Time for the final section of the Preview Party!

The sun has set. Time to head to Creekside Catering to kick off the fun!

Some work still needs to be done, but it’s coming along nicely and offers a great view of Skyrush’s far turnaround.

Here are the winners for the first ride!

Fun over at the Ride Institute Jr. Researcher table!

The fountains are on, the path is on, and now it’s time to ride!

So much track crossing over this path!

The lift hill looks great lit up!

This spot is awesome!

Let’s ride!

The way the station looks inside is slightly better than Lightning Racer’s in detail and brightness.

Height sign!

Two new additions for 2012 side-by-side (Skyrush and new Looper trains).

Going under Comet’s first drop reminds me of the entrance to Thunderbolt at Kennywood.

…It’s high up there.

The station looks great at night.

Remember the old path that used to run from Storm Runner to Roller Soaker called Canyon Pass? Meet it’s replacement.

This path is just as quiet as Canyon Pass with little foot-traffic and great views of a large attraction.

So much airtime on both of those hills!

There is nothing like going 17mph over a 200 foot first drop! If you sit in the back, you get two airtime moments for the price of one!

X marks the spot!

In the end, it was an awesome event with a lot of fun and great friends.

Time for a review.

The lift hill gets you up to the top in no time at all and depending on where you sit, you can get one or even two moments of airtime going down the first drop. Going over the first hill (80ft), the train hardly looses any speed and you are literally ejected out of your seat.

The first high-speed turn does give some positive g-forces and the second airtime hill (60ft) gives just as much ejector airtime as the first one. From here you cruise right into the stengel dive element with such grace and followed by my favorite turn on the ride.

You next fly slightly up and bank to the right and whip around the last far turn and then climb in the curved airtime hill with the same amount of airtime as the others. Next is the final airtime hill, which is just like the hill on Fahrenheit, but on steroids and it delivers a powerful punch as you whip over it. To wrap it up, the track then turns up over Comet and Scrambler and into the reduction brakes. Depending on how full the train is, you can still have a decent amount of speed that can whip you around the turn over Comet’s station and into the final brakes.

I was riding in the center seat on this ride, but I found that the outer seats seem to provide a much more intense ride than the center and the back outer seats seem to be the most intense of them all.

To combat the thigh trouble, I found that if you lean slightly forward with your legs bent back under your seat, it improves the ride experience. I have had no trouble with pain.

In conclusion, Skyrush has to be the best steel coaster I have ever ridden with more airtime than El Toro and Phantom’s Revenge combined! Get out and ride this thing!

The Opening Day Update is coming soon with tons of action shots! Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

Both of these signs can be found at the bridges leading into the Hollow.

Before you ask, no there aren’t three trains.

A nice big Fahrenheit-style Skyrush sign has been added to the rear of the station.

The queue.

The height sign and part of the test-seat.

The test seat also has a control panel.

Won’t be closed for very long! One more part for the Preview Party to go! Thanks for reading!

This update over the two days will be divided up into sections. Here is the first!

After today, Hersheypark officially has a hypercoaster!

Several minor additions have appeared during the week.

This is one of them. Like the Boardwalk, The Hollow now has a sign for its area.

A friend of mine compared it to the entrance sign for Disney’s Haunted Mansion. I think it looks similar to El Toro’s entrance sign a little.

The entrance for SooperdooperLooper is finished and features a retro-looking ride sign and more queue space.

The elevator tower now looks similar to Skyrush’s and also features a ride sign.

Speaking of Looper, it has officially opened!

Looper Ride Experience Review:

The whole station received some off-season renovation. The queue fans were replaced with bigger ones, all the railings and walls were painted, and of course, new trains and brakes.

Comparing and contrasting the new and old trains, the newer ones seem like they go a little bit faster throughout the course. The bottom of the loop had some good positive g-forces, the hill before going through the tunnel did have a small pop of air, the mid-course brakes don’t slow the trains as much as the old ones, which makes for a more classic ride.The ending produces a good pop of air, then a trip slightly faster through the helix at the end.

As for the mid-course brake and ending, instead of the brakes feeling like they are gripping the train, the magnetic ones make the deceleration more tolerable and enhance the ride experience.

When you look at the trains, it is really hard to tell that this is a train that has been recently manufactured.

Schwartzkopf wound be proud.

The trains also seem to stop farther back on the brake run now too.

The logo on the front cars look beautiful.

Instead of a flat seat like the old ones, these are somewhat bowl-shaped, making for a more comfortable ride.

Nerd-shot.

Here is what a train looks like when filled with people.

More many more photos coming up!

Remember when it was over 250 days till opening? Now it’s only a few!

More trees and scenery as been added to the Rhineland path entrance next to Hospitality Services.

Not much left to be added from the looks of things, which is a good sign!

If you look closely, you can see that Creekside Catering has been painted a refreshing yellow and white color.

This photo was taken by Brian Maxwell from the Project 2012 Facebook Group. As you can see, Looper’s elevator tower has been given a make-over to look similar to Skyrush’s and have an awesome-looking ride sign attached to it!

That’s it for this update! Time for some fun and important news!

As you have seen over the past year, the Keystone Thrills Blog has been mainly focused on the coverage of the construction of Skyrush. This is about to change for the better. Once the ride opens up this weekend, Keystone Thrills will start to cover much more about Hersheypark and the others in the local area. Right now I have planned two trips to Six Flags Great Adventure in June, a possible trip to Dorney Park in a week, and a three-park stop at Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Six Flags America later in the summer. This is NOT the end of Keystone Thrills, it may be only the beginning!

The forums are going to be re-opened sometime this week with a new organized set-up too. I will announce it here when it is ready!

Also, be sure to watch the Keystone Thrills Facebook Page this Friday afternoon and evening for something awesome! You don’t want to miss it!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3670544035723.156386.1038519439&type=1#!/groups/keystonethrills/

Creekside Catering is starting to look refreshed and ready to go.

New fence?

It was really nice out and perfect for doing an update.

The water really adds to the ride.

Ride photo spot is in.

Looks like it’s only going to need to use one camera to get each row.

Trees are up, most of the fencing is up, just need black-top.

Hmm, the transfer area looks empty…

Looks like two-train testing has begun!

The protective tape has been removed from the sides of the lapbars.

The lift didn’t look like it was running at full-speed, but it was only the first day of operating two trains so it’s understandable.

Approximately 17mph going up a steep lift hill is going to be incredible!

The bag-drop is starting to go in!

I’m guessing these domes will go on the tops of them.

The elevator!

Since the midway goes under the brake-run, here are some nerd shots of the trains.

This photo was taken on 8-2-11

…and this was taken a few days ago from the same spot!

Great view!

As for the edge-seats, you do look like you are out farther than what you are on a B&M floorless coaster. As the train is going down the first drop, you can easily see the seats along side the track.

The Creekside Catering entrance.

Less than two weeks until we can walk down this path!

The outside railings are up for the queue area.

This railing still needs to be installed. It’s looking like you enter the queue on the left side.

Here is the exit.

More trees have been added as well.

Looks like Looper’s queue might be expanding. Haven’t seen testing yet.

That’s it for now. Here’s a second Testing Video, enjoy!

12 more days until opening day!

It turns out Creekside Catering will be returning this year. It is listed on the park map and only shows this building (before construction it had two other buildings). The main footers holding up the pavilion look like they were replaced because of the flood we had back in September.

The pathway cover is starting to get finished up.

The railings along the new path are starting to go in.

It’s starting to feel like the area is more part of the park than a construction zone.

Just need to finish the last part of the path.

The 2nd train is still missing its fiberglass nose-piece.

While heading down the hill between Skyview and Comet, two of these footers have shown up. this side has a wire sticking out of it.

The other side is along the side of the path. I wonder if it’s a sign?

The dummy looks sad that he’s sitting next to Comet while his friends are taking some laps on Skyrush.

Hollow has a totally different feel from what it was last year.

When I was in the park on Saturday, it was the first time I witnessed Skyrush testing. I was just blown away by how fast it rocketed up the lift and through the layout!

Looper also received its first new train from Gerstlauer. Here’s a cool fact. Gerstlauer’s factory is located at the exact same location in Germany where Anton Schwartzkopf, the builder of this ride, made his coasters.

The railings for the queue are still missing.

Not much left to add!

Looper’s old entrance was recently removed. Should be interesting to see what the new one will look like.

Here is the station’s new paintjob. The souvenir booth was also rehabbed during the offseason and has been updated with a new look to complement Skyrush.

Here are the old railings for the entrance.

Skyrush literally goes over Scrambler and the kiddie rides in Founder’s Circle.

The next day, testing was going on at full-speed with a train dispatching every five to ten minutes.

With the speed that it’s moving over the top of the lift, it looks like it will produce some airtime.

At approximately 17mph, it is currently Intamin’s fastest cable-lift hill to-date.

the ride is not going to let up and give you a chance to catch your breath until the very end.

The trains hardly look like they hardly lose any speed as the go over the first and second airtime hills.

This means that there could be a good chance of some serious negative-g airtime!

As for how the ride sounds, you can easily know when the lift starts up. While the train is running, it makes sound similar to Fahrenheit and Storm Runner, but slightly louder. It’s not quite as loud as Great Bear, but you can hear it all the way to Chocolate World.

I’ve been waiting to get this shot since we discovered that the ride would have a Stengel Dive.

All I have to say is that the train flows beautifully through it. It does look like the angle is steeper than 110 degrees.

Each hill looks like it will pack at least some airtime on it.

This one might be more Fahrenheit-like.

However, these two look like they might compete with El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure. Mid-way through that ride, there’s a hill that goes over Rolling Thunder, another coaster, and it literally throws you into the lapbar as you go over it. If this ride has at least two hills like that, Skyrush will personally be a #1 ride for me.

The outer seats should be interesting, especially in the high-speed turns.

Mulch is starting to be laid down in the ride area.

These pipes were used to direct the creek and act as a bridge when there was a path going from the creek bed to the path. Looks like these won’t be needed anymore.

More camera prep-work has occurred.

Time for some video!

Update #109 (4-26)

Some of Looper’s new magnetic brakes look like they have been installed.

The bases of the footers are being painted.

Some of the path still needs to be paved and finished up.

Skyrush’s 2nd train was installed.

Update #109 (4-30)

Here’s a cool photo.

Looks like some of the lapbars are open.

The workers seem to be pulling their attention to the former Creekside Catering building. Much of the debris has been there since the flood.

More of the pathway cover has been added.

Gardening seems to be going on along the pathway.

This new sensor bar showed up.

Here’s an underside of the lift. You can see the cable in the center.

Last-minute tweaking going on to the lift supports.

Also testing of the cable lift system! It moves pretty fast! You can check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=3532748750927&set=o.197071770330160&type=3&theater

Update #110 (5-1-12)

The first train has been moved into the station, and the dummies are in the seats!

Painting going on out on the track, from what it looks like.

Taking the cherrypicker out for a spin.

Tinkering with the camera ole.

It’s good to see what someone will look like in these seats with the lapbar down.

Also, Looper’s Station was repainted and now has orange trim.

More soon as we get closer to opening day!

For those who haven’t seen the clips yet, All-American Thrills and Andy from Project 2012 have captured Skyrush’s first few laps on film: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DGgPSY658VhI%26feature%3Dshare&h=RAQE8PillAQH2IJM6qBFsCui311ToDt7Z0kGwsG6UZP1PLQ

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FbkIGfuaASMY&h=hAQFGg7VwAQGpI1ZEUfSliBtpxcSjaCo441MW5m-x6IDA9Q

So when will Keystone Thrills capture the testing on video? I plan on going over Monday to see if it is testing and will record it if it occurs.

The trees have bloomed, which means that we are now starting to get a look at what can been seen of Skyrush during the Summer.

This looked cool.

Now that the layout is finished, here is a view of most of the coaster. As you can see, all of the layout stays below slightly more than half the height of the 200-foot lift hill.

One thing is for sure, the Stengel Dive should be interesting to experience.

Creekside Catering has been cleaned out…

Looks like they didn’t take the paddleboat.

The old benches from the hillside before construction are still there.

Looks like the airtime hill off to the left leaps over a tree at this angle!

Speakers?

The path-archway is still progressing.

More blacktop still needs to be added on this part of the path. It looks like they got more of the curbing in over the weekend as well.

Sensors have been added.

Here is the wiring for it.

No cameras yet for the photo tower.

Gotta’ love the interaction that the coaster will have with the path!

Here is a new view of the station. The side with the doors will be the exit.

Over a Looper, it looks like mounting brackets are being added, judging from the small holes on them.

The transfer bay garage door is closed…

…but it looks like the first train was moved to the station!

All eight rows are there.

Tarps are now covering Looper’s queue railings in the station.

The railings in the queue have been painted…

…And they seem to be working on the building now.

I have one more week of classes until summer vacation, which will open up more time for me. I have several things planned that will be  announced sometime next week that a sure to be cool.

Thanks for reading!

The summer banners for Skyrush are up in Tram Circle.

Close to almost exactly one month till opening day!

This archway looks like it’s starting to go up over the low clearance area near Rhineland on the new path.

Should be interesting to see the rest of it.

It also looks like it’s going to be long as well.

Looks like the path down here has been paved in.

Footers for the rest of the braces that will hold up the archway.

Beautiful!

Jackpot!!!

It’s hard to tell if it’s a pull through or it stopped here while testing, but it is certainly missing a few cars.

Here’s some wiring for something.

Close-up.

The photo tower is in. Now it just needs cameras.

The anatomy of a Skyrush car.

It seems to be missing its floor and nose-piece.

The cable is in and looks ready to go.

I must add that this is genius. Unlike on Intimidator 305 where the return cable goes in a trough under the lift, this one goes under Comet’s first drop, under the path and queue and back up to the station! This was a smart way to get around space limitations.

The first train is in the transfer track.

The station looks quiet.

Let’s check out Looper’s makeover.

Brake-fins look to be going in.

Here’s where Skyrush’s lift cable comes back up to meet the station.

Looper’s brake fins on the MCBR look to be in.

These are the only ones I could see on this part of the ride.

There were two sets of two brake-fins next to each other.

As you can see, more are being added to the reduction.

Can’t see any trains yet around the station.

That’s it! Thanks for reading!

It’s the last weekend of Springtime in the Park, which means the Summer season opens up in several weeks!

I know somebody was requesting some photos of Skyrush with the creek filled up.

Here you go!

As you can see, it’s amazing what a little water can do!

Once the hillsides get landscaped, Skyrush will really look awesome in its location.

Especially in this turn, if you are sitting in the edge seat, it looks like it might feel like you are skimming the creek!

In short, it looks great!

Inside the park, the clearance cart  was parked on the brakes.

Here’s how close it comes to Comet’s station.

I don’t think I covered this in last week’s update, but Comet’s new queue has been moved out more away from the building.

Here is what a finished Skyrush footer will look like.

Let’s take a trip on the Skyview.

You can really get some good shots of the brake run and station.

When you’re in The Hollow, Skyrush’s height looks bigger than from Park Boulevard.

Work still continues on the Schwarzkopf Special.

Here is a full view of Comet’s new queue. It is divided into two parts with the left being the second .

Here is Comet’s new entrance.

The sign looks almost like brand-new!

Here is the funky pre-brake run turn.

It’s a photo like this that makes me with it was already Memorial Day weekend.

These red stations doors have been installed during the week.

The closer you are, the steeper it looks.

Here is Skyrush’s Queue.

This part of the path still has work that needs to be done.

The stairs to the station.

If you look closely, I think you can see the holes on where the queue chains will be.

Let’s check out the area at night. If you look to the center near the start of the lift, you can see what looks to be some lift hill lighting. It’s only one light, but it gives you an idea of what it may look like when it’s done.

The station was brightly lit up.

Same thing for the soon-to-ber queue area.

That’s it for this update, I’ll try to post another one or two sometime next week if I have a chance. Thanks for reading!