Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Hades 360 Photo Trip Report


Recommended Posts

With the holiday weekend approaching, my wife and I were planning to take a trip down to Great America in Gurnee but with Friday's announcement that Hades 360 was up and running our plans were easily changed! So we packed up the cooler and headed the 2 and a half hours down to the Dells. It had been a few years since I had been down to the park and the other times I had been to the city we opted to go to Noah's Ark or some of the other water resorts so Mt. Olympus had been kind of an elusive park well within my reach.

 

I walked off of Hades 360 incredibly impressed! There were just so many good things about the ride. Unfortunately I was not able to compare to it's original form, but the new track work and new trains are just awesome. My job now is to mull it over and i still have not been able to make the call of which I liked better between Hades 360 and Outlaw Run which we were able to hit up on our anniversary vacation earlier this month. So far it is Memorial Day 2013 and already has been an AWESOME coaster season!

 

I will definatly say this for those that have never visited Mt. Olympus before, it is not your corporate park. We got in line right at park open to see the first (and pretty sure only) test of the ride with a full train of ride ops. It seemed like they recruited every worker in a 500 yard radius to jump on and give er a whirl before letting the public on. We get into the station to see some building supplies still laying around the station. My wife put it best. "other parks use water dummies....they use people here! They would only send a train today with EVERY seat filled. In fact before our first ride of the day we needed to wait till one of the many teenagers waiting for the second ride of the day would jump in the 1 empty seat.

 

The ride itself is pretty rough in parts yet especially in the first drop but the new Timberliner's just haul ass thru the course and were very comfortable! You could still feel a lot of chattering in some of the old track sections but all the padding in the seats are pretty good at absorbing the bumps. The Loop is really cool visually and if you have your hands up you can't help but wonder if there is enough clearance. Gonna have a hard time putting my Mitch Hawker wood poll together this year. Yay for 2 looping woodies! (note.... My wife is firmly on Hades 360 winning over Outlaw Run)

DSC00240.thumb.JPG.7a10b79a9a4e1e11ef948c6f22b168e5.JPG

Just arrived at the Park on a wonderful 55 degree morning...... Yeah it never warmed up

DSC00241.thumb.JPG.14e095c64f48ad0818128a9682bbc330.JPG

The new turnaround (aka NEW HAWTNESS)

DSC00244.thumb.JPG.afa8e9887d1d106ce9e99731888c4f76.JPG

As you can see the announcement that it was open gave the impression it was rushed open for this weekend, but you won't see me complaining!

DSC00246.thumb.JPG.0a720961e06ba0741a72faf9e560a6bb.JPG

Looks like a winner! Note....no empty seats. yes this was by direct order from management and it was not because of crowds..... There was no crowd.

DSC00247.thumb.JPG.d18ca0ffee9e2ce07128800e0ce0a466.JPG

My lovely wife is slowly converted into a coaster nut!! When we met she never had been on one.... Now she loves em!

DSC00248.thumb.JPG.4dc4ef1217102d83314fa1d452853b0b.JPG

Doing my public service as seat filler! Glad to be of service. I can only wish others would do the same. It takes sacrifice!

DSC00250.thumb.JPG.46ff5088a850f1479321ce993a304145.JPG

Motion Shot! as you can see it was hauling ass past the station!

DSC00253.thumb.JPG.f33b3eaa67556234c5416ae6562dfdee.JPG

New wood! "we'll worry about cleaning up later, lets get this B open!"

DSC00255.thumb.JPG.eb00617a4d031f6a2b1f8bad1b45faee.JPG

Obligatory "stand in front of the entrance shot" Yes the Outlaw run sweatshirt was planned!

DSC00257.thumb.JPG.e83edc4a01e669b32931b9752cc15451.JPG

Want your own? all parts available at your Local Home Depot,

DSC00259.thumb.JPG.8d86a82d71951d0bea11a42eac136bb3.JPG

not gonna lie, forgot just HOW CLOSE the paths are to the rides.... shouldn't there be a fence or something?

DSC00261.thumb.JPG.0b17802a5f2b9419a8adbf4e6622c2c4.JPG

Love the new Timberliners! Ride in style, is more of a modern look compared to the Millennium Flyers but are stylish for sure!

DSC00264.thumb.JPG.8c93d6f4a891df2dc6021b6283e45429.JPG

Does it qualify as a parking lot coaster if it goes under it?

DSC00265.thumb.JPG.c3f2e9f3920d61825812d9be23349d66.JPG

360 DEGREE'S

DSC00267.thumb.JPG.72ecbdc43402832fe555e70508abfbe4.JPG

NERD SHOT of the new track leading into the loop!

DSC00273.thumb.JPG.969a167cfc5f318ffa5b89a595dc5534.JPG

just soooo fun, thought the arms were gonna hit but didn't keep me from keeping em up!

DSC00274.thumb.JPG.b5ede996aa95478a31ab36aa1e9142ab.JPG

The color of the trains just POP

DSC00275.thumb.JPG.78eb1de06422eaa49665906ad2f451de.JPG

Gotta give some love to the overbank too, didn't wait for the train, my wife was waiting in the car and didn't want to wait for another cycle.

DSC00252.thumb.JPG.13f7c935a727d485a91401cf5d6a42d0.JPG

Thanks For Reading!! Now I have some thinking to do... good thing the Mitch Hawker Pole is not till winter!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 22
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

Thanks for the report! It's interesting to me that you say it's still pretty rough, yet it's still just as good or possibly better than Outlaw Run. I guess the reviews are making me very intrigued to ride, since it's not often that you hear people say a ride is rough yet really good at the same time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love that they still have all the tools and stuff out around the ride. I'm surprised they did not change the sign. So after hearing a few reviews, it sounds like you just have to know when to brace yourself for the rough spots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The POV and reports have surprised me. I was really expecting this ride to not live up to expectations.

 

The whole idea of a rough but good wooden coaster is something that excites me. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be beat up by no means as I ride, however I feel that wooden coasters feel natural with a little roughness to them.

 

Looking more and more forward to the Texas/Mid-West trip now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just registered to say there is absolutely no way Mt. Olympus does a good job maintaining this coaster in the future. They are a joke. They only care about the gimmick and making some quick bucks. Why do you think they're blatantly lying on the Hades 360 tag line. It's an insult to coaster fans who know the truth. The last time I was there was a nightmare. I rode Zeus and the ride OPs were unskilled 15 year-olds goofing off. They stopped the train about 4 or 5 gates off from the queue gates, and then everyone just made a mad rush for seats once the gates opened, because the cars weren't lined up properly. People were shoving their way onto the ride and the ride OPs were just watching and laughing. People and ride ops were jumping across the track in the station. Then when I finally got on, I realized on the lift hill that the ratchet mechanism on my lap bar was broken and the bar went completely up like a floppy noodle. I had the seatbelt on, but the stitching on the seat belt was nearly ripped through. Luckily Zeus isn't the most extreme ride out there, but I was holding on for dear life not to fall out of the car during airtime. When I got back to the station, I called the 15 year old ride OP over to look at my broken bar and nearly-broken seatbelt and he just shrugged it off and said "whatever" and ushered me to the exit. That place is an utter joke of an amusement park and I give it a couple years until Hades 360 is just as run down. They barely even did any safety testing on this ride before they opened it to the GP. And does anyone know or care why they require a full train for each dispatch? That's the only time I've ever seen that practice.

 

Also, I wonder if the OP's opinion of Hades 360 and Outlaw Run was influenced by the order in which he rode them. I wonder if he would have preferred Outlaw Run if that was the coaster he just rode... I rode the heck out of Outlaw Run about a week ago (9 rides in 2 days) and I can't name 5 wood coasters in the world that are better. It's amazing. Given Hades' extreme roughness and negative reviews from past seasons and the relatively small amount of changes they made for 2013, I highly doubt Hades 360 could top OR, but again it's just opinion and everyone has one...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ As someone from Wisconsin who has lived in Branson for the past three years, I have to agree. Mount Olympus clearly does not maintain their rides. Hades was great when it opened but each year it got rougher and rougher. Outlaw Run is simply one of the best wooden coasters on the planet. I haven't yet ridden Hades 360 but it is incredibly difficult to imagine that it could even come close to the caliber of Outlaw Run, given that the majority of the track hasn't been improved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the report! It's interesting to me that you say it's still pretty rough, yet it's still just as good or possibly better than Outlaw Run. I guess the reviews are making me very intrigued to ride, since it's not often that you hear people say a ride is rough yet really good at the same time.

 

 

While I did say it was rough, It was more in the "I just rode a woodie" rough It was very re-ridable, you are not gonna get off feeling like you got hit by freight train. Running thru the tunnel it Roars. To be honest the only part I felt that it could stand for some retrackwork yet was the Main drop into the tunnel. But over all the Timberliners do a great job of absorbing a good part of the chatter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the report! I myself, loved Hades in the front seat at night when I was there two years ago when people were saying it was at it's absolute worst. But I could understand the hate for it as neither my partner or father liked it and they rode in the same train.

 

I would love to get back there and ride this thing again...I'll have to add it to the list for whenever I make it out to SFGA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good report, and great pictures! Good to meet another coaster nerd at Hades! We're everywhere it seems. I'm sore from my rides on Hades, and just as much from the other coasters. Heck, all that walking up and down 40-50' high stations and hills is a great work out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good report, and great pictures! Good to meet another coaster nerd at Hades! We're everywhere it seems. I'm sore from my rides on Hades, and just as much from the other coasters. Heck, all that walking up and down 40-50' high stations and hills is a great work out.

 

Definatly more sore from the stairs and hills than from the rides, but any aches and pains today would have been from Zues and Cyclops, not Hades

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^After a few rides on all of em my first day, it all kinda blended in! You know, first day get bruised on coasters, second day - everything is tender. All worth it, of course.

 

So tell us Josh, have you decided between Outlaw Run or Hades? I guess we really don't have to make "lists," it does get super nerdy. Which ain't a bad thing either

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The more I think about it the more i am leaning towards Hades in the side by side. They were both really close and both did things that you would not expect. Outlaw run was full of twisty goodness, and the moments of 90 degree sideways air time were completely unique. But what is really selling me on Hades 360 is the Overall experience. I love the fact that there is the long section before hitting the lift hill, and was just blown away by the loop. Running the entire tunnel in pitch black to the first thing you see out of the tunnel as you emerge is that loop? So awesome. But before casting my final judgement gonna wait a few days and let the initial high wear off. My wife on the other hand gave the edge to Hades instantly after our first circuit... but then again she has did rank Mean Streak on her list ungodly high....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My wife on the other hand gave the edge to Hades instantly after our first circuit...

She's also smart for sitting out for a ride here and there! I could stand to learn a little moderation. Remembering how sick I got one year after a double ride on Voyage...

 

but then again she has did rank Mean Streak on her list ungodly high....

I think sometimes we can have really good experiences on rides that are usually mediocre or not-so-good. I'm the biggest "NOT a big B&M fan" I know, but I had a zen ride on Batman last year. Go figure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

uwgbdork, today you've convinced me to go back to Mt Olympus and try out the new Hades experience for myself. I'll be there June 5 and if Hades is half as good as your comparison to Outlaw Run, I'll be incredibly happy. Thank you for an awesome and detailed report of your time at Mt Olympus!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/