraint debate is still out there. Maybe they could modify it to have mind erasers restraints or maybe they could buy the original restraints from the flight of fear and put them on it. I'll enjoy the re-rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterGuy2000 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Maybe they could do something like this for the lap bar: It would be a two part system. Part one is a strap of soft foam similar to the vest on new B&Ms. This would allow for a little less then in inch of give. Then When fully extended there is a X-car style lap bar with even more padding. When experiencing negative Gs the belt will slowly extend and ten fall back down with you. No Idea if that would actually work though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devins3 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 When I rode Thunderbolt at Coney Island I thought that a restraint similar to that would be good for Skyrush. The restraint is on a swivel so it was always flat against your lap which made it have a lot surface area. The problem with Skyrush isn't the forces it is the surface area in which those forces are dispersed on your thigh. It doesn't really seem like it wwould be a hard fix,they could probably just modify the current restraint. That said the restraint really didn't bother me that much when I rode Skyrush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 When I rode Thunderbolt at Coney Island I thought that a restraint similar to that would be good for Skyrush. The restraint is on a swivel so it was always flat against your lap which made it have a lot surface area. The problem with Skyrush isn't the forces it is the surface area in which those forces are dispersed on your thigh. It doesn't really seem like it wwould be a hard fix,they could probably just modify the current restraint. This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 "The General Public doesn't like this ride"? Seriously? If the guests dislike Skyrush so much - why is it, then, that the ride always has a queue that's at least one-half full during the day? I would argue that it's the most popular coaster in the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netdvn Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Indoor Drop Tower could be a possibility. Probably something by Moser I saw this type of ride on Moser's brochure and they look fantastic. No. If it ends up anything like Mach Tower did, it'll give HP more headaches than it needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 "The General Public doesn't like this ride"? Seriously? If the guests dislike Skyrush so much - why is it, then, that the ride always has a queue that's at least one-half full during the day? I would argue that it's the most popular coaster in the park. because it's near the front of the park, and is almost the first coaster you come to? (particularly if you avoid the hill and go to the right, bringing you into the park under Skyrush's struts and out near the entrance to it). Otherwise, you just walk past Comet to get to the entrance. anyways, we were there during rainy days, so nothing really had lines, but Skyrush had NO line at all on either day we were there. Not Farenheit, and Storm Runner. . those both had decent queues despite the weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil009 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 "The General Public doesn't like this ride"? Seriously? If the guests dislike Skyrush so much - why is it, then, that the ride always has a queue that's at least one-half full during the day? I would argue that it's the most popular coaster in the park. It's hard to say, but it's true that the line typically becomes shorter than most of the other major coasters by the afternoon/evening (often even getting beat by Comet). It has a much higher capacity than either Fahrenheit or Stormrunner, but still, I think it should probably be more popular than it is given it's a hyper and it's only two years old. I think for a disproportionately large number of people it's a once and done, and that's largely due to the restraints. Getting better restraints would certainly be possible, Skyrush is going to be there for a long time and it's not at all uncommon for a coaster to have multiple types of restraints during its lifetime. However I would NOT be in favor of any OTSR, including those on I305. Having your upper body free is half of what makes this ride what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 However I would NOT be in favor of any OTSR, including those on I305. Having your upper body free is half of what makes this ride what it is. Neither would I. I would rather have them keeping these ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramstad Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 "The General Public doesn't like this ride"? Seriously? If the guests dislike Skyrush so much - why is it, then, that the ride always has a queue that's at least one-half full during the day? I would argue that it's the most popular coaster in the park. I'm going off one day experience but the Skyrush lines were non existent in the early afternoon (and I've heard this from others, so much so that it seems to be a common strategy talking point i.e. when arriving at the park, skip the front of the park, because the line for Skyrush dies out in the afternoon). "One half full queue" wasn't my experience -- it was a two to three train wait, the line went only halfway down the stairs, none of the queue was being used -- this was in the early afternoon, when in the AM, it had a substantial line. I suspect Great Bear is the most popular coaster in the park, or possibly Comet, given what I saw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 ^Great Bear seemed to be pretty popular given how long the line was for most of the day and its capacity (I would say it was slightly longer than skyrush during the afternoon). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterGuy2000 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I was thinking about the restraints again and then I realized they should just use the same style lap bar that's on the Phantom. I've ridden that thing so many times and never once did I think its airtime was painful.( I pretty sure the G forces are about the same) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankeeman311 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Me personally I rode Skyrush at least 10x in a row and I wasn't bothered by the restraints at all until the brake run. The violent airtime distracts me pretty well from the pressure on my legs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcoaster Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I'm headed to the park next weekend and i'm excited to see whats in store having not been there since 2009. I'm excited for SkyRush and despite all the negative comments I'm going in with great expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 ^The negative comments only concern the restraints. Overall I think it's a great ride (my no 3). Very intense and with unbelievable airtime, so it's more than fine to go with big expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcoaster Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 ^The negative comments only concern the restraints. Overall I think it's a great ride (my no 3). Very intense and with unbelievable airtime, so it's more than fine to go with big expectations. Okay cool, cause people complain just as much about El Toro's restraints and it doesn't take away from the experience. I just wanted to clarify that lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramstad Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I'm headed to the park next weekend and i'm excited to see whats in store having not been there since 2009. I'm excited for SkyRush and despite all the negative comments I'm going in with great expectations. It's a great park and Skyrush is a great ride -- the negative comments at least from my end are entirely about the restraints, the ride itself is excellent. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro1118 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 ^The negative comments only concern the restraints. Overall I think it's a great ride (my no 3). Very intense and with unbelievable airtime, so it's more than fine to go with big expectations. Okay cool, cause people complain just as much about El Toro's restraints and it doesn't take away from the experience. I just wanted to clarify that lol. The issue with Toro's restraints isn't comfort, it's the restrictions they place on bigger riders. Skyrush's restraints are way more uncomfortable due to the small surface area and where they position on the thigh. I still really liked Skyrush on my one lap back in 2012, but the restraints definitely did take my focus off an otherwise stellar experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramstad Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 ^ El Toro has some of the most comfortable restraints of any coaster I've been on anywhere, and the track is so smooth, you don't really notice them, even with the negative Gs. I hadn't read any complaint anywhere about El Toro's restraints until this comment in this thread... whereas Thigh Crush is legendary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElJosho Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Not to take the Hersheypark thread off on a complete El Toro tangent but I think I get the restraint thing. I'm not a twig, about 5'11" 215 but I don't know that I'm a big guy either, but I'd say that I've required ride op assistance to get the lap bar in position about 25 percent of the times I've ridden (always on the left side for some reason.) Out of those times, there have been a handful of times that the op has jammed it down far enough to make it uncomfortable. Otherwise, totally perfect and whatever, the ride's still awesome. And a quick note on Skyrush - I hadn't decided whether I liked riding with hands up, hands down, edge seat, middle seat, or what, but tried a combination I liked last night. Second to last row, far right seat, hands on restraints, feet in the air, euphoria. Maybe I'm three years late to the party and everyone knows this already but it was awesome. Tried the same thing but last row for the last ride of the night and didn't like it as much, like the negative g forces were turned up a tiny bit too high for maximum enjoyment at that point. But like El Toro, still awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Yeah, my favorite thing to do is legs out, hands up on all the hills. It is seriously one (err...four?) of the best things ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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