Since I have not been able to visit an amusement park this year so far due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), I decided to keep my blog active by looking back at photos on an older memory card that I had taken at Canada's Wonderland and a few fairs prior to the creation of my blog Amusement Views in the Spring of 2016. Today, I am going to share some photos of the former SkyRider stand-up roller coaster that were taken a few weeks before it ceased operation at Canada's Wonderland on September 1st, 2014.
For those who are unaware or have possibly forgotten, SkyRider was a stand-up roller coaster manufactured by Togo of Japan that operated at Canada's Wonderland from 1985 through 2014. When SkyRider debuted in 1985, it was advertised as Canada's first and only stand-up roller coaster and held that title until 1995 when La Ronde in Montreal, Quebec opened Cobra. La Ronde's stand-up coaster continued to operate until the end of the 2016 season.
Going back to SkyRider, it thrilled nearly 23 million passengers during its 29 years of operation at Canada's Wonderland! SkyRider featured an 84 foot drop, allowing the two 24-passenger trains to reach a maximum speed of 82 km/h (51 mph) before entering the coaster's only inversion a vertical loop, followed by a series of helixes, a trick track element, and airtime-filled hills all contained within 2,210 feet of track and all done while standing up! SkyRider's trains secured passengers using a unique and adjustable "butterfly" restraint system consisting of D-shaped shoulder bars with a seat belt, a lap bar, and a bicycle seat which passengers straddled to remain in a standing position throughout the duration of the ride. If a passenger where to not adjust the height of their restraint/seat properly, it could result in a rather uncomfortable ride for some as the seat was not meant to be sat on.
Despite being an uncomfortable ride for some, SkyRider created a love for stand-up roller coasters for others due to its immersive amount of airtime and only inversion, a vertical loop! I for one greatly enjoyed my rides on SkyRider as they were smooth and filled with airtime, something many amusement park and roller coaster enthusiasts crave! Prior to the 2014 season, I had not rode SkyRider due to being intimidated by its riding position. Luckily for me I had gotten over that fear in the early part of the 2014 season as I had greatly enjoyed my nine rides (eight of those done with my hands up) on SkyRider, for what we would later discover to be its final season at Canada's Wonderland.
After the park had made the announcement of its removal, I decided to capture some photos and a very short video clip of SkyRider on August 11th of that year. Be sure to enjoy the photos below!
The entrance to SkyRider was located just over the bridge in Action Zone on your way to Splash Works, Canada's Wonderland's water park.
The test 'seat' located just before the entrance sign of SkyRider stated "To Ride SkyRider you must be able to straddle the seat with your feet flat on the ground". In the above photo you can see that the seats on SkyRider resembled that of a bicycle seat.
Who in their right mind would go to an amusement park wearing high heeled shoes?!? I have heard that some visitors had over the years!
For the 2013 season, SkyRider received a blue coat of paint on its running rails. Prior to the 2013 season SkyRider featured a green and orange colour scheme.
SkyRider was quite compact when compared to other stand-up roller coasters. It was modeled after the former King Cobra at Kings Island, a stand-up coaster also manufactured by Togo. King Cobra operated from 1984 through 2001.
Here is a look at SkyRider's iconic vertical loop from the path in front of Splash Works.
SkyRider's station featured an elevated operators booth that was situated above the track, allowing the ride operator to have a clear view of the trains and passengers within the station.
As the train went up the lift hill, a ride attendant would start their safety spiel by saying "Welcome to SkyyyRiderrr!" The exaggerated pronunciation became quite iconic and memorable for many park-goers. Unfortunately during the time I had captured these photos, SkyRider had temporarily gone down resulting in many tests runs before reopening, hence the empty trains.
Once the train descended the 88 foot tall hill, it would quickly zip through the vertical loop!
Near the end of SkyRider's layout, the trains would enter a series of bunny hills before hitting the final brake run!
Here is the orange train ascending the lift hill.
Whether you rode on the yellow or orange train, you were still able to experience the thrill of standing up while going upside down through the vertical loop!
The final bunny hills were filled with pops of airtime!
Above is a very short clip of the yellow train going through the only inversion on SkyRider!
After the removal of SkyRider in the Fall of 2014, it would thankfully be sold and relocated to Cavallino Matto in Italy where it has been operating as "Freestyle" with a vibrant highlight yellow colour scheme since July 2015! Luckily this great stand-up coaster received a new lease on life!
For the next few seasons, the land where SkyRider had previously operated would sit vacant until the construction for Yukon Striker, the World's fastest, longest, and tallest Dive Coaster, began in January of 2018. In the Spring of 2019, Yukon Striker opened to thrill seekers.
While SkyRider has been making new memories in Italy as Freestyle for the past five years now, the memories of it at Canada's Wonderland still live on and will continue to do so for many years to come! I hope you enjoyed looking at these photos of SkyRider that I had captured on August 11th, 2014! Stay tuned for more From The Vault features in the following weeks and months! :-)
On April 24th, 2019, Canada's Wonderland invited a group of thrill-seekers who raised money to support Sick Kids Hospital, along with their guests (myself included) and the media to be among the first to ride the all-new for 2019 Yukon Striker before the park opened for the general public!
For those who don't know, Yukon Striker was manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard and opened as the world's fastest, longest, and tallest Dive Coaster in the World with a maximum speed of 130 km/h (80 mph), a track length 3,625 feet, and a maximum height of 245 feet, respectively. In addition to those breathtaking records, Yukon Striker is the first and currently only Dive Coaster to feature a vertical loop inversion among its collection of inversions found throughout its layout!
While being among the first to ride Yukon Striker was the main feature of the First Rider/Media Day Event, this event also allowed me to meet and chat with fellow amusement park enthusiasts as well as some who work within the amusement park industry! While the air was cool and the skies were cloudy, it did not deter anyone from enjoying Yukon Striker, a roller coaster packed with a ton of airtime and strong g-forces! Be sure to enjoy the photos below from such a great event!
I had arrived a bit early before the event began, but the wait sure would be worth it! My good amusement park friend Aldo who invited me to the event would arrive shortly after.
Canada's Wonderland's General Manager, Norm Pirtovshek gave a small speech before the opening of Yukon Striker. The park's Director of Communications, Grace Peacock and the Sick Kids Ambassador also addressed the audience.
Here is the first of three trains heading out! After the first riders got to ride Yukon Striker, their friends and the media were able to do so!
Here is the first train of the day about to drop!
Here's the first train of riders, diving into the tunnel below!
The train then entered the first of four inversions, the Immelmann!
After that, the train then enters into the zero-g winder inversion before making its way through a vertical loop and another Immelmann inversion. From there, the train enters the mid-course break run before plunging down a significantly smaller, but rather steep drop, leading the train through a downward helix and back to the station where the thrill of the ride all began!
After taking my first ride on Yukon Striker, I took a photo of the new bin system, which wasn't quite completed at the time. As passengers enter the line to board the trains, they will but their loose articles in a bin that then follows a track that goes over the station and eventually ends up at the exit. It's quite unique! During the day, I had the chance to ride Yukon Striker a total of 10 times, allowing me to ride in different rows and seats! It was quite the experience! Also during the course of the event, attendees were treated to a wonderful buffet lunch at the Backlot Cafe! Later in the day, I was invited by some newly made friends to ride Yukon Striker with them as they filmed a reverse on-ride POV. It can be viewed below!
The Yukon Striker water tower which holds the sign is a nice touch as you approach the coaster in the newly transformed Frontier Canada section at the park!
As a guest at the Yukon Striker First Rider/Media Day event, I had received this nice lanyard to commemorate the event.
Here is the backside of the lanyard which displays the statistics of Yukon Striker.
As 4pm neared, I managed to finish my day by taking in my 10th ride on the final train of the day before the First Rider event wrapped up. It was a great way to end such an amazing day! I would like to thank my friend Aldo for inviting me as a guest to the Yukon Striker First Rider Event as it would not have been possible without him doing so! I would also like to thank the staff at Canada's Wonderland for planning such an amazing event! It was a day I greatly enjoyed and one that I will never forget!
Thank you for taking the time to look at my post of photos from the Yukon Striker First Rider Event held on April 24th, 2019! Luckily there are only a few months remaining until you can visit Canada's Wonderland and ride Yukon Striker once again, along with the other amazing attractions at the park. Stay tuned until then! :-)
Below is a continuation of photos from the premiere night of Winterfest at Canada's Wonderland! If you had not seen the photos from the first part of the night, be sure to check them out here!
Throughout the remainder of the night, my friend Brandon and I continued to look at the spectacular light displays throughout the rest of the park. Candy Cane Lane and Charlie Brown's Christmas Town were quite the sights to see! So, don't just take my word for it! Continue on and view the photos below!
Klockwerks and Christmas lights is a magical combination!
Here we have the Mistletones singing some festive songs.
There were a few piles of over-sized ornaments around the park. They looked quite nice. Too bad the snow melted away within the days leading up to Winterfest as I am sure these ornaments would sparkle with the snow.
As you head up towards Planet Snoopy, you enter the World of Candy Cane Lane. This path was decorated with sweet treats as well as the traditional Christmas sweet treat, the candy cane.
The trees sported red and white lights while towering candy cane decorations lined the path.
Snoopy and Woodstock were tobogganing the Planet Snoopy rainbow that appeared to be covered with icing and candies.
More candy canes and red and white lit trees lined the path before entering into Charlie Brown's Christmas Town.
Charlie Brown's Christmas Town was strung with an array of colourful lights.
Peppermint Patty was greeting guests into Charlie Brown's Christmas Town.
The colourful wonder of Christmas lights continued into the second half of Planet Snoopy.
The park sure went in to great detail with the lights.
The Character Carousel in Planet Snoopy had cheerful penguins on display around it!
The Kidzville area was also decked out in colourful Christmas lights. It was the second half of the Charlie Brown's Christmas Town.
There were many beautiful Christmas Trees set up along the path as we headed towards Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree Lot.
At the end of the path we were greeted by Charlie Brown and Linus!
They were quite proud to show off the tree that they found! It was looking pretty good, possibly even a bit better than the one in the cartoon.
While walking back through Charlie Brown's Christmas Town, a walking band playing some holly jolly tunes passed by.
Viking's Rage was surrounded by many lights! This photo looks postcard worthy! It was one of the other four larger rides that were open. Despite wearing gloves, my hands unfortunately felt too cold to ride.
Wilde Knight Mares also looked stunning with the Christmas lights strung in the trees and shrubs in front of the ride.
Off to the side of Elf Village is the Winterfest Christmas Market. Along our way there, I happened to notice a large toy truck and plane. Here is the truck.
As the sign states, the Christmas Market is home to many vendors selling artisan crafts and festive foods.
We were glad to feel some heat once we entered the market. It was very festive inside with a nice variety of vendors.
After purchasing a souvenir Winterfest mug filled with hot chocolate, I decided to capture some more photos since I gained feeling in my hands again. Here are some people dancing to the music at the silent disco "Polar Party" in the Elf Village section.
Here is a photo of the Cool Yule Show underway! Despite some technical difficulties, the performers did very well!
More buildings around the park were transformed to fit in with the Winterfest theme. Here is the Festive Funnel Cakes shop near The Bat.
The lights on Wonder Mountain were trickling down just like the water for Victoria Falls does during a summer's day.
After warming up with a souvenir mug full of hot chocolate and getting a ride on Krachenwagen (bumper cars) I was starting to feel hungry, so we went over to the Marketplace Festive Feast. There I ordered a Pulled Roast Turkey Flatbread. It was definitely different. While it tasted good, the cranberry sauce was a bit too tangy for my liking.
Here are some more people skating on Snowflake Lake.
Here I am in front of the Winterfest sign and Snowflake Lake after a great evening of fun!
This is what looking up a 50 foot Christmas Tree looks like.
I just loved looking down International Street with all the Christmas lights strung in the trees!
The Mistletoe shop definitely was sporting some appealing Christmas cheer!
After an amazing evening of looking at the lights and other attractions featured at Canada's Wonderland's Winterfest, we decided it was time to head out for the evening. Overall, I thought the staff of Canada's Wonderland did an amazing job with transforming the park in to Winterfest as there was tons to see and do! It definitely got me into the Christmas spirit! Thank you for taking a look at my photos from the premiere night of Winterfest at Canada's Wonderland! :-)
Winterfest at Canada's Wonderland runs select dates through December 31st. Be sure to visit Canada's Wonderland's website for more details!
