Sledgehammer, Spinning amusement ride at Canada's Wonderland, Ontario, Canada.
The Sledgehammer is a spinning amusement ride at Canada's Wonderland in Ontario, where six claw-shaped cars, each holding eight riders, rotate around a central tower. The cars swing outward, are tossed upward, and arc through the air in repeated cycles throughout the ride.
The Sledgehammer opened in May 2003 as the first ride of its kind anywhere in the world, combining spinning, lifting, and swinging motions into a single machine. This made it the starting point for a new category of rides that other parks went on to adopt.
The Sledgehammer's claw-shaped cars are visible from far away and serve as a natural meeting point for groups visiting Canada's Wonderland. Many visitors use it as a reference point to organize their day around, treating it as a landmark within the park.
Riders must meet a minimum height of 54 inches (137 cm) to board this ride. It operates only in dry weather, so visiting on a clear day and checking availability on arrival will save you time.
Each ride cycle lasts roughly two minutes and combines upward thrusts, spins, and sudden drops happening at the same time, so riders cannot anticipate what comes next. This layering of simultaneous motions is what made the ride unlike anything that existed before it opened.
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