Zeus is a wooden roller coaster at Mt.
Olympus Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells.
This coaster opened to positive reviews, but it earned a reputation as a rough and painful
coaster throughout the 2010s.
But has recent retracking saved this ride?
Find out in this review!
Back when this place was known as Big Chief’s Carts and Coasters, the park added a trio
of wood coasters from Custom Coasters International in the 1990s.
The last and largest of the three was Zeus in 1997.
Standing 90 feet or 27 meters tall and spanning 2900 feet or 880 meters, Zeus would become
the tallest and longest roller coaster in all of Wisconsin.
Both those record have been surpassed by the monstrous Hades 360 at the same park.
Zeus is advertised as having a 60 mph or 97 kph top speed, which technically ties it with
Hades 360 for the state’s fastest coaster.
However, I find it extremely unlikely Zeus hits the same speed as a coaster with a drop
that’s over 50 feet taller.
While Zeus received positive praise until the mid-2000s, it received near unanimous
criticism for the next decade.
Those who rode Zeus said it was unbearably rough.
In fact, there’s a sign in the station warning guests that Zeus is “very aggressive today”.
My first ride on Zeus occurred in 2019.
I braced for the worst and much to my surprise, it was shockingly smooth.
That past off-season, Mt.
Olympus retracked a large chunk of the coaster and it worked wonders.
Zeus was restored to its former glory.
Zeus is the first coaster you come across when you enter Mt.
Olympus in more ways than one.
The pathway into the park runs alongside the coaster’s first drop and the fencing here
is oddly low.
I’m pretty sure a guest could easily touch the track if they wanted to.
The entrance is also just around the corner.
It’s the only attraction whose entrance is located atop the hill.
Zeus doesn’t have much queue space.
The line consists solely of a staircase up to the station, so the line often spills onto
the midway.
Fortunately, Zeus usually has a manageable wait.
If the line is at the base of the stairs, it takes roughly 10-15 minutes.
The operator loads the train at an ok rate, but like all the coasters at Mt.
Olympus, Zeus only has a single train.
And unlike most CCI coasters that feature a 6 car train, Zeus only has 5 cars so it
seats a maximum of 20 riders per cycle.
And that train looks weathered.
While the white paint and logo look good on the outside, the interior of the train is
chipped in spots.
The restraints are your standard seatbelt and individual lap bar combination.
The lap bar will want to ratchet down further on the valleys, so you may want to hold onto
it once checked.
Zeus currently rides well in all rows, so I recommend trying both the front and back.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this coaster gets rough again over time though given its
history.
Once dispatched, Zeus begins with a curving drop down the hill.
While this coaster seems to have a straight-forward out-and-back layout, it is a terrain coaster
so you get some surprise elevation changes along the course.
The minimally banked drop out of the station gives some nice laterals.
You then ascend the lift hill.
It starts nestled between trees, but you get a good view of the park at the top since the
ride is atop the hill.
After turning 90 degrees to the left, you head down the 85 foot or 26 meter tall first
drop.
And if you’re in the back, you get some decent floater airtime.
You then zip over three consecutive bunny hills.
These hills are very low-to-the-ground and super elongated.
The first one is straightforward.
The second one doesn’t really have a drop on the other side.
The third one has a short rise upwards before having a small but surprise dip down the hill.
Each hill delivers a weak pop of floater airtime up front.
In the back, you get weak floater airtime on the first and third.
The third hill even gives a little freefall sensation since the added height of the dip
sneaks up on you.
You then enter the far turnaround.
The entrance into this element gives good floater airtime up front.
You then bank downwards and around a minimally banked turn, delivering decent and sustained
laterals for all.
The turn starts to rise upwards before navigating a short dip downwards, but it’s too shallow
to offer any force.
You then rise upwards and abruptly turn 90 degrees, which delivers a very strong jolt
of laterals.
You then start the return run.
It starts with a double down off the turnaround.
The large initial descent is a dud, but the second drop is a sudden dip down the hill.
You get a little floater pop up front, but those in the back get a much stronger airtime
pop.
You then rise back up the hill, giving everyone some nice floater airtime.
You then twist upwards 90 degrees into the brake run and this turn delivers another strong
dose of laterals.
You then hit the brakes and continue down a small dip into the station where you finally
come to a stop.
And if you’re lucky, you may overshoot the station brakes and get a second lap.
Not only does Zeus have a layout with some fun laterals and floater airtime, but it also
holds its speed very well start to finish.
You careen into that final brake run with quite a bit of speed.
So what would I rate Zeus?
I would give this CCI a 7 out of 10.
It is a solid wood coaster.
While the airtime may not be world class, most hills pop you out of your seat.
And that airtime is accompanied by a great sense of speed, subtle but nice use of terrain,
and good laterals on the turns.
I’m very thankful Mt.
Olympus retracked this coaster since the layout is pretty good and it’s now running smoothly.
So those are my thoughts on Zeus at Mt.
Olympus.
What are your thoughts on this out-and-back coaster?
Let me know what you think down in the comments and if you rode it, let me know if it was
before the retrack.
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