Fans of old-timey wooden coasters rejoice! The Hades 360 at Wisconsin’s Mt. Olympus theme park takes old technology and puts it on its head. Literally! In this article we’ll take a look at the Hades 360 and see how it holds up against some of the other top coasters in the region.
WHAT IS THE HADES 360?
The original Hades wooden roller coaster debuted in 2005. At the time it was praised and ranked in the top 10 of all wooden coasters nationwide. It held onto that ranking until 2012, when it slipped down to 12th. As a result, The Gravity Group, designers of the coaster, went back to the drawing board and tried to make Hades even better.
COASTER SPECS
This coaster has a max height of 136ft with a 140ft drop, reaches 60mph and runs for over 4,700 feet.
LOCATION
Mt. Olympus is located in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.
HOW IT COMPARES
We’ll take a quick look at these other three hot coasters in the area.
HADES 360
DESIGN
Simply put, it’s a wooden coaster with some features that wooden coasters just aren’t supposed to have. Naturally, if you like wooden coasters, then you’ll love the smooth construction yet wild ride.
SPEED
It’s hard to beat 60mph on a wooden roller coaster. It’ll feel a lot faster; hang on for your life!
THRILL FEATURES
You normally wouldn’t find a 360 degree barrel roll, a 110 degree over-banked turn, or a 65 degree drop on a wooden coaster. On Hades 360, that’s completely normal. As far as wooden coasters go, that’s some unique territory.
RIDE LENGTH
2 minutes and 20 seconds makes for a decent ride length, especially true considering how many rides are shortening their laps.
SAFETY
Roller coasters are super safe nowadays; however a bumpy ride on a wooden coaster could pose problems for some people. If you have any head or neck issues, you might want to avoid riding this one.
X-COASTER
The X-Coaster at Magic Springs Arkansas is a Skyloop design. It is very unusual among coasters and sure to be a delight.
DESIGN
It’s a loop: simple, yet jaw dropping.
SPEED
Like Hades 360, the X-Coaster breaks 65mph in a hurry.
THRILL FEATURES
You get to hang upside-down while strapped in for a few seconds, which is terrifyingly fun. The corkscrew drop and fast fall make for an exciting finish.
RIDE LENGTH
At a measly 492ft, this ride is over before it begins.
SAFETY
This ride has been closed down more times than one can count. It was even due for removal years ago yet still hangs around.
GOLIATH
Goliath, upon its release in 2014, was dubbed the king of wooden coasters. Claiming several records, it definitely is tough to beat.
DESIGN
Goliath features some extremely new techniques along with classic wooden coaster mainstays. Drop below ground level into a tunnel? Check. Leg and waist harnesses only? Yep.
SPEED
72mph on the drop is insane for any coaster, let alone a wooden one.
THRILL FEATURES
You get a great zero-g hang, which is even scarier without shoulder harnesses. An 85 degree vertical angle is as close to a straight drop as you can get.
RIDE LENGTH
Sadly it’s a shorter track at just about 3000 feet.
SAFETY
Being more recently designed, this coaster has been running consistently since its introduction.
TWISTER II
The most “vintage” wooden coaster on our list, this 1995 masterpiece continues to be a fun ride for visitors to Elitch Gardens in Colorado.
DESIGN
Twister II is all about helixes and curves, which can be fun, but it doesn’t offer much in the way of speed.
SPEED
Reaching 55mph for a moment is fun, but most of the ride will be a lot slower.
THRILL FEATURES
It lacks inversions and steeper drops. Twister II shows the limitations of wooden coaster technology at the time.
RIDE LENGTH
At 2 minutes and 17 seconds, it provides a comfortable, albeit quick ride.
SAFETY
No safety issues have ever been reported with Twister II.
IN CONCLUSION
The renovations to Hades that made the Hades 360 make for a great ride. Although it can’t quite beat the steepest drops and top speeds of coasters made after it, the 2012 refresh of Hades brought the ride back to life. It clearly wins over older wooden coasters and holds its own against modern giants.
Featured Image from Pixabay
