Two news stories about standup coasters in one day?
SourceToronto Sun said:TORONTO - Thrill-seekers may want to head over to Canada’s Wonderland and ride the SkyRider one last time.
The stand-up roller-coaster is retiring on Sept. 1.
“After 29 years and over 22 million riders, we had to make a difficult decision and look to the future,” Dave Phillips, vice-president of marketing and sales at the amusement park, said Wednesday.
Opened in 1985, the one-and-a-half minute ride was the first stand-up coaster to be built in Canada and the second in the world with a loop. It also became Wonderland’s fifth roller-coaster addition to the park.
After being strapped in with feet flat on the ground, riders climb 88 feet (26 metres) in the air before taking on a vertical loop.
Classified as a number five on Wonderland’s thrill factor scale, the park says popularity wasn’t a factor in the decision to shut down the ride.
According to Phillips, Wonderland will be undergoing a large redevelopment program after Sept. 1. Currently, SkyRider sits on 5,100 square metres of prime space right between the Splash Works and the mountain. Here, Wonderland saw an opportunity.
“We like to space out (our ideas) over time and we always want to be innovative and leading the industry,” Phillips said. “Guests still like it and it’s a great attraction, but you have to look within the park to understand what’s best for the future.”
Though Phillips was mum on any details about what will be happening next, he said there were “certainly” concepts in mind for a new attraction.
In the upcoming weeks, Wonderland will be announcing a special chance for the last few riders of the roller-coaster to receive commemorative memorabilia. The last chance to race through the skies on SkyRider will be at 8 p.m. on Sept. 1.