Photo TR: Mt. Olympus

WARNING: A shmit-ton of reading ahead. If you want just pics scroll down.

 

 

The first trip I ever took to Mt. Olympus was in 2004, the year it changed from Big Chief's (finding that website with no notice of the name change was a chore) and thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Since then it's been pretty incredible to watch the park explode the way it has by adding the waterpark next door and an on-site hotel. It was only to a point, however, as it seems like Mt. Olympus is beginning to devour a huge chunk of the Dells. Hotels left and right are being bought up (it seems like almost the entire left side of the strip into Lake Delton is owned by Mt. Olympus) or run out of business and the pricing is starting to concern me (it costs half the amount it does to park at Great America to get a less-complete park when only a few years ago there was no cost).

 

It may sound like I have a bit of hate for Mt. Olympus, but in truth I really do like the park. It's a really expansive park that has a nice collection of wicked wooden coasters, some really unique go kart tracks, and plenty of waterpark options (including one of the most psychotic wave pools EVER). I always try to make at least one visit every year because it's a fun way to spend the day. The only problem I had is that for a place claiming to be a resort, it doesn't really *feel* like it to me. Sure they have the waterpark, the coasters, the hotels and everything, but I would hesitate to think of it as a resort compared to something like Cedar Point or any other comparable parks. A day here is often very hot, very tiring, and makes you leave feeling physically dirty. If they didn't try to market it as something along the lines of Disney, I wouldn't have much of a problem.

 

I know that some people from the park might be present on this board and I hope they don't decide to ban me from the premises (shoot this man on sight ). I'm just portraying the park in great detail and offering my views.

 

Once again, the LoneRider ride ranking system:

 

=> Category 1 - Must rides (Try your best to hit them) - Hades, Cyclops, Trojan Horse, Poseidon's Rage

=> Category 2 - Solid rides (Best to at least try, but won't ruin your visit if you miss them) - Zeus, Poseidon, Hermes Turbo Track

=> Category 3 - Up to you (Rides that might not be very exciting or good. Your choice on hitting these if time is short) - Pegasus, Opa

 

After all the wooden coasters I've ridden, Hades is still my absolute favorite. I've never ridden a roller coaster than makes me laugh, drool, and have the time of my life every single ride. It really is one of the most unrelenting rides on the planet. Over the years, I noticed the bumps start to get more noticeable, but it was still amazing. The last couple of years, however, I was nervous each time I rode it, wondering whether I would come off the ride laughing and whooping or groaning and holding my head. With the extremely hot and dry summer we are having up here, I was worried that this visit would be a particularly trying one. However, after one ride, my fears were put to rest. Hades was running ferociously as ever and was no rougher than any other wooden coaster (heck, all of the rides were manageable today). As a seasoned rider, my best advice to have the best trip to Hell you can have is FRONT SEAT. It can make a shocking difference. The very front seat is an adrenaline-pumping ride, while the row right behind it can be a serious spine-buster and end your day very quickly. No worries, the wait for the front is often quite short and if you go on a weekday the wait is usually around 30-45 minutes.

 

If you haven't done it before, try Cyclops for the backseat (18 years and up only!). However, more than one ride is not advised. The airtime on the ride is crazy, but it has gotten downright *brutal* with age. You'll be feeling this one for a bit. Zeus was actually pretty good on this visit, but it is also a front seat ride. The turn around can be a bit of a challenge anywhere else.

 

For you first time visitors, bring your swim suit and try the waterpark. It is a nice one (not as nice as Noah's Ark), but still a good way to break up the day. And absolutely check out Poseidon's Rage. This wave pool is downright terrifying. You never knew drowning could be so much fun.

 

Now, to give you guys an idea of what could be improved, a small list of things that could make the park better:

 

- Coaster upkeep - PLEASE Mt. Olympus. You have a potentially outstanding line-up of wooden coasters here. I can only guess how much work goes into maintaining them and judging by some new wood in places, I'm glad to see you're trying. However, some more focus in this area could seriously go a long way. Hades is fantastic and the ride up to the hill out the return trip from the tunnel is fine. It's that looong turn that seems to be a trouble spot on the ride (much like Voyages' turn around). It's not too bad early in the day, but as the ride heats up it it's impossible to ignore. Those last couple of banked hills and turns could also use some TLC. You have a world-class coaster here! With a little polishing you could avoid some future problems if other areas start to deteriorate. Zeus could be a great ride and Cyclops could be even better if some more attention was given to it. Just by judging where the money seems to be going each off-season, I think this would be a better investment.

 

- Two trains or Timberliners - Again, I think a better investment than enlarging the parking to a ridiculous size would be to add a transfer track to Hades (which is most likely not an option due to the design of the ride), so at least Timberliners would make me happy. It would just be another way to keep Hades running in the best shape possible.

 

- Go-kart upgrade - As large as the theme park industry is, there must be *someone* that designs go-karts, and there must be some that are cleaner and greener than the ones that make up the Mt. Olympus fleet. I understand it would be a LOT of karts to replace, but it would vastly improve the experience. If I get exposed to too much cigarette smoke I get really sick, so sitting there in the station with the kart in front of me belching exhaust in my face for several minutes can be pretty sucky. I would just like to think there are some go-karts out there now that run much more efficiently, quietly, and cleanly.

 

Alright, if you actually read all that I will be completely impressed! Pictures will be up next!

 

Darn you deathbydinn for posting a report at basically the same time!

Edited August 5, 2012 by LoneRider92

It would be better with the photos

I'm working on it. I was just worried because I wrote so much and I have a pretty good chunk of pics that it might be too much to post on one thing (one time it timed out on me and I lost everything). I'm going as fast as I can. I want them up too!

Pics! Pics! More pics!

 

Remember guys, I ask for questions/comments/concerns because I really do want feedback! The last report I did basically got nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. (And thank you to those who did. It was greatly appreciated).

Well, here we are! Hades awaits!

Hades welcoming me to the park in the best way. =D

Zeus doing it's thing as well. Eh, I guess it good to see you too...

Is that the line for Zeus?! Holy crap. O.O I pray it's not that busy today (luckily it mellowed out not long after this).

Ah, one of my favorite rides out there. Enough waiting, let's ride!

Oh wow, that sign would have such a HUGE impact. If it wasn't up every. Single. Day. At least it tells the truth.

A long, long climb up.

If anyone ever said Hades runs so fast it might shake itself to pieces... Well, you might not be that far off.

The drop out of the station is honestly great! In fact, the pre-lift section is probably better than some coasters.

This is the section of the ride that needs the most attention. However, if you are expecting to run like, well, a wood coaster, then it's not too bad. Besides, it's hard for a small section of track to ruin an entire hell-raising ride.

One of the couple very good moments of airtime before you even hit the lift.

This area of the ride needs some help too, but there are so many worse rides out there.

Diving down after the return trip through the tunnel.

I love the queue for the ride as well. Getting up close and personal with a couple of PTC cars at 50 mph is pretty awesome. Also, some timely holes in the barrier provided me with some nice photo opportunities.

What is it with the Dells and gum? Scorpion's Tail has the gum tree and here Hades has the gum post. Good thing I wasn't hungry...

I see a lot of happy faces, so I'm excited. =D I think the kid in row three might be dead, however, so I'm also apprehensive. =\

How about some POV pictures? The drop out of the station and the beginning of our adventure. (*Checked and okayed by the ride ops*)

A lift hill shot for those of you out there into that kind of stuff.

We just have to make it under the parking lot and over there. Piece of cake, right?

Oh man, I love this drop. =D Don't forget to smile for the camera!

Well, we made it through. Let's do it again!

Some great airtime all the way back down into the abyss.

Yay, we made it out! And little low g's into the hairy part of the ride.

More airtime into the last turn, another problem area. No worries gang, it was running great!

This attraction is far better than the one it replaced. Honestly, Dive to Atlantis wasn't a bad ride. It just wasn't very exciting and it had the most *agonizingly* slow line ever.

That concrete slab is all that is left of what was the best moment of airtime on a go-kart track ever. =(

THE drop. The airtime is OMFG insane, but this also the most brutal part of the ride, and I thought Mean Streak wasn't that bad at all.

Still, Cylops has at least 4 moments of wicked airtime and should not be missed. Just don't expect to marathon it.

Mt. Olympus is home to a wide variety of unique go-kart tracks. If you're looking for adventure, try Trojan Horse or Poseidon. If you're into more traditional racing, try Hermes.

And it's LoneRider approved! =D

Little Titans for you credit whores. Sorry though, there is a max height.

Here's a bit of a beef I have with the park; there is enough shade by the wooden coasters, but once you get to Hermes, it's wide open and very hot. Perhaps a few more trees or something would be appreciated.

Pegasus rounding the bend. Seriously, for the smallest wooden coaster here, this is one of the worst out there! Watch out for that last turn. It is an absolute neck-snapper.

Hey, at least I got two trains in one shot.

This hill might not look like much, but watch out. Holy ejector airtime Batman!

There's just five words to say as you fall down, down, dooowwwn...

I think your butt is still completely out of the seat here if you're in the back .

At least this part of Mt. Olympus is Dave approved, right?

Airtime here? Maybe. A little discomfort? Most likely.

Hades hurtling through the woods.

Cresting the hill out of Hell.

I'm my own group leader. I am the LoneRider after all. 8D

A brief moment for everyone to catch their breath before plunging back down.

Flying high all the way down.

Not the best pic of Trojan Horse, but it gives you the idea that it is an expansive, enjoyable track.

I took this picture because I too have crabs. =D

 

(hermit crabs)

Here was a new one; men working on the ride structure while the ride is running. I hope they get paid enough...

Back over to Hades, where everyone is having the time of their lives.

Avalanche/Hellcat way over on another hillside. It's kind of Hades' little brother, but it's just as crazy.

This view never gets old. I just realized now I could have used the night mode on my camera to get pics inside the tunnel. =( Then again, I don't want to ruin the experience for anyone. ;D

Hmm... Maybe later. Let's hit the waterpark, shall we?

The new DJ in the wave pool was an interesting touch, I thought. Nothing like listening to tunes while being rolled by a mammoth wave.

Here's TPR first - POV of Poseidon's Rage. Let's just say this won't end well... (Yeah, those sunglasses will protect you...)

One of the few serene moments in Poseidon's Rage.

Until this happens.

 

Yep, that's a 9 footer. It's amazing. =D

This year Mt. Olympus opened up their new water playground area. I was very happy with the result! It was highly popular and immersive. Water coming from ALL directions. I loved it. =D

The area had just a touch of theming (I wasn't asking for much) and it was very original.

The structure had the big bucket, little buckets, nozzles, hoses, bells, whistles, the whole nine yards. It was interesting to see you could almost drown on dry land.

The big mat racing slide. This was also the first time I had ever seen someone go all the way through the splashdown area and off the end of the slide. O.o

The quarter-pipe section of one of the raft slides. It was very popular and looked pretty fun, so I say it was a good call on Mt. Olympus' part.

Here they come...

Well, they weren't exactly flying up to the top of the pipe. Maybe with a little more girth... Any TPR members up for it? ;D

One thing I liked a lot was this geyser on the top of the structure. Not only was it unique and creative, when it went off, no one was safe. A complete drencher.

The bowl slide was fun and eliminated the scary-as-hell haphazard dump into a pool.

Eh, just thought I'd show off my crazy awesome farmer's tan I have going on. Working outside everyday has it's benefits. ;D

Looking back on the quarter-pipe.

And with that, the Lost City of Atlantis gets the LoneRider stamp of approval. Good job Mt. Olympus!

How about a little SplashCam? (I think I'm going to regret this...)

Just observing the wall of destruction as people go flipping everywhere. Unreal.

Yes, thank you dinn. This was the spot the Kuka robocoaster used to occupy. It's too bad they got rid of it. That was one heck of a fun ride.

Some areas of the park seem passable for theming, while others don't have a shred of theming to be seen anywhere. The areas that do have it look alright though.

These slides are fun, but they always have such a long line.

Yes, I'm sure it's exactly like Mythos at Islands of Adventure. ;D

Another glance at the water play structure.

See? Some nice looking areas, others like this lazy river that just seemed thrown together. A little more attention here wouldn't hurt.

The Wave can't quite measure up to the insanity that it Poseidon's Rage. Then again, I don't know how many other wave pools could.

These body slides, while not outstanding or earth-shattering, are still very fun. The triple drop slide on the right is pretty darn scary when I went flipping over on the last drop.

There are lazy rivers, then there are ultra-lazy rivers. I'm not sure if the people even moved in 5 minutes.

What is it with these tube slides? Almost every tube had someone hurtle off the tube on the splashdown, my sister included. Still plenty of fun.

While not as huge as Point of No Return, these body slides were a little better in my book because they didn't try to shear layers of skin off my back.

One thing you can't deny, however, is that Mt. Olympus is a huge park. That's a long way to the other side of the park.

Another look at the body slides. Plenty of airtime on the triple down.

Oh gee, where oh where could TPR members be found?

Yep. It's a complete mystery.

A look at Opa. The entire "indoor" park could be missed and you wouldn't even care. As far as spinning coasters go, this one is very Elissa friendly due to the fact it almost never spins.

The Skycoaster out over the wave pool was another cool idea. And I only tried to soak them a couple of times, I swear. ;D

Something salvaged from Extreme World across the street.

EJECTOR SEAT WINCH MOTOR NERD SHOT!

 

More pictures coming up after work. Stay tuned!

Edited August 5, 2012 by LoneRider92

Great photos so far! I especially like the POV's and water park shots as they aren't seen that often.

Great Tr! I'm glad to here Hades is still running as awesome as it was when I rode it!

A very good TR! Wow, that seems like it would be a terrifying job to work on a wooden rollercoaster while the train is only a few feet over your head...

^ You'd think so, but the workers at Mount Olympus are so out of it that they barely even notice. When I went,Hades' ride ops would just dispatch the train, go sit down (on the track) to talk, and have no regard for the train until it hit the brake run.

 

Darn you deathbydinn for posting a report at basically the same time!

 

Don't worry, yours is much more in depth.

Mt. O is the ghetto park of the middle America that has much more potential than it shows, too bad the owner is only concerned with the current level of incoming cash versus what he could be getting.

 

Only 'critique' I could give you is to make sure your photos are no larger than 800x600, they will not only look better on the forum but will also conform to the forum rules. Other than that it's a lot to read but the story line is good.

^ Whoops! Thanks for pointing that out Chad! The last batch of pictures will be the wrong size again unfortunately. Making a mental note for the future...

 

The end of the report!

Little Titans doing it's thing. A credit I'll never be able to get. =(

A little info on the man behind the park.

Looking back across the park heading up Zeus' lift. Oh God, I hope I make it...

 

(*Checked and okayed again*)

Zeus' first drop. Hopefully this isn't the last thing I see...

Flying through the turnaround. This part of the ride normally is pretty sucky, but in the front it is manageable.

Zeus has some unrealized potentially, IMO. The speed never lets up through the ride and there are 4 good moments of airtime (like here). I would be very pleased to see this ride run in top condition. That would give the park one heck of a one-two-three punch.

Getting ready to roar passed the station.

Slaloming through the last bit on Hades. As you can see, the ride's speed never lets up.

Here's the thing; Mt. Olympus had a bunch of space behind the park to do something, ANYTHING with. Instead, they flattended it all and made it into this parking lot. The problem is I have never EVER seen it being used. The original lot is already huge, and if this lot was ever needed, it would be far too busy for me to even visit the park. Also, the money spent here could have been used in other, more worth while places. Personally, I think a small steel coaster (like an El Loco or Eurofighter or something along those lines) would be a great addition to the park, but we'll see what Mt. Olympus has in store for the future.

Turning up into the wild pre-lift section.

Hellish lift hill shot.

As the next several pictures show, Hades a.) gets nice and close to the queue line and b.) is very speedy.

One more trip through the woods.

The ride might have been running fine, but that didn't mean it wasn't having it's troubles today. The front left seat (my favorite) had trouble unlocking all day and at one point a seat divider in the middle of the train came out, leading to the removal of the entire bench. The only nice thing was that the ride ops were filling empty seats on every train. Now if people didn't act like such a**holes and make a huge deal out of moving back 2 rows...

Navigating the small air hill at the end of the ride.

The entire ride is so fast, it's BLLUUURRYY.

Our last ride of the day comes to an end. =(

Goodbye Hades. Hopefully I'll see you again soon!

Whew, they made it out!

Some food pictures are in order, I think. =D

(Wait, is that pizza after every trip report so far? Bay Beach? Check. Noah's Ark? Check. Great America? Check. Wow, I might be a pizza-holic...) Pizza Ranch, while not the most spectacular pizza place in a town filled with stellar pizza, is a nice way to get everyone something they want at an affordable price. It is quite good, but a major problem the place has is it's VERY popular and can be an absolute zoo if you visit around 8 or whenever parks close. However, with several different pizzas and one section of the buffet devoted to not-pizza offerings, it's a place I love to hit after a long day of riding.

 

Too busy? There's one nearby in Baraboo that's far less overrun, so a short drive might be your best choice.

The aftermath of our pizza destruction. So much California chicken pizza and Cactus Bread. X)

If you've made it this far, congratulations! You survived LoneRider's assault on Mt. Olympus. Thanks for reading! As always, questions/comments are appreciated. See you all again soon!

At least this part of Mt. Olympus is Dave approved, right?

 

HELL YES!

 

Nice photos. It's a shame this park isn't as good as it could be. And that wave pool scares me.

 

dt

I thought the tunnels were the best part of Hades--but getting to them was absolute hell. The water park looks good, particularly the new play area, but I have little desire to visit Mt. Olympus again.

Even though this is an old trip report.. I just saw it now and really thought it was cool. Thanks!