The attraction was proposed to Derry Township on August 17, 2010. The attraction was described as reaching a maximum height of . In a subsequent meeting, the park shared a potential blueprint of a roller coaster. Preceding the announcement of the ride, Hersheypark engaged in a viral marketing campaign called "Project 2012" to promote the attraction. The campaign released concepts about the attraction in a series of clues, though none of them were officially confirmed. However, certain things came out from governmental sources, due to the attraction's interaction with Spring Creek, a creek that runs through the park. It includes work in and around the creek, the mentioned diagram, as well as a potential name of the ride, Skyrush. Skyrush was announced on August 2, 2011, in the Comet Hollow section of Hersheypark, approximately where the station of the ride will be. An on-board POV video of the ride was shown, as well the announcement of the name, Skyrush. By August 15, 2011, bright goldenrod painted pieces of single and double spine Intamin track began to appear at the park for the coaster's construction. Then in December 2011, the park added a webcam of the ride construction on their official website to allow park fans and roller coaster enthusiasts to watch the progress. On May 2, 2012, Hersheypark began testing Skyrush with water dummies and opened Skyrush to the public on May 26, 2012, attracting many more guests than usual at Hersheypark.
Ride experience
Layout
Immediately after leaving the station, a cable lift carries the train to the top of the lift hill, above the ground. The train then enters a drop, in which the train reaches at a top speed of. The train travels over several camelback hills and banked turns before returning to the station.
Characteristics
Track
Skyrush has yellow track and light blue support columns. The ride reaches a maximum height of, drop, reach speeds of approximately, with a long track. Skyrush's top speed is. The ride achieves a maximum of 5G just at the bottom of the first drop. The ride's highest negative g-force is -2G on the second airtime hill.
Trains
The coaster has trains that are of extended width of the traditional 2-across Intamin trains with two additional seats that hang off the width of the chassis, inspiring Skyrush's tagline "Ride the Edge." The other two Intamin coasters in the park, Fahrenheit and Storm Runner, have the two across trains. Each train weighs 13 tons when empty. The restraints have been criticized as overly painful, especially during twists and turns, when the restraints exert a lot of pressure on the lower body. This has led some coaster enthusiasts to nickname Skyrush as "Thighcrush".
