Tons of thrill-seekers, or maybe just the certifiably insane, will be lining up at Canada’s Wonderland amusement park next April for the unveiling of one of the world’s fastest roller coasters. The Yukon Striker is promising top speeds of 80 mph with a nearly 250-foot drop. According to the Toronto amusement park, which released its plans for the new ride on Wednesday, the Yukon Striker will be the longest, fastest, and highest roller coaster of its type. Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the coaster will be the three second pause before the 250-foot drop, forcing riders to look directly down.
Photo: Canada's Wonderland/Cedar Fair Entertainment Company
Toronto’s “Yukon Striker” Will Be the Longest, Fastest, and Highest Roller Coaster of Its Type
“I think the drop is going to be the real draw for people,” Peter Switzer, the park’s director of construction and maintenance, told CBC News. Riders can look forward to a narrow hole at the bottom, which will take them into an underground tunnel through a manmade pond. “I think when you’re up at that height, looking down, [the pond] will be a small postage stamp and a lot of people will be wondering how we’re going to fit our train through that.”
The vertical plunge is a signature element of dive coasters. “Riders facing down creates a different ride experience,” Swiss manufacturing firm Bolliger & Mabillard, says on their website. The company has built 115 roller coasters worldwide, though this will be their first dive coaster in Canada. 
H/T: CBC News