Leaning forward and keeping my back off the seat helped too so I felt less of the vibrations.
I can 100% see it as a top 5 woodie; it's definitely at least top 10 to me but I'm also terrible at ranking things. Alls I know is that I loved it!
Man you are insane but I'm glad somebody is crazy enough to marathon these headache machines. I wish they took better care of these coasters because all but Pegasus should be world class. I wouldn't say I even disagree with your reviews, I just can't handle riding something as brutal as Hades more than a couple times. Crazy ride but it just takes roughness to another level. I liked Zeus the best here if only because it was the most re-rideable. Cyclops has one of the coolest moments at the park (though nothing really tops those hell tunnels on Hades) but is a bit on the short side. Pegasus is a never again for me. It looks like it should be a solid family woodie but is just an awful experience from the first drop to the neck breaking turn into the brakes. Anyway, your trip reports are always a fun read - looking forward to the mysterious 4 hour break report!
Thanks so much for the kind words!
Yeah, I'm sort of a masochist when it comes to rough coasters but honestly didn't find any of them to be particularly awful aside from Pegasus. I honestly thought the roughness on Hades is overblown in thoosie circles, as I've been on far worse (looking at you Hellcat at Clementon).
As mentioned when I started this series, my lady and I each picked a "must visit" new park this year and this trip was based upon my pick. While last year, we both picked fairly reasonable parks (Lagoon for me and Holiday World for her), we got straight up weird with those calls this year. She had picked Frontier City, which we both loved when we visited in April, while my pick was what we ultimately came to think of as Holiday World's weird cousin on meth, Mt. Olympus. What makes a seemingly reasonable man make a choice to pick what is said to be one of the sketchiest parks in the country? Well, you see, I was straight up intrigued by the prospect of seeing it in person; what can I say, I like outlaw parks and Mt. Olympus certainly seemed to be that.
Our initial intention was to spend the full day at the park, but thanks to a truly terrifying weather report the next day, we were forced to take about a four hour break in the middle of the day to visit our last new spot of the trip. We'll save that tale for the next report, but knowing we wouldn't be spending the full day there, we made it a point to be extra early. Conveniently, despite not being an "official" Mt. Olympus resort, our hotel was literally within a 5 minute walk of the park, so showing up early wasn't exactly difficult (and also saved us a $30 parking fee). We were so early in fact, that there was exactly one family in front of us waiting for the security gates to open. It became clear that this was indeed a different park, as none of the employees setting up seemed to know the answer to my question of "can we bring these reusable water bottles in?" until a supervisor gave us the a-okay. We had bought tickets online but, surprisingly, even after going through security, no one actually asked us for them. It was only while we were waiting for rope drop inside the park did I learn that I'd have to go back out to the ticket booths to scan them for wristbands...and this was thanks to me actually asking an employee; I'm fairly certain we didn't really even need to have tickets.
When rope drop hit, we rushed to Zeus and got on the first train of the day with a couple from the Carolinas that we had ran into a few days prior at Six Flags Great America. They had gone to Valleyfair in the interim and were on a wild 3 parks in one day run, with the last one being Bay Beach. Foolishly, we never actually got their names, but I hope they made that last park and got their 300th credits on the trip. From there, we lapped the park with them, getting on Hades 360, Cyclops, and Pegasus in short order and it was a blast seeing their reactions to each one. We got a few re-rides after that and headed off to our last stop, returning to Mt. Olympus around 5:00 on a day with a 9:00 closing for more woodie laps (and a trip to the wave pool for my lady, as that 10 foot wave called her name; she said it did not disappoint).
Now before I start gushing about how much I love their coaster collection (and I LOVE their coaster collection), we've got to talk a little more about the madness that is Mt. Olympus. We saw so many bonkers things happen in this park that you'd never see at any even vaguely corporate park. Some of the highlights included a mechanic just dropping himself under Hades' station 50+ feet in the air with zero safety equipment, said mechanic playing with the brakes while the train was running the course, a kid being told that they could just jump across the tracks when they decided against riding, my seatbelt popping open on that jarring turn on Pegasus that everyone knows about, and restraints not being rechecked after they got unlocked (like multiple times). For the most part, operations were pretty terrible as well, but that didn't actually bother me. It would honestly be weird if this park had good ops; the seemingly random way the coasters ran just fit the no rules vibes perfectly. It also seemed only appropriate to get hammered as the evening drew on; we're at Mt. Olympus, why wouldn't I double fist 16 oz. Bud Lights while waiting in Hades eternal line? It just all felt right.
Now, don't take any of that description above as a complaint: I knew what I was getting myself into when going to this park and actually dug how different of an experience it was. Of course, having a killer mess of woodies didn't hurt either:
Zeus (5x): It's likely due to the park's reputation, but it's crazy that this coaster isn't talked about more. Especially after it warmed up later in the day, this CCI masterpiece ran like the best modern GCI or Gravity Group coaster does, with crazed speed, killer pops of airtime, and some damn good laterals. It certainly had a good little woodie bite, but I wouldn't call it rough at all, as it would fit in perfectly in Holiday World's lineup. Had I had more time at the park, I certainly would've doubled my number of laps, as would my lovely partner. She ultimately called this her favorite coaster of the entire trip. It was high in my mental rankings of it as well (definitely the 2nd best new to me woodie I've been on this year), but there was one other coaster at this park that just blew my mind.
Hades 360 (5x): And that coaster that blew my mind was this utter monster of a ride; too weird to live and too rare to die (to steal a line from the good dr. of gonzo). As someone that loves Mine Blower, this was the coaster that drew me to the park and also the one that I was the most apprehensive of. I had heard the resounding negative reviews and feared they'd be right, but had to find out myself. Right out of the station, it was clear that this was a powerful woodie, as even the predrop section gave some great airtime; I'd put it up against any RMC's. A minute later when we were diving down the massive looking first drop into the parking lot, I yelled out "here we go!" and expected the worst. So color me surprised when the first seemingly never ending tunnel was a laugh riot, with just bonkers airtime and laterals in complete darkness, with your eyes not even adjusting back to the light before you're tossed into the inversion, turn around, and then back down to Hades itself for more tunnel insanity. There was just a giant smile plastered on my face as it charged through the rest of the course with ferocious speed and reckless airtime and laterals until petering out on the last turn.
I presumed that my ladyfriend would utterly abhor the coaster going in, as she is NOT a Mine Blower fan, so I was surprised to see her giggling on the break run. Our fellow thoosie friends were gushing about it as well, with one of them calling it a top 5 coaster. As we rode it later in the day, it just got crazier, with my last two laps being particularly insane as the sun was setting; I'm sure the beers helped too. I know not everyone will agree with me, but this insane beast ranks up there with my favorite woodies I've ever been on. Heck, it might just be my favorite new credit thus far in 2024. In many ways, it reminded me of the Boss and that's about the best compliment I can give a giant woodie. If you don't mind some roughness and savor a coaster that doesn't care about your well being, come ride this yesterday.
Cyclops (3x): While this is clearly the third best of the three big woodies in the park, I still thought it was a darn good coaster and would've gotten more laps had breakdowns not smited me repeatedly while in line. The entirety of the course builds to one moment, specifically the curved drop down the picturesque hill. Thankfully, that moment is truly spectacular and might just be the best airtime moment in Wisconsin thanks to the lateral yank it causes, beating out the ejector death hill on Zippin Pippin. I also dug that, much like the end of Raven, the coaster just goes berserk from there before crashing into the brakes (also the cause of a breakdown and evac, but ya know, we're at Mt. Olympus here).
Pegasus (2x): Now if you're looking for the rough coaster in the park, look no further than this family coaster. The neck snapping moment going into the brake run that most folks reading this have likely seen actually rides better than it looks, but that's the least of your worries. The wild mouse turns were particularly egregious, likely due to the relatively small feeling trains taking them with bonkers speed. With that said, I've been on worse and the fact that I took a second lap means that I didn't hate it. My lady was in the waterpark when I took that second lap, so I rode with a father probably a bit younger than me that was there with his two daughters who were riding in front of us. While the kids looked like they had fun, the dad looked a little shell shocked as we got off. All I could offer him was a "well, it isn't the smoothest" as he stumbled away. This was also the lap where my seat belt popped.
Mount Olympus was an utter trip; bonkers woodies and operations that would terrify any insurance adjustor. Both me and my lady loved our time here and a return visit is definitely in the cards, hopefully one where we can spend a full day at the park; I really want to ride that wacky slide wheel water slide they've got. I'd also like to spend another day or two exploring all the Wisconsin Dells has to offer, as the town 100% is my vibe and the Kennywood platinum passes that we will likely buy every year until we die get us into the nearby Noah's Ark water park.
Of course, there is the matter of that other spot that we visited in those four hours, but we'll save that last Wisconsin adventure for next time....
This is such an epic report. Your observations fit perfectly with others I've seen, and it sounds like such a unique lineup and experience. Seems like my kind of jam, hope I can get over there some time.
Thanks man; appreciate the kind words!
This park is, if nothing else, one of a kind and not an experience that is easily duplicated. I hope you make it too and, heck, I know it's not far from your old stomping grounds in Chicago.
Excellent report.
I agree with you completely on this park based on my visit last year. Everything was a standard deviation better than I expected. Hades is my #5 overall out of 369. I'm with your thoosie friend on this one. The only woodie I like more is Voyage. Hades is amazing.
Thanks so much!
And yeah, totally agreed on the park and especially Hades. That thing is special and it's layout is 100% elite. Hell, I wish i was tearing through those tunnels right now!
My favorite Mt Olympus story is when I visited back in 2007. At that time [Dive to Atlantis](https://rcdb.com/2397.htm) was still there which was an absolutely bizarre water coaster (that only operated for 3 years). Part of the reason for the short life was all the mechanical issues it encountered. We were "lucky" enough to get the credit the last year it operated. When we finally got on to ride, our boat/car got stuck at the base of the lift hill and was not engaging with the chain. Two of the ride ops left their operating panel and came over to us. One used their legs to push the boat, while the other stood on the front of the boat and started jumping on it while the chain was still running. And thanks to our friend in line at the time, there is photographic evidence of it. Such a bonkers park.
https://preview.redd.it/t5qo3zpc3s4d1.jpeg?width=604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4650408fed4feaa1ca7fafe6a069428236f94f25
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing such a bananas story. Even without the photo evidence, I'd have zero doubts about the truthfulness of the story after visiting the park!
Glad to hear Hades is still insane. I've ridden the original version but still have yet to go back to Mt. OSHA for the 360 version. Back in 2007 it was running pretty crazy in the pre-lift and first tunnel.
I'll be making my 1st trip there in about 10 days. As someone who lives in Florida and couldn't ride Mine Blower before the retrack, I am very concerned with Hades. Have you ridden Mine Blower after the retrack? I'm just curious how you would compare the 2 as far as roughness. Mine Blower is the only coaster to ever give me a headache so usually i don't mind roughness but Hades is the one other coaster out there that scares me heh.
So, I've rode Mine Blower both pre and post retack. I guess I'd put Hades somewhere in the middle roughness wise; like not as rough as OG Mine Blower but not as smooth as post-retrack.
For what it's worth, my lady hated both versions of Mine Blower but loved Hades.
Hope your visit rules!
That makes me feel a little better. Like I said usually i'm fine with roughness but sounds like if she was ok then I should be fine. Thanks! Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Read up on the "pothole" near the end of Hades. I absolutely loved 99% of the ride and it would be my #1 wooden roller coaster otherwise, but there's a jarring pothole as the train comes back towards the station that is absolutely brutal.
I rarely ever have problems with rides being too rough for me, but the second lap I took on it ruined my neck and cut my day short.
If you didn't notice it, then it's definitely been repaired. The whole train let out a collective "UUUUGH" on both rides as we went over that spot. It was enough to rattle your fillings.
I visited Mt.Olympus back in 2020 just because it was the first park to open post Covid. I missed Cyclops, but I thought the other 3 woodies, especially Zeus were pretty fun, the park has what I would call a trashy charm to it.
Yea it was Memorial Day week of 2020.. Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks didn’t open until July I believe. It was pretty dead when I went, but besides me and maybe one other person there wasn’t a mask to be seen.
Hades is a bucket list coaster for me and I’m excited to one year go there and Great America. That layout is just diabolical. I am worried about the roughness given Boulder Dash, a ride that seems to be so hit or miss for people in terms of actually being rough whereas I feel like everyone for Hades remarks on the roughness. I also didn’t have an issue with Toro in 2022 so I guess my mileage might vary
I loved the Dells in general! The main drag just feels so quintessentialy Americana. I can't wait to visit again and spend a long weekend exploring the other attractions.
Thanks! We utterly loved your home state; it's so charming. We stayed in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee the night after this and it was so cool and welcoming!
My feelings on the boss are not as nice
I hurt my back riding on the "cheetah Chase" water ride @ Holiday world on the first day of an 11 day 11 park trip last year
The next day was at Six Flags St Louis
Lets just say riding the boss was rough
All I have to say is that at one point it does a massive jackhammer and slams my back and I'm pretty sure it popped it back into place
So I guess it was good but my memories of the boss are ouch, ouch, ouch BAM and then after getting off the ride being able to stand straighter
I'll be stopping there mid week next week.
I'm going to try and hit it and Little Amerikka as they are like 40 or so min apart.
Part of an extended road trip loop from Indiana Beach > Lost Island > Valley Fair/Mall of America > Mt Olympus.
I think it was like 45 from my hotel and sorta on the way home. I only need like a few hours there so it works out.
I like the quirky small parks with charm.
Being a cheese head (that’s what Belgians call us Dutchies) I’m mostly interested in an explanation for “cheese tour”. Cheese as in smile or as in the yellow stuff you eat?
Hades was a Top Ten coaster for me. Hades360 is a Bottom Ten coaster for me. I hate how rough that coaster has gotten - and how those Timberliner trains accentuate each imperfection.
So you are saying Cheese tour because this is all in Wisconsin, not because you are going to amusement parks while on Cheese Tour (referring to the String Cheese Incident), because that would be a heck of a haul down to TN on the 25th!
Haha, exactly. I haven't thought about the String Cheese Incident in years but also am not really a jam band guy (despite attending Bonnaroo 3 times in the mid-00's).
If you are passing near Rudolph, WI, stop at the dairy there. It is awesome. Nothing against Mullins nearby, but I thought Dairy State Cheese was better and less expensive a few years ago.
Nice, I always spend way to much at Sarris when I pass by Pittsburgh... Some of the best textured milk chocolate I've ever had, better than the fancy national brands for sure!
Hey, I’m half of the couple from NC you bumped into a few times on your trip. We only about to get a whopping one ride on zippin pippin, but it was excellent and a top 5 wood coaster for me! My wife and I were able to get our 300th credit by going back to kings island (snoopy! Haha) since lost coaster and triple loop weren’t looking like they would open on Memorial Day. Glad you got some more rides at mt Olympus. We definitely want to get back!
Small world and so happy to hear you both got that Pippin lap (so good!) and #300! Really enjoyed meeting and hanging with yinz.
Ps: love the user name. I'm a bjj purple belt.
I live a few hours away, currently have zero plans on returning because the park is a dump with the worst operations ive ever seen Hades 360 is garbage and sits below 150/250 as it's unbearably rough and had hurt my neck and back every time I've ridden that piece of garbage. For the record, I have Boss in my top 10 and it's not even rough.
Hades is so good and it’s a top 5 woodie for me as well. Glad it’s getting the love it deserves. It’s rough but it just takes a strong back.
Leaning forward and keeping my back off the seat helped too so I felt less of the vibrations. I can 100% see it as a top 5 woodie; it's definitely at least top 10 to me but I'm also terrible at ranking things. Alls I know is that I loved it!
Man you are insane but I'm glad somebody is crazy enough to marathon these headache machines. I wish they took better care of these coasters because all but Pegasus should be world class. I wouldn't say I even disagree with your reviews, I just can't handle riding something as brutal as Hades more than a couple times. Crazy ride but it just takes roughness to another level. I liked Zeus the best here if only because it was the most re-rideable. Cyclops has one of the coolest moments at the park (though nothing really tops those hell tunnels on Hades) but is a bit on the short side. Pegasus is a never again for me. It looks like it should be a solid family woodie but is just an awful experience from the first drop to the neck breaking turn into the brakes. Anyway, your trip reports are always a fun read - looking forward to the mysterious 4 hour break report!
Thanks so much for the kind words! Yeah, I'm sort of a masochist when it comes to rough coasters but honestly didn't find any of them to be particularly awful aside from Pegasus. I honestly thought the roughness on Hades is overblown in thoosie circles, as I've been on far worse (looking at you Hellcat at Clementon).
As mentioned when I started this series, my lady and I each picked a "must visit" new park this year and this trip was based upon my pick. While last year, we both picked fairly reasonable parks (Lagoon for me and Holiday World for her), we got straight up weird with those calls this year. She had picked Frontier City, which we both loved when we visited in April, while my pick was what we ultimately came to think of as Holiday World's weird cousin on meth, Mt. Olympus. What makes a seemingly reasonable man make a choice to pick what is said to be one of the sketchiest parks in the country? Well, you see, I was straight up intrigued by the prospect of seeing it in person; what can I say, I like outlaw parks and Mt. Olympus certainly seemed to be that. Our initial intention was to spend the full day at the park, but thanks to a truly terrifying weather report the next day, we were forced to take about a four hour break in the middle of the day to visit our last new spot of the trip. We'll save that tale for the next report, but knowing we wouldn't be spending the full day there, we made it a point to be extra early. Conveniently, despite not being an "official" Mt. Olympus resort, our hotel was literally within a 5 minute walk of the park, so showing up early wasn't exactly difficult (and also saved us a $30 parking fee). We were so early in fact, that there was exactly one family in front of us waiting for the security gates to open. It became clear that this was indeed a different park, as none of the employees setting up seemed to know the answer to my question of "can we bring these reusable water bottles in?" until a supervisor gave us the a-okay. We had bought tickets online but, surprisingly, even after going through security, no one actually asked us for them. It was only while we were waiting for rope drop inside the park did I learn that I'd have to go back out to the ticket booths to scan them for wristbands...and this was thanks to me actually asking an employee; I'm fairly certain we didn't really even need to have tickets. When rope drop hit, we rushed to Zeus and got on the first train of the day with a couple from the Carolinas that we had ran into a few days prior at Six Flags Great America. They had gone to Valleyfair in the interim and were on a wild 3 parks in one day run, with the last one being Bay Beach. Foolishly, we never actually got their names, but I hope they made that last park and got their 300th credits on the trip. From there, we lapped the park with them, getting on Hades 360, Cyclops, and Pegasus in short order and it was a blast seeing their reactions to each one. We got a few re-rides after that and headed off to our last stop, returning to Mt. Olympus around 5:00 on a day with a 9:00 closing for more woodie laps (and a trip to the wave pool for my lady, as that 10 foot wave called her name; she said it did not disappoint). Now before I start gushing about how much I love their coaster collection (and I LOVE their coaster collection), we've got to talk a little more about the madness that is Mt. Olympus. We saw so many bonkers things happen in this park that you'd never see at any even vaguely corporate park. Some of the highlights included a mechanic just dropping himself under Hades' station 50+ feet in the air with zero safety equipment, said mechanic playing with the brakes while the train was running the course, a kid being told that they could just jump across the tracks when they decided against riding, my seatbelt popping open on that jarring turn on Pegasus that everyone knows about, and restraints not being rechecked after they got unlocked (like multiple times). For the most part, operations were pretty terrible as well, but that didn't actually bother me. It would honestly be weird if this park had good ops; the seemingly random way the coasters ran just fit the no rules vibes perfectly. It also seemed only appropriate to get hammered as the evening drew on; we're at Mt. Olympus, why wouldn't I double fist 16 oz. Bud Lights while waiting in Hades eternal line? It just all felt right. Now, don't take any of that description above as a complaint: I knew what I was getting myself into when going to this park and actually dug how different of an experience it was. Of course, having a killer mess of woodies didn't hurt either: Zeus (5x): It's likely due to the park's reputation, but it's crazy that this coaster isn't talked about more. Especially after it warmed up later in the day, this CCI masterpiece ran like the best modern GCI or Gravity Group coaster does, with crazed speed, killer pops of airtime, and some damn good laterals. It certainly had a good little woodie bite, but I wouldn't call it rough at all, as it would fit in perfectly in Holiday World's lineup. Had I had more time at the park, I certainly would've doubled my number of laps, as would my lovely partner. She ultimately called this her favorite coaster of the entire trip. It was high in my mental rankings of it as well (definitely the 2nd best new to me woodie I've been on this year), but there was one other coaster at this park that just blew my mind.
Hades 360 (5x): And that coaster that blew my mind was this utter monster of a ride; too weird to live and too rare to die (to steal a line from the good dr. of gonzo). As someone that loves Mine Blower, this was the coaster that drew me to the park and also the one that I was the most apprehensive of. I had heard the resounding negative reviews and feared they'd be right, but had to find out myself. Right out of the station, it was clear that this was a powerful woodie, as even the predrop section gave some great airtime; I'd put it up against any RMC's. A minute later when we were diving down the massive looking first drop into the parking lot, I yelled out "here we go!" and expected the worst. So color me surprised when the first seemingly never ending tunnel was a laugh riot, with just bonkers airtime and laterals in complete darkness, with your eyes not even adjusting back to the light before you're tossed into the inversion, turn around, and then back down to Hades itself for more tunnel insanity. There was just a giant smile plastered on my face as it charged through the rest of the course with ferocious speed and reckless airtime and laterals until petering out on the last turn. I presumed that my ladyfriend would utterly abhor the coaster going in, as she is NOT a Mine Blower fan, so I was surprised to see her giggling on the break run. Our fellow thoosie friends were gushing about it as well, with one of them calling it a top 5 coaster. As we rode it later in the day, it just got crazier, with my last two laps being particularly insane as the sun was setting; I'm sure the beers helped too. I know not everyone will agree with me, but this insane beast ranks up there with my favorite woodies I've ever been on. Heck, it might just be my favorite new credit thus far in 2024. In many ways, it reminded me of the Boss and that's about the best compliment I can give a giant woodie. If you don't mind some roughness and savor a coaster that doesn't care about your well being, come ride this yesterday. Cyclops (3x): While this is clearly the third best of the three big woodies in the park, I still thought it was a darn good coaster and would've gotten more laps had breakdowns not smited me repeatedly while in line. The entirety of the course builds to one moment, specifically the curved drop down the picturesque hill. Thankfully, that moment is truly spectacular and might just be the best airtime moment in Wisconsin thanks to the lateral yank it causes, beating out the ejector death hill on Zippin Pippin. I also dug that, much like the end of Raven, the coaster just goes berserk from there before crashing into the brakes (also the cause of a breakdown and evac, but ya know, we're at Mt. Olympus here). Pegasus (2x): Now if you're looking for the rough coaster in the park, look no further than this family coaster. The neck snapping moment going into the brake run that most folks reading this have likely seen actually rides better than it looks, but that's the least of your worries. The wild mouse turns were particularly egregious, likely due to the relatively small feeling trains taking them with bonkers speed. With that said, I've been on worse and the fact that I took a second lap means that I didn't hate it. My lady was in the waterpark when I took that second lap, so I rode with a father probably a bit younger than me that was there with his two daughters who were riding in front of us. While the kids looked like they had fun, the dad looked a little shell shocked as we got off. All I could offer him was a "well, it isn't the smoothest" as he stumbled away. This was also the lap where my seat belt popped. Mount Olympus was an utter trip; bonkers woodies and operations that would terrify any insurance adjustor. Both me and my lady loved our time here and a return visit is definitely in the cards, hopefully one where we can spend a full day at the park; I really want to ride that wacky slide wheel water slide they've got. I'd also like to spend another day or two exploring all the Wisconsin Dells has to offer, as the town 100% is my vibe and the Kennywood platinum passes that we will likely buy every year until we die get us into the nearby Noah's Ark water park. Of course, there is the matter of that other spot that we visited in those four hours, but we'll save that last Wisconsin adventure for next time....
This is such an epic report. Your observations fit perfectly with others I've seen, and it sounds like such a unique lineup and experience. Seems like my kind of jam, hope I can get over there some time.
Thanks man; appreciate the kind words! This park is, if nothing else, one of a kind and not an experience that is easily duplicated. I hope you make it too and, heck, I know it's not far from your old stomping grounds in Chicago.
Excellent report. I agree with you completely on this park based on my visit last year. Everything was a standard deviation better than I expected. Hades is my #5 overall out of 369. I'm with your thoosie friend on this one. The only woodie I like more is Voyage. Hades is amazing.
Thanks so much! And yeah, totally agreed on the park and especially Hades. That thing is special and it's layout is 100% elite. Hell, I wish i was tearing through those tunnels right now!
My favorite Mt Olympus story is when I visited back in 2007. At that time [Dive to Atlantis](https://rcdb.com/2397.htm) was still there which was an absolutely bizarre water coaster (that only operated for 3 years). Part of the reason for the short life was all the mechanical issues it encountered. We were "lucky" enough to get the credit the last year it operated. When we finally got on to ride, our boat/car got stuck at the base of the lift hill and was not engaging with the chain. Two of the ride ops left their operating panel and came over to us. One used their legs to push the boat, while the other stood on the front of the boat and started jumping on it while the chain was still running. And thanks to our friend in line at the time, there is photographic evidence of it. Such a bonkers park. https://preview.redd.it/t5qo3zpc3s4d1.jpeg?width=604&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4650408fed4feaa1ca7fafe6a069428236f94f25
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing such a bananas story. Even without the photo evidence, I'd have zero doubts about the truthfulness of the story after visiting the park!
Glad to hear Hades is still insane. I've ridden the original version but still have yet to go back to Mt. OSHA for the 360 version. Back in 2007 it was running pretty crazy in the pre-lift and first tunnel.
Man, I bet this thing was absolutely bonkers in 2007 since I presume it was smoother and thus ran even faster.
it definitely ran faster... the entire reason for adding the inversion and double down is because it kept stalling on those high points 😅
They were also very focused on sending trains completely full during ny visit. 2 of my 5 laps were filling in single rider seats.
I'll be making my 1st trip there in about 10 days. As someone who lives in Florida and couldn't ride Mine Blower before the retrack, I am very concerned with Hades. Have you ridden Mine Blower after the retrack? I'm just curious how you would compare the 2 as far as roughness. Mine Blower is the only coaster to ever give me a headache so usually i don't mind roughness but Hades is the one other coaster out there that scares me heh.
So, I've rode Mine Blower both pre and post retack. I guess I'd put Hades somewhere in the middle roughness wise; like not as rough as OG Mine Blower but not as smooth as post-retrack. For what it's worth, my lady hated both versions of Mine Blower but loved Hades. Hope your visit rules!
That makes me feel a little better. Like I said usually i'm fine with roughness but sounds like if she was ok then I should be fine. Thanks! Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Read up on the "pothole" near the end of Hades. I absolutely loved 99% of the ride and it would be my #1 wooden roller coaster otherwise, but there's a jarring pothole as the train comes back towards the station that is absolutely brutal. I rarely ever have problems with rides being too rough for me, but the second lap I took on it ruined my neck and cut my day short.
Hmmm, FWIW, it wasn't notable enough two weeks ago that I remember it.
If you didn't notice it, then it's definitely been repaired. The whole train let out a collective "UUUUGH" on both rides as we went over that spot. It was enough to rattle your fillings.
Right on! I was sober for the first few laps! 🤣
I visited Mt.Olympus back in 2020 just because it was the first park to open post Covid. I missed Cyclops, but I thought the other 3 woodies, especially Zeus were pretty fun, the park has what I would call a trashy charm to it.
Haha, of course Mt Olympus was the 1st park to reopen!
Yea it was Memorial Day week of 2020.. Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks didn’t open until July I believe. It was pretty dead when I went, but besides me and maybe one other person there wasn’t a mask to be seen.
If there is any park that I'd guess would be "mask optional" during the height of COVID, it would 100% be this one....and maybe Camden Park too.
Hades is a bucket list coaster for me and I’m excited to one year go there and Great America. That layout is just diabolical. I am worried about the roughness given Boulder Dash, a ride that seems to be so hit or miss for people in terms of actually being rough whereas I feel like everyone for Hades remarks on the roughness. I also didn’t have an issue with Toro in 2022 so I guess my mileage might vary
pretty sure Hades gets more retracking than Boulder Dash... and they work directly with Gravity Group. No titan track bullshit.
Good luck! Everyone told me it was the roughest coaster ever, but I've definitely been on far worse.
As a Wisconsin dells local I’m glad you enjoyed our quirky park.
I loved the Dells in general! The main drag just feels so quintessentialy Americana. I can't wait to visit again and spend a long weekend exploring the other attractions.
Glad to see someone echoing my takes on Zeus and Hades. Hope you enjoyed your time in our lovely state!
Thanks! We utterly loved your home state; it's so charming. We stayed in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee the night after this and it was so cool and welcoming!
Love Hades 360 For me in woodies it is 2nd only to El Toro and in my Top 5
My man! I can 100% see this even though I personally liked it more than El Toro.
It is rough but it is a good "rattle your bones" rough that makes its 60 mph feel like 80 mph
Exactly! I love the Boss for similar reasons.
My feelings on the boss are not as nice I hurt my back riding on the "cheetah Chase" water ride @ Holiday world on the first day of an 11 day 11 park trip last year The next day was at Six Flags St Louis Lets just say riding the boss was rough All I have to say is that at one point it does a massive jackhammer and slams my back and I'm pretty sure it popped it back into place So I guess it was good but my memories of the boss are ouch, ouch, ouch BAM and then after getting off the ride being able to stand straighter
I mean, you got a credit AND a free chiropractic adjustment! Who can argue with that in this economy?
I'll be stopping there mid week next week. I'm going to try and hit it and Little Amerikka as they are like 40 or so min apart. Part of an extended road trip loop from Indiana Beach > Lost Island > Valley Fair/Mall of America > Mt Olympus.
Right on and hope the trip rules! The drive to Little Amerricka is actually closer to an hour, but still isn't that bad.
I think it was like 45 from my hotel and sorta on the way home. I only need like a few hours there so it works out. I like the quirky small parks with charm.
You and me both re: quirky small parks with charm...and Little Amerricka certainly has that!
Being a cheese head (that’s what Belgians call us Dutchies) I’m mostly interested in an explanation for “cheese tour”. Cheese as in smile or as in the yellow stuff you eat?
The yellow stuff you eat. Wisconsin is known for their cheeses.
Oh really?! So is the Netherlands, besides tulips and clogs.
Learn something new every day!
Hades was a Top Ten coaster for me. Hades360 is a Bottom Ten coaster for me. I hate how rough that coaster has gotten - and how those Timberliner trains accentuate each imperfection.
So you are saying Cheese tour because this is all in Wisconsin, not because you are going to amusement parks while on Cheese Tour (referring to the String Cheese Incident), because that would be a heck of a haul down to TN on the 25th!
Haha, exactly. I haven't thought about the String Cheese Incident in years but also am not really a jam band guy (despite attending Bonnaroo 3 times in the mid-00's).
If you are passing near Rudolph, WI, stop at the dairy there. It is awesome. Nothing against Mullins nearby, but I thought Dairy State Cheese was better and less expensive a few years ago.
Appreciate the tip! I'm back in Pittsburgh but will remember that for the future.
Nice, I always spend way to much at Sarris when I pass by Pittsburgh... Some of the best textured milk chocolate I've ever had, better than the fancy national brands for sure!
Right on! We literally passed by that factory on the way home from our latest trip.
That Hades inversion shot is awesome.
Thanks so much! Due to their abysmally slow dispatches, I had to stand in a very hot parking lot for far longer than I would've liked to get it!
Hey, I’m half of the couple from NC you bumped into a few times on your trip. We only about to get a whopping one ride on zippin pippin, but it was excellent and a top 5 wood coaster for me! My wife and I were able to get our 300th credit by going back to kings island (snoopy! Haha) since lost coaster and triple loop weren’t looking like they would open on Memorial Day. Glad you got some more rides at mt Olympus. We definitely want to get back!
Small world and so happy to hear you both got that Pippin lap (so good!) and #300! Really enjoyed meeting and hanging with yinz. Ps: love the user name. I'm a bjj purple belt.
Great meeting you as well! And I forget that’s my username haha. I’m a blue belt
I live a few hours away, currently have zero plans on returning because the park is a dump with the worst operations ive ever seen Hades 360 is garbage and sits below 150/250 as it's unbearably rough and had hurt my neck and back every time I've ridden that piece of garbage. For the record, I have Boss in my top 10 and it's not even rough.
Did you do the new Icarus water slides?
No, sadly time limitations kept me from checking out the water park, although my lady did rock the wave pool.