Hades 360

Roller coaster in the United States
Watch the on-ride POV
Hades 360
The first drop of Hades 360
Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park
Location Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, USA
Status Operating since May 14, 2005
Statistics
Designer / calculations The Gravity Group, LLC
Type Wooden - Hybrid
Riders per train 24
Propulsion Chain lift hill
Height 136 feet
Elevation change 160 feet
Drop 140 feet
Top speed 60 mph
Length 4746 feet
Inversions 1
Drop angle 65°
Duration 2:20
G-Force 3.5
HELP

Hades 360 is a wooden hybrid roller coaster located at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, USA.[1] Designed by The Gravity Group, LLC and built in-house, it opened in 2005 and has wooden track and steel supports. In 2013, the roller coaster reopened following the addition of a corkscrew and an over-banked curve. Prior to this transformation, it was called Hades.

History

Hades under construction in 2004
The turnaround in 2011, before the corkscrew was added

In January 2004, it was revealed that The Gravity Group, LLC had begun designing a new wooden roller coaster for Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, which would be built in-house. No details were released at this time, only that this would be the park's largest roller coaster.[2]

The roller coaster opened on May 14, 2005 as Hades. At the time, it had a 90-degree banked curve, the highest banking of any wooden roller coaster curve.[1]

The ride experience would become rough as the years went on.[3] On November 13, 2012, Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park announced that the roller coaster would be modified and renamed Hades 360 for the 2013 season. A corkscrew was installed, as well as a 110-degree over-banked curve and a new Timberliner train. These modifications were carried out by The Gravity Group and Gravitykraft Corporation.[4] The track length was also increased by approximately 20 feet.[1][5]

The ride reopened on May 25, 2013.[6] It was the second modern wooden inverting roller coaster, as Outlaw Run opened two months prior at Silver Dollar City. However, Outlaw Run uses Rocky Mountain Construction's "Topper Track", which has thicker steel rails than traditional wooden track. This makes Hades 360's corkscrew the first modern inversion with "traditional" wooden track, albeit with a steel support structure.

Design

Elements

At 800 feet long, the tunnel is the longest underground one on a roller coaster.[4] The first drop dives into the tunnel, which passes underneath a parking lot. When the train resurfaces, it travels through the corkscrew and round the 110-degree over-banked curve. It then dives back into the tunnel to return to the station.

Trains

The interior of the former train

Single train with 12 cars. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in a single row, for a total of 24 riders per train.

The train used today was built by Gravitykraft Corporation. Prior to the transformation into Hades 360, the ride used a train from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company.

Images

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hades 360° - The Gravity Group
  2. Gravity Group Roller Coaster at Big Chief Mount Olympus Theme Park - Press Release - RCDB
  3. "Roller Coaster Redemption: How These Once-Despised Rides Became Beloved Thrills".
  4. 4.0 4.1 Mt. Olympus Adding Upside Down Element To Wooden Roller Coaster - Ultimate Rollercoaster
  5. Hades - The Gravity Group, LLC (Wayback archive)
  6. Hades 360 Opens at Mt. Olympus - ACE News Now

External links


Articles on Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park