Mt. Olympus Adding Upside Down Element To Wooden Roller Coaster

Wisconsin Dells, WI — Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park announced plans to transform its Hades roller coaster to become one of the first wooden coasters in the world to feature an upside down roll. The new roller coaster renamed Hades 360 will open to the public in spring 2013.

Mt. Olympus plans to transform the existing wooden roller coaster by incorporating several new elements into the layout. The additions include a 360-degree upside down loop, a 135-degree overbanked turn and a new state-of-the-art train.

After the transformation, Hades 360 will remain 160-feet tall and begin with a 140-foot drop at a 65-degree angle. Hades 360 will reach speeds of up to 70 miles-per-hour.

The 4,725-foot long ride will continue to hold its title of having the world's longest underground tunnel. This 800-foot long section of track includes a 90-degree turn in complete darkness.

The modifications and new train will be engineered and constructed by The Gravity Group, the same group that built the original Hades. Hades 360 will retain its classic wood support structure.

The innovation of incorporating an inverting element into a wooden coaster has yet to be successfully done in the amusement industry. Next year two other parks are planning to unveil wooden coasters with inversions. The Hades 360 announcement follows already announced plans from Silver Dollar City in Branson and Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio.