Hades 360

[flightoffear1996]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEtAtcDA8iM

[stashua123]

WHAT?!?!?!?! Ok...

[thunderbeast1968]

SWEET!!!!

[SonofBaconator]

Well, we have the world's longest above ground right side up wooden coaster. TAKE THAT OLYMPUS!!

[jdawg1998]

These things are such gimmicks. I'm tired of it already.

[TombRaiderFTW]

Well, I'm excited for it, anyway. This is the first legitimate wooden coaster barrel roll, as far as I'm concerned, and it's fun watching the industry take this turn.

I'm having flashbacks to the 2008-2009 Gravitycast podcasts, when Chad talked about inversions being a design possibility now that The Gravity Group has control over the train design. I figured we'd see that sooner or later, but I never guessed it would be on the company's first original design. This is awesome, and I'm glad to hear Hades is getting train(s) better suited to its design. From what I've gathered, it's needed some love for a couple years.

On that note: Given the head start they've taken in deconstructing that turn already, it sounds like TGG has a lot more confidence in installing the Timberliners this time around, compared to how Holiday World's version has gone down. I bet Mt. Olympus is probably paying more than the ~$500,000 Holiday World paid for their two Timberliner trains. I'd say this bodes well for seeing TLs on Voyage in 2013.

[UnrealNightmare]

I just woke up and saw the video. This is still my favorite wooden coaster even without this and now I'm even more excited. I'm kind of more excited about the new trains! Hades finally getting some love! I wish they'd be able to run a second train on it though.

[Original]

Hmm... a wooden looping coaster... gosh, I have heard of this somewhere!.... But I just can't seem to put my finger on it...hmmmm

[flightoffear1996]

How come they can only run one train

[kblanken]

How come they can only run one train

According to some random stranger who said they asked the park, it is because they want to take absolutely no chances of a collision.

[ziplock]

How come they can only run one train

According to some random stranger who said they asked the park, it is because they want to take absolutely no chances of a collision.

Yes, Mount Olympus claims that their one train operation is solely for safety purposes and collision prevention. Knowing their track record for maintaining coasters in the past, I personally don't blame them. However, Hades' queue moves tediously slow with only one train and I would love to see another added if it was deemed safe. It takes the lazy, unmotivated employees a lot longer to load a train than it should, and there should constantly be a train being loaded as the other takes its course.

I'm very excited to hear the news of a coaster-upgrade at my home park. Sure it may seem less than impressive to those of you who live in coaster-kingdom, but it will be nice to have an inverting coaster in the same state as me. I have ridden Hades 100+ times now and welcome the much needed changes! It will be interesting to see how the new Timberliners affect the ride's smoothness and how long it will take for the ride to return to its neglected, rough self.

[McSalsa]

As Son of Beast dies, new & 1 old "wooden" and hybrid coasters with inversions begin to rise...ironically, when The Bat "died" in '84, that's when other suspended coasters started to pop up, too...

If wooden coasters with inversions become popular, I could see Kings Island trying it again. They tried the suspended coaster again with Flight Deck, after all...and it worked the 2nd time! But the park waited until The Bat was dead for 9 years...using this logic, Kings Island will get a new inverting wooden coaster in 2021! Now, the 200'+ tall part of SOB...not sure on that...

[McSalsa]

Also, check this out- wooden shuttle coasters!

[Tanna]

For some reason, I'd thought that half the seats would be facing the other way.

[pkiboy]

Hopefully this makes Hades a re ridable coaster. If not you will find me on Cyclops all day in the back seat .

[stashua123]

At first i was thinking okay a 360 degree pov of hades just like leviathan. then i saw this.

[Browntggrr]

If wooden coasters with inversions become popular, I could see Kings Island trying it again. They tried the suspended coaster again with Flight Deck, after all...and it worked the 2nd time!

I wouldn't hold your breath.

While everything you mentioned is accurate, the glaring difference in the two scenarios are the safety issues SoB had.

[beastfan11]

If wooden coasters with inversions become popular, I could see Kings Island trying it again. They tried the suspended coaster again with Flight Deck, after all...and it worked the 2nd time!

I wouldn't hold your breath.

While everything you mentioned is accurate, the glaring difference in the two scenarios are the safety issues SoB had.

But somebody died on The Bat and Son of Beast? Right?

Right?

Sigh.

[Aaron88stang]

That is sick. KI please give the gravity group a call and let them come up with a proper replacement for SOB.

[Browntggrr]

But somebody died on The Bat and Son of Beast? Right?

Right?

Sigh.

I sincerely hope you are not implying that a fatality has to take place for something to be considered a safety issue.

[Guest Department47]

If wooden coasters with inversions become popular, I could see Kings Island trying it again. They tried the suspended coaster again with Flight Deck, after all...and it worked the 2nd time!

I wouldn't hold your breath.

While everything you mentioned is accurate, the glaring difference in the two scenarios are the safety issues SoB had.

Safety issues with one coaster wouldn't affect the safety of another coaster built at a different time with a different design by a different company. No matter what happened with Son of Beast, it's not impossible that a new inverting wooden roller coaster could be built, especially considering how popular these new wooden roller coasters might become.

[Browntggrr]

Safety issues with one coaster wouldn't affect the safety of another coaster built at a different time with a different design by a different company. No matter what happened with Son of Beast, it's not impossible that a new inverting wooden roller coaster could be built, especially considering how popular these new wooden roller coasters might become.

I 100% agree, but I also look at the business side when it comes to these decisions.

For instance:

Well I had an interesting conversation in study hall today......

Girl: "Did you hear King's Island tearing down Vortex?"

Me: "No, Why?"

Girl: "It's built in a sink hole and the thing you ride in could come off the track."

Me: *Starts laughing* and continues on with History homework

Girl: "It's not funny, people could die!"

We all know that Vortex is not sinking, nor has it ever been sinking.

This is just one rumor (and joke)- and look how it is taken & has been taken for many years.

Now, if KI would erect a new wood coaster that has inversions, would the everyday guest be able to distinguish between the new ride and the former SoB?

[flightoffear1996]

I'm guessing the all wooden coasters being built now is that wood is much much cheaper than steel?

[Hendrick]

Outlaw Run is $10 million. Gatekeeper is $30 million. Gatekeeper does include a new entrance, but you still get the idea.

[CoastersRZ]

There are also things other than just a new entrance building coming to Cedar Point... Buildings can be expensive, and general site improvements are not cheap. So the true cost of investment at Cedar Point doesn`t include just the physical hardware from B&M. There also is the demolition costs associated with Disaster Transport and Space Needle.

Wooden coasters can be quite expensive in their own right, depending on how much other infrastructure is required.

As far as the two coasters at Mt. Olympus, keep in mind that with two train operation, you need to have a storage track for one of the trains. If there is no storage track, then the ride needs to be modified to provide this. When both Raven and Legend opened at Holiday World, they only had one train. With modifications, a storage area was added and two train operation began. Hopefully, as others have stated, this means good things for Voyage running Timberliners in 2013 at Holiday World.

[Hendrick]

I'm sure Silver Dollar City's number includes general site improvements as well. There is a $20 million gap between the two coasters, which is more then enough to accommodate the extra buildings and removal of rides to make room for Gate Keeper. On another note, Leviathan cost $28 million, so it's still safe to say that wooden coasters are significantly cheaper then their steel counterparts. (I know, a lot of steel goes into making it a 300+ft coaster, but the cost is still there.)

[beastfan11]

But somebody died on The Bat and Son of Beast? Right?

Sigh.

I sincerely hope you are not implying that a fatality has to take place for something to be considered a safety issue.

No, no. My sternum explained that to me after I rode the re-opened Son of Beast years ago.

[BB1]

May this be the return of our woodies? I like this coaster, only to hope that CF will place a new SOB II (no problems, and NO(wooden)) than a steel coaster at KI.

[TTD-120-420]

I think Hades looks sweet, but the shuttle coaster looked lame. I'll take Thunderhead over that any day.

[Joncars05]

I like the idea of a wooden shuttle coaster. But just imagine the capacity nightmare of a shuttle woodie that has a 2 minute track run from beginning to end...