Hershey, Pennsylvania – Thursday, July 19th, 2012
It was getting late in the evening and I couldn't let Skyrush be the only coaster to beat me up that day.
Somehow, Sidewinder ended up being my first Vekoma Boomerang I ever rode back in 2002. I guess the only other one I had seen before was at Geauga Lake and it was closed then.
Sidewinder's catch car mechanism that makes the shuttle concept work.
The real reason I wanted to try Sidewinder was because I was curious to try out the new Vekoma trains with flexible restraint vest.
Would new restraints make this boomerang a more comfortable riding experience than Skyrush?
The only way to find out is to assume the proper hand placement...
Sidewinder getting pulled backwards up...
Going slow...
Going fast!
Sure. Yeah. It was better. Although I'd contend that the vest restraints offer a deceptive trade-off between less head banging and more lung collapsing and spine compressing.
So there. Two mixed reviews in a roll.
Ehh, Trailblazer, you don't get your own review. Seriously, it's such a lame mine train it couldn't even be bothered to decently look like a mine train.
This is about as close as Hersheypark gets to being chocolate themed.
The Boardwalk is still there, awkwardly bisecting the middle of the park...
Wild Mouse. Didn't ride it. Remember it being okay last time.
Wildcat, GCI's first roller coaster. Oddly specific wait time board.
Wildcat with its new(ish) Millennium Flyer train.
I'm guessing that having standard parts for both Wildcat and Lightning Racer was a key factor in getting almost the exact same trains, save for the front grill.
Hersheypark's Wildcat, doing its best impression of Hersheypark's Lightning Racer's Lightning side.
Wildcat is still possibly the most beautiful of Great Coaster's rides, even as it's possibly the least dynamic.
Wildcat is unique in that it focuses mostly on long curves and extended laterals, as opposed to GCI's current modus operandi of fast transitions and dynamic pacing.
Wildcat doing another long turn.
I found something comfortingly mid-90's about this line-art painted photo booth sign.
That's what a wooden coaster should look like.
Wildcat vs. Fahrenheit.
Wildcat dominates.
I really like this writeup for Hershey… Had the opportunity to visit two years ago and found it to be a really enjoyable park, and Lightning Racer turned out to be a family favorite.
However, the reason why I’m commenting here is not because of Hesheypark, its because your main post on the main page offers no place to respond hahaha. A couple of thoughts here. Glad to hear that you totally haven’t abandoned the site, as I find it fascinating. If I could put in my 2 cents, I’d greatly enjoy writeups for Maverick and Magnum XL-200.
When I visited Cedar Point last year (my second trip), obviously Maverick was on of my favorites, and most roller coaster enthusiasts agree. And the ride holds consistently to your concepts of roller coaster “story progression” in intensity. However, from my previous visit I wanted to avoid Magnum because I remembered it being very painful. My friend dragged me on it and after a couple laps I found that it wasn’t as painful as I imagined, but nonetheless it was still fairly lackluster for me. Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
Also, as kind of a tandem, I think it would be unique if you did a writeup for Rocky Mountain Constuction as a company. They, all by themselves, I think have changed the roller coaster industry more than any other company in a very long time. I know you appreciate Alan Shilke’s designs (X2 is just awesome), and it’s clear to me that he cares more than most about element pacing, progression, and finales (the double barrel-roll on Outlaw Run, the mini airtime hops on Wicked Cyclone, and the twisty switchback section on Wildfire, just to name a few stand-out finales). I’m not sure of how many RMC coasters you’ve ridden, but if its more than a few, I’d be interested in hearing what you have to say about them.
Anyways, sorry that was kinda long-winded, I’ve been meaning to comment for a while now. Keep it up and I’ll look forward to hearing from you!
As per JetstreamCoasters, commenting here because I can’t comment elsewhere.
Just wanted to say thank you for your years of intelligent commentary on rides & parks. Your words became a bit of a narrative to my first experiences of parks all over the world after I conquered my fear of coasters back in 2011 at the not-so-tender age of 36! The next three years were spent in whatever parks I could find on RCDB and reading your commentary for your unique insight prior to my visits.
Oh, and thanks to your site, I can no longer ride the Universal Studio’s Rip Ride Rocket without activating the secret track #112 – Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Freebird – this must be the best coaster soundtrack ever!
Like you, life has since moved on. I have a 2 year old boy now, and visits to parks are few and far between. But I’m encouraging him to eat all his food so he can grow to reach the magic 0.9 & 1.4m heights so I can go venturing the world of coasters with him too. And whatever you decide to do with this site, I look forward to seeing more of your writing, in whatever form into the future.
PS. I rode Sky Rush (also known non-affectionally as ‘Thigh Crush’) back in 2013. I rate it as one of the most terrifying coasters I’ve ever been on, mainly because if those damn restraints break my femurs, I’m toast! Did you notice the ever-so-slight release of the restraints on the holding brake at the end? So Intamin/Hershey know about the problem then!
Thanks for the kind words, Ty. As I said in my last update (already more than half a year ago) there will be more updates coming, and hopefully one fairly soon which I’ve made some progress on recently.
It makes me realize just how long I’ve been putting this on hold; 2011 was when things first started slowing down for me, and in that time you’ve had your entire coaster riding career begin and end! (But hopefully will begin again soon!) Time really does get away from us…