New Canada's Wonderland ride greeted by long lines, sweltering temperatures
'Intense' AlpenFury launch coaster opened to public Saturday, already proving to be hot ticket
Article content
AlpenFury has finally opened at Canada’s Wonderland and it is already proving to be a hot ticket.
The Vaughan theme park’s new launch coaster officially got the green light for takeoff Saturday, but not without some hiccups as massive lineups and sweltering temperatures made it a challenge for thrill-seekers to get their fix.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
New Canada's Wonderland ride greeted by long lines, sweltering temperatures Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Social media users said the line to access the ride stretched across the park Saturday with the wait time being about three hours for one anonymous Fast Lane Pass user, BlogTO reported, as temperatures soared to 33.7 C by late Saturday afternoon, which felt like 41 C with the humidex.
The weather was not much more accommodating Sunday as the mercury hit 31 C with the humidex at 39 C north of the city.
The anonymous parkgoer told BlogTO that the line to ride AlpenFury was “f—ed” by 11 a.m. on Saturday — an hour after the park had opened — as people had queued up all the way to the entrance gate by then.
Some social media users even tried to help prospective riders by sharing where the lineup began.
There were also some technical issues that forced the ride to close briefly Saturday, which a Canada’s Wonderland spokesperson described as a “minor delay” in a statement to BlogTO.
“Our operations and maintenance team conducted a thorough review and AlpenFury resumed its operation shortly thereafter,” Grace Peacock told the website.
Nonetheless, the ride seemed to be receiving positive reviews with one user on X calling it the “best ride in the park and maybe my new Number 1 or 2 coaster overall.”
Another told BlogTO that they rated the ride a 9 1/2 out of 10, describing it as “so intense” and the “best (ride) in the park for sure.”
A second user on X said the ride was “pretty good,” but they were not “blown out of the water” by it.
AlpenFury is being tabbed by Canada’s Wonderland as the country’s “longest, tallest and fastest launch coaster” with “nine breathtaking inversions — the most in the world for a launch coaster.”
The 1-km ride dives into the base of Wonder Mountain at the centre of the park and launches out of the summit, reaching speeds of 115 km/h before wrapping up in a brisk 80 seconds. It hits a peak of 50 m above ground and includes a 47-m drop.
For those hoping to beat the lines, Canada’s Wonderland is hosting a fundraiser for SickKids Hospital next Friday, when they will be offering a “VIP AlpenFury Experience” for parkgoers who shell out $125 each.
The package includes admission to the park and an exclusive ride window for AlpenFury and other attractions from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., as well as parking, a catered lunch and one free FunPix ride photo.
Tickets are limited and only available until Wednesday at the latest.
RECOMMENDED VIDEO
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.