Canada's Wonderland Completes Yukon Striker's 245 Foot First Drop

© Canada's Wonderland

Today marked an exciting moment in the construction of Canada's Wonderland's new vertical dive roller coaster, Yukon Striker.  The park installed the final pieces of the ride's first drop, which stretches 245 feet tall and ends with an underwater tunnel.

© Canada's Wonderland

The construction of the highest portion of B&M dive coasters are always a bit complicated, requiring several cranes to get the job done.  The rides are designed with minimal supports for both aesthetic and cost reasons, but that makes putting them together a bit tricky.

First the park secured most of the first drop pieces with cables to keep it steady, then the ride's tallest vertical support went in.

© Canada's Wonderland

With those items safely in place, another crane hoisted the very top of the drop, which also holds the brakes that keep the trains dangling over the edge.  These neat photos that the park shared show that piece being carefully attached to the support and drop.

I would imagine that tomorrow the park will add the final pieces of the lift hill, along with the rest of the track that turns 90 degree to the right before the big plunge.  Then the lift and first drop sections will be finished!

For more on Canada's Wonderland's new Yukon Striker dive coaster, check out the park's official website.