Canada's Wonderland Saying Goodbye to SkyRider Coaster

If you haven't been on SkyRider yet at Canada's Wonderland, now would be the time to do it!  The park has announced that the stand-up roller coaster will be permanently retired on September 1st, 2014.

The coaster opened at the park in 1985 and has given almost 23 million rides since then.  When it opened the concept of riding a roller coaster while standing up was a huge novelty, something that has faded through the years.

SkyRider was designed by Togo, and features one vertical loop, a large helix, and several small bunny hops.  It is a part of a trio of rides that were added to the former paramount parks, all similar in design:  King Cobra at Kings Island in 1984, SkyRider at Canada's Wonderland in 1985, and Shockwave at Kings Dominion in 1986.  Once SkyRider closes for good, the only one of the trio still in service will be Shockwave.

The park isn't saying if the ride is being removed to make room for future additions, though it is coincidentally located adjacent to Splash Works, Canada's Wonderland's water park - rumored to soon receive a large expansion.