SkyRush Review
Best first drop ever?
I was selected as one of the 24 Jr. Researchers who participated in Project 2012. As a result, I was invited to HersheyPark on Friday, May 25th for a sneak preview of Skyrush the night before it was scheduled to open for the general public. Thanks to HersheyPark for putting on such an awesome event!
Shortly after 10pm we were lead up the new path to The Hollow section of the park and the into the ride’s station. I climbed into one of the middle seats in the last row. I have to admit I was a bit concerned about the restraints because I absolutely despise the lapbar component on Intamin’s looping coaster trains (found on Maverick, Fahrenheit among others). When I sat down I was pleasantly surprised to discover the new style lapbars are more akin to a B&M hyper coaster’s clamshell restraint – nice, comfortable, and extremely open!
Before I knew what was happening we were given the all clear and were flown out of the station and up the lift hill. I still can’t get over how fast the lift is – and I hesitate to even call it a lift, it’s that fast! (It’s not quite a launch either so maybe it’s something in-between- a lich!) Check out this video of our train departing the station to see what I mean:
Let me try and think of a few good adjectives to describe the experience of sitting in the last row going over the top of the hill: Whipped? Flung? Hurled? Pitched? Catapulted? All of the above? Either way, it was one of the best moments on a roller coaster I’ve ever had.
The ride flew by in a blur but I’ll try and recount it. Next up are two camelback hills with extreme airtime. The Stengel dive and following turn actually somewhat give you a chance to catch your breath after what you’ve just experienced. Then you’re up for two more extreme airtime moments, a quick turn and the last hop up into the brakes. I arrived in the station completely flummoxed at what had just occurred. Did I just ride one of the best coasters in America?
Unfortunately, I only got to ride once and never experienced the ride in one of the unique outer “winged” seats but I can only imagine these would only enhance the ride in the daylight. Overall, I thought Skyrush combined the elements of the best coaster designers in the world- the comfort of a B&M hyper coaster with the extreme ejector airtime of an Intamin mega coaster. I’d say HersheyPark has a real winner on their hands and expect long lines throughout the summer.
Another interesting observation: there is a road that runs behind the park connected to a small gravel parking lot (where I was able to take some of the pictures). On Saturday evening there were probably about 15 cars parked there and a large group of people just watching the coaster from outside of the park. I had never seen a crowd gather outside a park to watch a coaster like that before!
Visit our Facebook page for more pictures of Skyrush! How does Skyrush stand up to other new for 2012 coasters like Wild Eagle? Find out what I think in my Leviathan review.
Rode Skyrush yesterday, June 4. The ride itself is fun, not a great one. The restraint system is another story. The total “experience” was not good due to the pain inflicted on your thighs each time you crested a hill, as your thighs are pressed into the very hard restraint. This continues with every twist and turn. 2 of our kids had bruised thighs and mine were killing me throughout the entire ride. I love coasters and ride all of Hershey’s as much as possible, but I won’t be getting back on Skyrush. Consensus from our group of 8 was it’s a fun ride, but coasters are not supposed to be painful, they are supposed to be fun.
Nice ride, total miss on the restraint system.
Thanks for the comment Steve. What seats did you sit in- the regular inner seats or the outer winged seats? It seems there are only two types of opinion about this ride: either you love it and think it’s a top five ride or you hate the restraint because it caused you thigh pain.
I rode SkyRush this past Sunday night. I was in the second row, outside wing seat to the right and I am of normal size and weight. I experienced so much pain from the restraint system that I can hardly recall anything about the ride except wanting it to be over and out of the restraint. It’s a real shame as I love coasters and looked so forward to this new addition at Hershey. I love the other coasters at the park but as the review above indicates a ride should be fun not painful. I spent Monday at the park walking and getting on and off other rides with difficulty from the bruises on my thighs. It is Wednesday and finally I’m getting back to some feeling of normalcy. Unless a change is made to the restraint system I for one will never again ride SkyRush and submit myself to that pain.
Thanks for the feedback Bob. Your comment makes meI really wish I had gotten to ride Skyrush more than once and in multiple seats. I’m beginning to think maybe the winged seats are where most of the riders experiencing discomfort are sitting. My wife and I both sat in middle seats and didn’t have a problem. I 100% agree a painful or even uncomfortable ride is not fun. My lone ride on the coaster was not the least bit uncomfortable. Was I just plain lucky or are there certain seats that are worse than others? What other factors could be at play here giving different riders such different experiences on the coaster?
Nick – my 24 year old daughter sat next to me in one of the middle seats. She did experience some discomfort but no where near the pain I felt.
The problem with the restraints is this (at least to the best of my ability to determine after riding twice – one middle seat and one winged seat): When you pull the lap bar close to you i the station you choose a comfortable fit for your self. If you want it a little tighter, you push down on it. Now when the ride starts, depending on what kind of coaster rider you are you either put your hands straight up in the air or grab the handle bars. The handle bars just happen to be on top of your lap restraint so as you come down the first big hill, if you are holding on you are also pushing your restraint down and creating a tighter fit. And on each hill you might make it a little tighter and a little tighter until you return to the station wondering if there is any blood flowing to your feet anymore at this point. They need to either lock the restraints in place at the station before departure or relocate the handle bars. I am fairly certain this is what is causing most people’s pain. In the meantime – hands up!
I hadn’t thought of that Jenn, thanks for the input. I rode with my hands up most of the way and experienced no pain. You could be onto something. After reading Bob’s latest comment I’m beginning to think it may be a combination of factors, such at which seat you sit in, how you ride, etc.
Thaks to everyone who has shared their own experience and observations. Please ask your friends and family about the ride. I’d love to hear more about what others thought.
Jenn, I think your ABSOLUTELY right. My 11 yr old daughter and 8 yr old son and myself just rode Thigh Crush today. Upon starting, the restraints weren’t that bad, but as the ride progresses, you feel like you’re in a vice getting tighter and tighter. By the end of the ride, you really can’t feel your legs and the pain is unbearable. My daughter was screaming the whole time to get off because of the pain, not because she was scared and was all out bawling by the time the ride ended. Now, however, my son was on the outer left wing (I think we were the third row from the back) and he did not experience much pain. I myself being on the inner seat with my daughter was also in much pain and couldn’t wait for the ride to stop and get off.
After the ride I was telling everyone in line not to ride it because your legs are going to get crushed!
I think as you are moving up and down with the ride, the restraint somehow tightens its grip on you to stop moving. We did report this to Guest Services and didn’t seem to be the only ones with this complaint.
I think the restraints are designed the way they are now due to the winged Floorless seating. If the cars were standard 4 across with floors they could have used what is generally accepted by coaster enthusiasts as Intamin’s best restraint design: the lap bars found on Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point (the only iteration of that particular design I believe – so why did they quit using it?)
I totally agree with everyone complaining about the restraints, I was seated second from the back on the edge and experienced an incredibly amount of pain. It wasn’t even just the pain at my thighs, I felt like I had to fight with my entire upper body just to stay upright. My girlfriend’s head slipped off the back of the seat and she got a really bad case of whiplash. It’s like the people who built the trains didn’t know what kind of ride they were building them for.
I think just how much pain you experience depends entirely on how you ride, my brother found that by leaning forward into the turns he didn’t feel nearly as much pain. Either way, it needs to be fixed. Extremely disappointing, this is the first time Hershey has let me down.
My husband and I rode this yesterday (June 9). The ride was a blast, but we too did not care for the restraint system. Neither of us felt any pain or discomfort (I sat in the middle and he sat in a winged seat), but I would have preferred a chest restraint. The coaster reached a max speed of 75 mph and I felt like I was going to fly out face first because there was no support to the upper part of the body.
I rode Skyrush today before I left the park and honestly it was one of the only coasters I’ve hated. The rides layout has so much potential with the insane airtime it has, but the restraints are horrible. And for me it wasn’t a matter of simply the restraint tightening (which it got uncomfortably tight by the end). It hurt right on the first drop. I really dont remember anything of the ride after the first drop because I was spent the ride trying to keep myself down in the seat to prevent the horrible pain, as well as trying to keep myself upright. This is the only coaster I’ve ever felt unsafe on. My upper body was getting thrown everywhere and I was honestly terrified I was going to come out of the seat all together due to the only part of the restraint that was in contact with my body was the 2 inches of hard padding on the bone of my thighs. Someone needs to try and figure out another form of restraint that covers more of the body. I understand the feeling of being “free” but im not willing to give up comfort and the feeling of safety for freedom. I’m very much into roller coasters and I’ve been all over the country riding them and I’ve never experienced this level of discomfort.
I strongly agree with all the other reviews! My friends and I, all avid thrill seekers, went to Hersheypark yesterday to ride Skyrush (also affectionately referred to as ThighCrush) and could not have been more disappointed. I rode it twice: once in the left-winged seat at the front of the train and once in the middle-right seat at the back of the train. The ride experience did not change based on where I sat, and always ended with thigh pain. Changes need to be made to the restraint system. The air time would have been glorious, had the restraints not started digging into my thighs.
The turns look really cool when you’re watching them from the ground, but the intense lateral G’s you experience while riding causes your head to knock around and even come off the headrest. I do not have any bruises, but have never ridden a ride quite so painful. (SIDENOTE: I love getting thrown around on wooden roller coasters and enjoyed all three of Hershey’s woodies, but the turns on Skyrush were worse than those on any coaster I have ever ridden.)
I really wish Hersheypark had went with Intamin’s typical megacoaster trains, like the ones on Bizarro at Six Flags New England. The restraints on those trains were extremely comfortable and my head wasn’t knocked around nearly as much. To be honest, I didn’t even really notice I was hanging over the track — I just wanted the ride to be over. Don’t get me wrong, I really want to like Skyrush, especially with its incredible first drop, but after the ride experiences I’ve had, Skyrush remains to impress me.
Wow, it’s looking more and more like I am in the minority and was just exceptionally lucky in experiencing a pain free ride. Which is really disappointing because it is such an awesome ride when you’re not worried about your legs getting crushed. Thanks for your comments everyone. Anybody besides me have a painless ride on Skyrush?
I rode Skyrush yeterday June 13 2012. They should call this coaster pain rush!! There is no padding whatsoever and as a result every turn and hill sends a shot of pain to your thighs. At the end of the ride all I could hear from everyone on the ride was how much their legs hurt and that they will have black and blue marks the next day. Only an idiot would ride this twice!!! Every person that I saw getting off the ride seemed like they were hurting to even walk. I figured out why when the ride was over.
Well, it looks as if everyone on here is right on par with my experience with SkyRush today. First off, it broke down multiple times while we waited in line, they had to take a train off since the restraints were not working correctly. After the 90 minutes of total waiting, my wife and I enjoyed going up the lift and down the first hill, but after that it was all pain from there. As mentioned by someone else, at the crest of the hills when you usually have some air time, it was complete pain. I feared every hill for each time it kept hurting more and more. I will not ride it again unless they fix the restraints or bring in new coasters.
Intamin needs to fix their failed design and also have their engineers on site since the ride doesn’t seem to work.
I LOVE roller coasters and ride them all the time, it’s just the sky rush (thigh crush)!
Hi! It’s strange that I did not feel much pain whilst riding Skyrush. I had my hands on the handlebars the whole time since I’m quite young and I hadn’t ridden a large coaster like this before. I used to ride small coasters like Superdooperlooper before since I was so young. I sat on the winged seat at the 3rd or 4th row.
The restraints did move (Lap bar bouncing up and down during the hills, especially the last hill with amazing airtime. It did bump my thighs, but it did not squeeze them. It might have to do with height or weight (I’m 5’2 and fairly young). I’d totally ride it again like that. But if they have to change the restraints because of this, they can do whatever they want to it.
Those who are demanding OTSRs for Skyrush should remember that the OTS part of the restraint doesn’t actually aid in keeping you in side your seat: Your shoulders never hit the top of the restraint. Instead, the OTSRs just hold down your thighs, like Skyrush does. So the OTSRs won’t make the ride safer (note, by the way, that Skyrush has been operating for over two weeks, and out of the thousands who’ve ridden, no one has fallen out, suggesting that this purported safety issue isn’t legit).
Indeed, the restraints were kind of uncomfortable, but people are speaking in hyperbole when they say it caused them “horrendous pain.” When pain is “extremely unpleasant, horrifying, or terrible” (by definition) then people go to the hospital. No one went to the hospital. Let us all calm down a bit.
Indeed, Hershey may want to reconsider their choice of level of “freedom:” the curves after the Stengel seem to throw the torsos of the outside riders around quite a bit. But Hershey also warns riders that Skyrush is a “very active ride,” which is true.
So while I think we can all agree that the restraints leave something to be desired, claims of “horrendous pain” and “worst ride ever” because of this seem overblown.
Ron wrote: “Only an idiot would ride this twice!!” Um… thanks Ron, but I rode the ride 3 times, every time in the back seat, and I’m not an idiot.
I have to disagree with John about the definition of “horrendous” pain and going to the hospital. I rode SkyRush first thing during my preview visit on Sunday night, June 3rd. I was in extreme pain throughout the ride – each hill brought more pain and as I waited for the next train to load just prayed to get off. The rest of that evening I limped around the park as I did the following day. Over the next week and a half I had issues walking, sitting, getting up and down and even sleeping due to pain in my thighs. Finally by Friday, June 15th my legs were more or less back to normal. I love rollercoasters and have annually visited HersheyPark enjoying the various other coasters. Whether it was the restraint itself, the way it fitted on my thighs or something else the pain was real. In fact I find it hard to believe anyone doesn’t feel it. All I know is a highly anticipated ride was a disappointment to me and one I will unfortunately never get on again.
Bob-
Maybe since I’m younger I perhaps recovered more quickly or have less concern about the discomfort I felt while riding? Also, note that few are saying that the restraint was perfectly comfortable; it seems most say it was at least not comfortable, where the extent to which it was uncomfortable remains up in the air.
It also seems a little melodramatic to say, “painful once; I’ll never ride again,” though, again, I concede that my perception of your statement may be driven by my (possibly naive) youthful exuberance.
Also, it may be difficult to know whether Skyrush was primarily responsible for your persistent pain, or whether your body wasn’t in good shape before Skyrush and Skyrush just exacerbated things.
Well i’m both youthful and exuberant and I finely experienced discomfort i’ve never felt on another coaster. And I ride a lot of coasters. I agree it was certainly not hospital worthy pain, and therefore perhaps not dangerous enough to warrant a shut down by the park, but still it’s worth posting about. People deserve to know what they might be in for with a description that says more than the fact that it’s an active ride. I really want Skyrush to be great. I in fact gave it another shot again tonight, even though my lower legs had lost almost all feeling the last time I sat waiting to get off. This time I pulled up on the hand grabs the whole time and made a point of leaving myself a little slack room when I pulled down my lap bar. It want nearly as bad (and the back seat did have amazing air effects). Use your better judgment when riding, that’s all. Tonight I watched a bitty little 11 or 12 year old get off and vehemently start rubbing her thighs and liking upset. It has nothing to do with size or age, I think everyone has a chance of having a painful ride experience.
John, I’m sure you are right about being younger (I’m 59) but I’m in decent shape for an “old guy” with no previous leg problems. I love and ride coasters any chance I get from Kings Dominion to Six Flags Great Adventure to Cedar Point and have never had an issue – I’ve loved them all. This was a disappointing experience more than anything – it was the first ride we went to and the reason for our visit. My daughter experienced some discomfort but my son and son in law were okay. So it could be the seat I was in (second row right wing seat), the way my restraint was situated on my thighs or just bad luck on my part but it was unpleasant. As far as being melodramatic – truth is unless they change the restraints I won’t take the chance of two weeks of painful leg bruises. I hope you continue to enjoy the ride but I wanted others to know the possibilities…
I agree John, my 9 year old daughter and I went over last night and rode the Skyrush 3 times. Yes, the restraints were very tight on the thighs and yes I would agree there was some discomfort. But the pain was not “horrendous” and to be honest I didn’t mind it because I knew there was no way my daughter was going to fly out. You were strapped in and not going anywhere. Overall we loved it. Can’t wait for a quiet night and small lines so we can ride the front seat and not in the middle.
I rode Skyrush for the first time the evening of June 16th, and loved the ride! I waited for the front row, which easily doubled my wait time, but riding in the front, and in a wing seat, made it worth it! My sister and I were so pumped getting off the ride!
Having said that, I agree with all those in this thread talking about the thigh pain, as I experienced it too. In fact, it was probably the most uncomfortable ride on a coaster I’ve had in regard to thigh pain (even more than Magnum), and I went from riding hands up early in the ride (as is my custom), to holding on to the bar at the end to allieviate the pressure on my legs going over the airtime hills.
So while I still massively enjoyed the ride, and would definitely ride it again, I also am disappointed in the current restraint situtation, and hope they can come up with something a little more comfortable in the future, as they have all the makings of a great coaster with SkyRush, thigh pain excepted!
So i went on the Sky Rush soo excited imean even the mall has posters about sky rush.. Anyways I love how it first starts out the speed of getting to the top. Wen i first sat in it i was like wow is it legal to be this free lol .. But it does hurt, every time it twist n turns n drop it puts preassure against ur thighs. By the time it ended i was like o well maybe i pushed It too far against my thigh. So i went on it a second time and left a small space between. Omg it hurt even more !! By the end of the ride it tightend on its own and was cutting off my blood flow i cudent feel my legs. Ive been on a roller coaster that had a system like this called Nitro in six flags and no pain at all! Love it. Im sad to say that i will never go on the sky rush again unless they change the seats.. 🙁
Glad I’m not the only one who had a positive experience on Skyrush but the responses are still overwhelmingly negative regarding the restraints. The good news is we know Hersheypark is willing to make changes. For example, they’ve already removed the rotating storage bins in the station because they were causing too much confusion and delaying dispatch times. i’m sure they are examining all possible solutions.
It’s worth noting that the sample we see here is a “censored” one because only those who had a “strong” enough response to Skyrush will post here, so we’ll only get the people who “really hated” or “really loved” it. It’s possible that those who “really love” it have less incentive to post here.
That is a terrific point, John. If I had not had such a terribly painful experience I would never had googled “SkyRush” and “Pain” to see if anyone else was also finding the ride painful and in the process find this site. Obviously my experience was of sufficient unpleasantness to go to that length and to also want to share my experience (warn?) others.
If this is sarcasm, it’s not appreciated.
Not sarcasm at all – I agree completely that only those with very negative (like myself) or very positive experiences will look to post here. Sorry you took it as such.
My bad!! Sorry!!!
I actually hit my head on the seat next to me at the bottom on the first turn! I’m 5’8″ so I’m not super tall or anything- I was sitting on the right-“wing.” I spent the rest of the ride focusing on holding my upper body upright that I didn’t get to enjoy the ride. Two days later and my forehead is still sore 🙁
Worst ride of my life. I sat on a winged seat and as the ride continued, the tighter it got.
My legs are black and blue from the restraint system. I was in tears by the end of the ride. My dad was next to me and didn’t have that much of a problem. Maybe a size issue? Although I would consider myself as a normal size. All in all I want this ride taken down, or at least shut down until the restraint system is redesigned. Roller coasters are supposed to be fun.. not painful
“I want this ride taken down?”
Um… I want this ride to continue to operate because it’s thrilling and fun….(??) Please don’t suppose as to impose your (idiosyncratic) preferences on us. If you don’t like it, don’t ride it, but saying something like “SHUT IT DOWN” is a bit extreme….
I have to agree with the majority of people on this site. I am a huge coaster enthusiast. Been to Six Flags, Cedar Point, etc. and rode other coasters just like this one. However, I didn’t have bruises on the others. I remember the Coaster at Six Flags being so smooth and it felt like you were flying. The SkyRush was nothing like that for me. It was tight to begin with….after the first hill I was wincing the whole ride….ready for it to be over. I should have bought my picture because it was obvious that it was a painful face I was making. Trust me, I would love to love this coaster, but I definitely can’t say that especially after having 4×4 in. bruises on my thighs!!!
The restraints weren’t too painful too me, but they were definitely uncomfortable. Hersheypark has announced that they are aware of the discomfort and are working on a comfier (or at least not painful) restraint system.
I rode skyrush yesterday and loved it! None of the people i rode with had any pain because of the ride. It must just be how you ride, how big you are, and how tight is on you. This is a ride you dont want to miss. It is scary at first and then totally exhilerating. You have to try it.
I rode it a few weeks ago. It is in my top 5 ever! One of the best rushes of any coaster of my life (up there with my first times on Magnum, Millennium Force, and The Beast). I rode it twice in the same seat. I felt some pain the first time, but the second time I didn’t. The reason is, I situated the restraint higher on my thighs the second time but sitting forward from the seat back just a little. This put the restraint at a more comfortable spot on my leg, and I had no pain. The closer to your knee it sits, the more pain there is. The closer to your hips, the less pain. How tight it is should not have much effect.
I’m 5′ 7″ 150 lbs, young, pretty athletic, and a huge coaster enthusiast. I rode SkyRush today from a left-wing seat in the rear of the train and experienced incredible thigh pain. I rode with my hands up through the first drop and airtime, but spent the rest of the ride with my hands welded to the lapbar trying to keep my thighs from digging into the bar at absolutely every bump, turn, and drop. Honestly, of myself and the six other people I went with today, only two did not find the experience extremely uncomfortable. We actually ended the ride talking about nothing else – not the fantastic first drop or excellent negative Gs – only the bruises on our thighs.
Additionally, from the wing seats, your torso is able to move around significantly, and the center seat’s tube steel backing support is both easily reachable for your arms or (more worryingly) head, and entirely unpadded. Someone with less torso strength could easily suffer a massive impact to the bar. It is honestly the only time that I have ever felt injury was possible while riding a roller coaster. Either way, we chose not to ride it again, unlike all of the park’s other offerings.
Okay, I’m just gonna be sassy and say that there is absolutely no reason for anyone to get hurt on this ride if they know HOW to ride a roller coaster properly. I’ve been on it a bunch of times and haven’t experienced any terrible discomfort.
Any good ride op knows not to push down a lap bar unless it’s not touching the rider, so it’s really up to you how tight you make it. (Gravity will make it tighter as the ride moves, but a good coaster rider will consider that.) I will admit that, yes, the lap bars are tight, but what do you want? Pillows? Anything this extreme practically justifies slight discomfort for safety. (And over-the-shoulder harnesses would be a sin.)
And about people hitting their heads off of seats, that shouldn’t happen if you’re holding on. If your hands are up and you hurt yourself, that’s on you. (Really, it is. The park says that you must hold on at all times, meaning that when you get hurt and they find out you weren’t holding on, they’re not responsible.)
Okay, but enough about that. Skyrush is great, easily the best coaster in the park. The airtime is intense and speed doesn’t let up until the end. Plus, it’s position over the creek makes it a gorgeous view, both on and off the ride. It also seems to have really short lines in the afternoons on weekdays. I guess people would rather be in the water park than standing around. Fine by me.
I am a season pass holder at HersheyPark and I personally very much enjoy the coaster and hated the restraints but after not giving up on the coaster they have changed the restraint systems and they are much more comfortable almost like a “memory foam” feel to them. No bruises any more and the ride is much more enjoyable. Hope this makes you reconsider your thoughts on the ride. and give it another chance.
I just rode SkyRush(ThighCrush) this weekend. We were a group of 8, 4 children(8,9,9,girls and 12 boy) and 2 men and 2 woman. This was the first coaster that actually got me nauseous-but it could have been from the root beer float I had drank right before the ride. The restraints are uncomfortable the 3 girls were complaining as we were waiting to disembark about how tight it was on the thighs. I felt like I would fly out at any given second and it definetly got tighter as the ride progressed. I probably won’t ride it again…but my husband and daughter said they are willing to give it another shot. You have to experience it once.
I would have to concur with the numerous comments about the restraints. On my first ride, before leaving the loading area, I actually felt that the restraint wasn’t tight enough and the person conducting the safety checks tightened it up a bit; I experienced no discomfort whatsoever. However, on my second ride, the person conducting the safety checks – a different individual – slammed my lap bar down as hard as she could. As a result I was in agony throughout the ride, with the restraint digging into my thighs on every drop and turn. Someone mentioned a potential problem with the wing seats; on the first side I sat in the second row right wing seat and on the second ride sat in the front row right wing seat. So it isn’t necessarily the wing seats; it’s more a matter of how forcefully the restraints, which are to some extent adjustable, are positioned. Other than that it was one of the best coasters I’ve ever ridden and I’ve ridden some good ones – e.g., Millennium Force, Bizarro at Six Flags New England, Apollo’s Chariot, Nitro, etc. When I initially reviewed Skyrush on my blog I gave it 5 out of 5 stars but because of the issue with the restraints, changed my mind and knocked it down to 4 1/2.
7/19/12…4pm…Front left wing seat. 60 minute wait time. Head was thrown off edge of seat 2 times on the left 1 time on the right. 1st time was jammed for too long and caused extremely painful case of Whiplash! Now under the care of a doctor! Complaint in progress bt the park and I. Awful idea as far as the lack of upper body restraints! What were they thinking?? As I sit here in pain I urge all of you that have been injured in some way to report it to the park. If enough people call maybe we can prevent someone being permanently injured.
Oh calm down. They warn that the ride is “a very active ride,” which it is. OSTRs are not a good response (head banging!), and seats that are more restrictive tend not to accommodate large guests. Costs / benefit. Also __way__ less fun or thrilling if more restrictive.
I rode this before the restraints were modified, and it was fine. I bit uncomfortable, but the wildest and most thrilling ride on which I’ve ever been.
Oh and James….I have been on many a coaster with maybe just a few bruises (Storm Runner, BECAUSE I WAS HOLDING ON AS INSTRUCTED)…as was I on SkyRush. WIth the lack of upper body support..the slightest jerk coupled with those forces obviously has caused many people injuries. If you follow riding instructions..AS I WAS DOING..and you’re still injured, THAT is certainly on the park.
Went on Sky Rush with seven others and ALL complained of thigh pain, lower back pain and headache…
I am scared to ride skyrush or the name that makes my scared, (thigh crush) I don’t know if I should ride it.
You should ride it. It’s life changing in the way that Kingda Ka is life changing.
Besides –– what’s the worst case? Your thighs hurt afterward?
I previously posted a comment but wanted to check on a copywright issue. Teresa’s problem with Skyrush is somewhat different from the others’ and the park is apparently aware of her complaint. The problem about which most have complained is discomfort/pain from the tightness of the restraints on the legs. I would imagine that by now the park is aware of this but as this website is copyrighted, do I have permission to send this chain of comments to Hershey Park? I don’t know how much good it would do insofar as this coaster cost a bundle of money to build and modifications might prove too costly, but there’s strength in numbers. And it can’t hurt; if too many people experience this level of discomfort, Skyrush will have low ridership and may end up going the way of Hercules at Dorney Park.
So Skyrush… I’ve ridden this now with the extra-padding restraints and the original, more bare restraints. And I can still say this a top 3 coaster for me. Ejector airtime is insane, the first drop feels like it’s trying to buck you out, the Stengel sends you whipping- it’s amazing. Skyrush is the most raw, feisty coaster I have ever ridden, and the only rides that compete with it are Millennium, I305, and El Toro. row is certainly the way to go. What other coaster gives you airtime on the lift hill?
The only time it was Thigh-Crush for me was waiting on the brakes the first time I rode it. I rode the first time on June 4, 10 days after it opened. Herhsey Ride Ops are not the world’s greatest, and they especially didn’t have their act together that day. I sat on the brakes for 3-4 minutes, waiting for the stupidly-designed station to finally empty before the ops could muster the energy to check. Those waiting minutes were painful, but not horrific. I rode both times that day in back right wing. My friend on the left wing had “horrible pain”- I did not have that.
I think the pain during the ride is a combination of pulling on the bars and ridiculous airtime. That final airtime hill threw me so high it hurt. Overall, the pain varies from rider to rider. I certainly enjoyed my rides and eagerly await for my next opportunity to submit to the insane Skyrush
Samuel – You’ve got to ride it at least once!
Bobbie – The park is well aware of the issues with the ride. As a temporary fix, they have already modified the restraints this year and added more padding. I expect them to make even more radical changes this offseason when they have the time to perfect the design.
Most horrific and painful ride ever!! My 14 yr old daughter, who weighs about 100 lbs, was on the right outside and I was on the inside next to her. I’m a little on the larger side, and that lap restraint was very painful. I have bruises to prove it. I was whipped around so much, with nothing to keep my upper body in place, that it threw out my back. My daughter’s upper body was tossed around like a rag doll so much, that at one point, her head smacked against the outside frame of the too-small headrest, giving her a rather large bump on the back of her head, along with neck pain!! When we looked at the photos taken on the ride, you can see her head is so far to the left, and there was nothing supporting her upper body. In so many of the photos, you can see people’s bodies just flying every which way. In my opinion, this coaster is a disaster waiting to happen and I’ll never ride it again.
I rode Skyrush back in July with a friend of mine. I’m a 22 year old girl, slightly built, and my friend is a full foot taller than me. As I recall, he and I sat dead-center of the car, and we were fine until the train started moving. Don’t get me wrong, the ride itself was excellent, but the restraints were completely horrible. I’ve a roller coaster nut, and I haven’t been that battered around since Apalengeist (sp?) in Busch Gardens a few years back. I got bruises on my legs and so did my friend. I told my current boyfriend that I will not go back on Skyrush until the restraints are either padded or redone so that it’s the standard over-the-shoulder harness.
Went on it 6 times in three days. Had my 13 year old daughter and 10 year old son with me. The coaster is off the charts. Fast and FUN!!!!!!
I have visited Hershey Park twice this year and have ridden Skyrush a total of 12 times. I have to say, absolute best coaster ever. I have ridden in each seat multiple times, all but twice in the front car. The expierience cannot be explained. The very limited restraints gives you a very unsure feeling of safety. The lift hill is fast. Not so fast that you don’t realize how high you are, but fast enough to cut out the B.S. of the roller coaster. You do get airtime on the lift hill. And then plummet 200′ to the earth with seats that push you forward, creating a feeling of complete free fall. The track catches you at the bottom and sends you around a short banked right hander. And before you know it it’s over. Tears in your eyes from 75+mph wind and your body in total shock. The best car has to be the front. If planned right right or with the early entry you get from staying at the Highmeadow campground and cabins orthe Hershey Lodge this car is easily available. GO! RIDE! Thank you Intamin
Since first posting a comment on Skyrush, I have ridden it 11 more times and found that the comfort of the restraints varies considerably from seat to seat. The seat that gave me the most trouble when I first rode this coaster back in June – the right front wing seat – gave me only minimal discomfort this time around. I was there for a Travel Channel shoot and that’s how I got in so many rides. The crew wanted us to stay in the same seats for several consecutive rides and that was fine with me, but when I switched to the 2nd row left wing seat I was in agony. In fact, while I managed to stick it out for 11 rides, several of the other ACE members participating in the shoot had to quit after half a dozen rides due to the painfulness of the restraints. This is a great coaster – the most intense one I have ever ridden – but I can’t see it ever making a top ten list unless the restraints on all seats are modified to the extent of being painless. Of course tight restraints are essential on a ride like this but I agree with someone else’s suggestion that a harness might be the way to go. At least it would avoid the thigh-crunching.
I rode skyrush Twice both times I did not enjoy the ride. I am a coaster enthusiast and this was only the 2nd new coaster i rode that disappointed me. The ride restraints staple as the ride goes getting tighter and tighter. I rode in the winged seats and the inside seat. Im pretty skinny and was thrown around like a rag doll. This combined with the way employees at hershey treated us will never return to that park. The restraints need to be redone.
The ride is very exciting , but the restraints need to be upgraded. I sat on the outside and my upper body and head flew out to the side 1 foot past the head rest. maybe some upper body support will help improve the ride for some! Not sure if I will ride again.
I have a mixed feeling about SkyRush, The lap bar must have been improved because I experienced absolutely no thigh/leg pain whatsoever. However, I feel that the headrest should be at least as wide as the metal support behind it. My head bounced on and off of the headrest several times during this ride, and at least some of those times came into contact with the metal seat support behind the headrest, and at other times it was hitting the edge of the not so forgiving headrest itself. This led to a feeling of being tapped on the back of the head by a tiny hammer a half a dozen times, and 2 days later I still have a tender spot on the back of my head. Painful? A little, but definitely an uncomfortable and annoying feeling. As far as people saying that they held on to alleviate pain, well this may be part of the reason, but in my opinion and from my experience, this coaster makes you want to hold on! It does a really good job of presenting the illusion that you could be thrown from this ride if you don’t hang on for dear life! Lots of airtime and zero G’s make you feel as if your rear end is not in contact with the seat , and turns whipping wildly from one direction to the other at least make you feel like this beast wants you off of it! This is what I loved most about SkyRush, it instilled some level of actual fear into me, and that doesn’t happen easily. The whipping action certainly compounds the lack of a significant headrest IMO, but I will just lean forward next time around. 4.5 easily, and a 5 if my head doesn’t get dinged up next time. Enjoy!
I recently rode the skyrush the other day with my boyfriend! It was the first ride that we rode bc the park was dead and no wait time to get on! I ended up sitting on the winged seat and my boyfriend said in the middle. As we started going up the hill I was thinking oh this won’t be that bad! Instantly as the coaster went downhill I was in pain from the lab bar pressing on my legs! Worst ride of my life! I felt like I was going to fly out of my seat the whole entire time! After getting off the ride my legs were pretty sore and through out the rest of the night I figure they were just sore from walking. When I woke up the next morning I had horrific bruises not only on the front of my legs but also the back! I’m talking about dollar size bruises too nothing little and they were a deep purple color!
Great exhilarating ride and no complaints whatsoever of the lap restraints. Hershey is a great park and this is another thrilling ride they have aded.Most of the people complaining about the restraints causing pain are just being babies and probably complain about everything else in their life too. Its a freaking roller coaster, its not going to be some luxury seat that is 100% comfort. Accept it for what it is, enjoy the hell out of it and quit whining about it.