Skyrush — Attraction in Derry Township

If you want to enjoy Skyrush you need to be prepared to ride it properly. Make sure the lap bar goes all the way down as far as it can comfortably go so that it doesn't tighten on you during the ride. If you're tempted to leave room, don't, as this will just make the ride painful as the restraint crushes your legs. In addition, make sure the bar is resting on your hips snugly and not on top of your thighs. If you're in tight and snug and the bar feels like it's conforming to you're body, you're ready to let Skyrush fling you around like a ragdoll and enjoy it.

Though I didn't enjoy Skyrush as much as I'd hoped due to me being unprepared to ride it comfortably, I am going to give Skyrush 5 stars anyways out of pure respect to the coaster designers and this ride's fans. Skyrush is one of the most intense coasters I can think of, which is probably the reason Hershey built Candymonium 100 feet away: Skyrush isn't the crowdpleaser they probably hoped for, as it's just so aggressive and unhindered in its design.

The Airtime is absolutely insane. There's really only 5 or 6 moments, but it's more than enough. Skyrush is a very tall ride and almost the entire coaster is taken at low altitude and neat the water and banks of the creek. This means Skyrush is very fast paced. All of the Airtime is hugely powerful on the small, low altitude hills, and on the first two hills this ejector style airtime is sustained. It also has moments of aggressive twisting, such as the strengel dive and the twisted airtime hill. Plus it has plenty of strong positive g forces on the low to the ground (or water) turns that are all over the ride. This makes for a very intense ride with no dull moments, fast pacing, and a great sense of speed. It's also scenic, if you're able to pay attention, interacting with the terrain, the water, and the nearby Comet wooden coaster.

Skyrush is a perplexing ride created by circumstance. Hersheypark wanted its crowdpleasing hyper coaster before they had the land for it, and the small amount of land they did have made for a huge ride that doesn't have enough space to go high after the first drop, or have drawn out graceful elements, so what we're left with is the almost accidental most intense ride in the park, which was for sure no accident on the part of Intamin, who designed the ride.

This unexpected intensity is why I think Candymonium was built almost as soon as Hersheypark acquired enough land to the crowd pleasing hyper coaster they wanted in the first place, which leaves you with two hyper coasters in the same park. One for the average person or one who prefers less intense rides, and another for those who don't want their rides catered to a general audience and want to be flung around...

Skyrush always gets a bad reputation for its restraints. I don’t have a problem with them at all! The small contact point that it hits is painful, but if you ignore it the whole ride then you can appreciate how freeing the restraint really is. And when you hit the brakes, the operators tend to pop the restraint bar up by one notch to release most of your pain. This feels so good after experiencing one of the best coasters in the world! Aside from my rant, here’s my actual review. Skyrush starts off with basically the fastest lifthill in the world, and then shoots you down the huge drop. I rarely get the stomach dropping sensation, but I do on this ride! It hurdles you down the drop, and if you are in the back rows, it manages to then push you farther out of your seat. There is not another coaster with anything like this quirky and incredible drop. According to the ride forces app, it is 1.7 g’s. After that, you hit a bone crushing pullout at 4.5 g’s which WILL cause gray-outs. The airtime hill that follows gives forceful, sustained, ejector airtime at -1.15 g’s, and about two seconds! The following turnaround has a small rattle to it and is a little less strong than the previous elements. It goes into a one-second long ejector hill after that at -1 g’s. It transitions into a long turn and then surprise! Instead of an airtime hill, you experience an insanely whippy Stengel dive, giving all in left seats extreme lateral airtime. After that comes a small turn into a fast switchback with scary forces as it tries to rip you in half. The ride lets its foot off the gas then (which is a much needed break) and goes over a floaty airtime hill (-1 g’s) and then a turn into the brakes. If I’ve scared anyone, there’s no need to be afraid. No deaths have ever been recorded on Skyrush, and very few injuries have occurred. Skyrush is a perfect 10/10 in my opinion, and the restraints actually aren’t that bad. When I rate a ride, restraints, theming, and setting only can add to the ride experience. I hope that you ride Skyrush if you’re a thrill seeker, as this ride is on another level. Congratulations if you made it to the end...

Oh my god, where do I even begin. This is by far my all time favorite roller coaster I have ridden. Now that being said, I haven't been on many in my life, but I'd be surprised if no one agreed with me. Everything about this coaster is amazing. The drop is so much fun and the airtime on this ride is outstanding. You really whip over those hills and your feel like you are going to shoot out of your seat. There is even airtime during parts of the ride where you wouldn't expect airtime. There is this one overbook turn and you get some great hang time on that. Even the lift is is super fun. It just makes you soar to the skies. I guess that's why they call it Skyrush. Some people may complain about the restraints, saying they are too tight and that they give you a "thigh-crush". I agree the restraints are tight, but not painful by any means. Well....I personally had one experience where the restraints WERE painful. It happened while I was sitting in the left wing seat. There are a lot of banked turns that throw you out of your seat and that is when it starts to hurt. I recommend not sitting in the left wing seat. Other than that you should be fine. I have ridden this ride in the front and back and they both deliver amazing experiences. It is a shame that it is such a short ride, but it truly does pack a huge punch. This is one of those roller coasters, that you will never forget...