Sledge Hammer is the one-of-a-kind flat ride at Canada’s Wonderland. This ride
looks imposing with its spinning vehicles and bouncing arms, but does it ride as well as it
looks? Find out in this review of Sledge Hammer. Huss originally premiered the Jump ride in 1996.
The ride was primarily found on the European fair circuit, but there was also a model at
Six Flags Great Adventure named Jumpin Jack Flash that ran from 1999 to 2003.
This particular one was plagued with problems, which wasn’t quite sorted out by the time they
built their next version of the Jump ride. Huss premiered the Jump 2 in 2003 at Canada’s
Wonderland. This park has developed a reputation for being home to crazy flats
and this ride embodies that sentiment. This was a larger version of the original jump rides,
featuring 6 arms that are launched to a height of 79 feet or 24 meters in the air.
The motion is downright mesmerizing seeing these colossal arms shooting up and down.
Just know you may not see this ride in motion. It’s very prone to downtime. I’ve had great luck
with this attraction in my visits to Wonderland, but I know others who have seen this ride closed
for part or all of their day. I would advise riding it if you see it running when you walk by.
And based on Cedar Fair’s recent history to remove rides plagued by downtime,
I wonder how much time this ride could have left. Because of this ride’s high capacity,
it usually has a manageable wait. I’ve never had to wait more than a cycle for this ride.
Each of the six arms seat 8 riders, so the ride can accommodate up to 48 riders per cycle.
The ride takes a bit longer than some flats to load due to the set-up,
but the crew works as fast as they can. Riders are restrained by bulky over-the-shoulder
restraints. Then your feet are left to dangle because of the suspended style seating.
Once the ride begins, you start to rotate in a circle.
You get a little force at the start, but then the spinning seems to mellow out.
But that’s not what this ride is about. The arms suddenly get launched into the air.
It has a similar acceleration to the smaller S&S double shots as you’re whisked into the air.
You don’t get airtime at the top, but the motion offers a nice breeze. The one thing
you have to watch out for is the abruptness of the motion causing a headbang or two.
You then rotate atop the ride, getting some fun views of the nearby section of
the park. Every 180 degrees, you get a push to the spin for a little extra thrills.
After about 30 seconds, you suddenly plunge back down to the ground. It feels like a drop tower
or drop track. You get some weak airtime plus a mild stomach dropping sensation. It’s a really
unique sensation to get on a spinning flat ride. Sledge Hammer then spins at the base for roughly
another 30 seconds and then you shoot back into the air again. After another 30 seconds, you again
drop back down to the bottom. These motions feel identical to the first ones, which is fine by me.
You then spin at the ground for another 10 or so seconds and get shot into the air one
last time. You’re held at the top for a much shorter duration this time, and unfortunately,
the resultant drop isn’t quite as thrilling. It has a bit of a hitch to it at the start so it
doesn’t have the same power. Still, you get a nice rush as you zip back down to the ground.
You then slow to a stop, ending the nearly 2 minute long experience.
So what would I rate Sledge Hammer? I would give this weird flat ride a 7 out of 10.
This ride may not be as intense and disorienting as it looks, but it’s a lot of fun if you’re a
fan of drop towers. The quick ascents and sudden falls offer comparable sensations to drop towers,
and you get those forces in a much different ride vehicle. And it’s nice how you go up-and-down 3
times as opposed to most drop towers that only feature one drop. I think this is one of the
better flats at Canada’s Wonderland and you likely won’t find a ride quite like this anywhere else.
So those are my thoughts on Sledge Hammer at Canada’s Wonderalnd.
What are your thoughts on this odd flat ride? Do you think it’s one of the park’s better flats?
Let me know what you think in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d appreciate it
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coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!