Hades 360 is an insane wooden roller coaster at Mt. Olympus.
This coaster has an incredible layout featuring several steep drops, two lengthy underground
tunnels beneath the parking lot, and a corkscrew inversion. However, it has a major Achilles heel.
This ride is incredibly rough. Does that ruin the ride experience? Find out in this review.
Mt. Olympus built a trio of wood coasters from Custom Coasters International in the mid-1990s.
After that company went bankrupt in the early 2000s,
some of their engineers went on to form the Gravity Group in 2002.
So it’s no surprise Mt. Olympus went back to a few familiar faces for their next major coaster.
Hades originally opened back in 2005 as just Hades. This was the first coaster ever built
by the Gravity Group and they certainly made a splash. Hades was and still is a statistical
monster. It’s 140 foot or 43 meter tall drop would be one of the largest on any wood coaster
and it just narrowly misses the top 10 nowadays. The coaster also features a whopping 4746 feet
or 1447 meters of track, which is still good for the 8th longest wood coaster in the world.
But it wasn’t just the stats. Hades had a crazy layout. Named after the god of the underworld,
Hades would fittingly dive below the parking lot not once, but twice. Hades has the world’s longest
underground tunnel on a roller coaster. And it’s not just a gimmick either. There are bunny hills
and 90 degree banked turns in there. During normal operating hours, it’s pitch black too,
so it’s pure insanity. This coaster makes quite the impression as you drive into Mt. Olympus.
It’s impossible to miss this monstrous coaster. Hades opened to rave reviews, placing in the top
10 of the Golden Ticket Awards and Mitch Hawker poll for the world’s best wooden roller coasters.
In 2013, Silver Dollar City opened Outlaw Run. This Rocky Mountain Construction
creation would use the company’s Topper Track and invert riders three times.
That same year, Mt. Olympus decided to upgrade their signature coaster. Hades was transformed
into Hades 360. Gravity Group would add a corkscrew on the far turnaround. This would
make it- at the time- the only traditional wood coaster with an inversion. Gravity Group would
add similar inversions to four more of their ground-up wood coasters over the next decade.
From 2005 to 2012, Hades ran PTC trains. The conversion to Hades 360 was accompanied
by brand new Timberliner trains. These were first used on Quassy’s Wooden Warrior in 2011.
These trains were single bench trains so they could more smoothly navigate turns.
Hades 360 was the first coaster retrofit with Timberliners. These trains are lighter than PTC
trains, which helps reduce wear on the track, but they don’t hold carry as much momentum. Hades was
designed with the heavier PTC trains. Even though Hades 360 added 2 extra
rows and increased the ride’s capacity from 20 to 24 passengers,
the new trains would make Hades 360 a valley risk at two points. While the corkscrew lowered
the far turnaround, the giant camelback after the second tunnel would be the most problematic spot.
The coaster could also have difficulties making it back up to the final brake run since it was
positioned so high off the ground. The latter two spots would have anti-rollbacks added.
The park reprofiled the problematic camelback before the 2017 season.
It was shortened and the resultant drop was transformed into a double down.
To mitigate risk of valleying, Hades 360 implemented a strict policy that every single
seat must be filled. This would make Hades 360 a frustrating attraction to experience. On quiet
days, riders would have to patiently wait in the station until there were 24 riders available.
This could take quite some time. Or worse, the ride could be found closed. Even on busy days,
operators would have to call down the line for single riders and they’d hold up the dispatch
until they could fill the empty seats. This policy was in effect as late as my 2019 visit.
Last year, Hades 360 had a more relaxed policy. The train needs to be mostly filled,
but the operators were willing and allowed to send the train with a few empty rows and seats.
If you visit Mt. Olympus on a busy day, you may be waiting a while for Hades.
But at least it guarantees the ride will be open! This ride only has a single train.
It also has a long cycle time between the lengthy ride experience and slow dispatches. And it’s the
park’s most popular attraction. I’ve typically had to wait roughly 45 minutes to experience Hades
and that’s with about half the line filled. The line is fairly well-shaded and it also offers some
fun views of the ride’s second half. You also get some not-so-fun views of trees covered in gum.
The station is super narrow, but you are allowed to wait for a row of your choice as long as the
park gets enough people to fill the train. My favorite row on Hades is easily the back.
This ride has some sizable and steep drops,
so you want to be in the back to experience those to the fullest.
Hades 360 features clamshell restraints that swing down from the side like the other Timberliners.
One addition is a redundant seatbelt that fastens to the outside of the restraint.
I haven’t seen this on any other Timberliners, but it doesn’t impact the ride experience.
When you entered this ride’s queue line, you may have noticed a sign warning you that Hades
360 was quote on quote “riding aggressive today”. Aggressive is an understatement.
In Hades 360’s inaugural year, it precipitously plummeted in coaster polls.
In the Mitch Hawker poll, Hades went from a top 20 ride in 2012 to a bottom 10 ride in 2013.
Was the corkscrew that bad? No, that’s actually one of the smoothest parts of the ride.
Were the trains bad? They may have taken the layout more slowly, but they were
more comfortable and ride still had plenty of power. So what was the problem? The roughness.
Hades had an ambitious layout from day one. While it tracked well in its early years,
the ride tore itself up over the next decade. When people returned for Hades 360, they
encountered one of the roughest wood coasters in the world. And it didn’t matter where they sat.
My first rides occurred in 2019. The ride shuffled profusely throughout the layout,
particularly in the underground tunnels and return run. I was ever so thankful that the
Timberliners absorbed most of the blows. When I returned in 2021, Hades 360 was
even rougher. Those two tunnels are some of the most brutal stretches on
any coaster. I got 5 rides on Hades that year and my back was in agony by the end of two of them.
And for reference, I’m not someone who typically has or has had back issues.
What compounds the roughness on Hades 360 is how wild this coaster is. Most rough coasters
are older and slower wood coasters. This coaster rips through much of its layout and
the coaster’s wildest portion- those underground tunnels- occur in total darkness so you can’t
properly brace yourself for what’s coming. If there is any coaster out there that I would
like to nominate for a full retracking, it would be Hades 360. This coaster’s layout is a 10 out
of 10. The ride becomes an endurance test…and not necessarily a good one…because of how it tracks.
This coaster begins with one of the best pre-lifts out there and it starts with a sizable drop right
out of the station. You had to climb a large staircase to reach the station and you effort
is about to be rewarded. This plunge delivers a great ejector pop if you’re in the back.
You then bank upwards to the right. The ascent offers no airtime, but the descent
is a double-down. If you’re in the back, the second dip gives a quick pop of airtime.
You then round a low turn that really rattles the train and
this is unfortunately a sign of what’s to come. Next is an s-hill and this element is wild. It
delivers an aggressive ejector pop for all. And the drop has this surprise headchopper with a
support. You abruptly twist upwards into the lift- getting some solid laterals along the way.
This is one heck of a start. The pre-lift section does more than some coasters!
When the train engages the lift, the chain is violently slammed. Just take a listen!
That does not sound good. Once atop the 136 foot or 41 meter tall lift,
you immediately head down a 65 degree plunge into an underground tunnel.
This drop is incredible. It delivers sustained airtime bordering on the edge of strong floater
and weak ejector. Plus you have that visual of plunging into what looks like a black hole.
The lights are on in the POV I’m showing, but they’re typically off.
As you blaze through this tunnel, you navigate a small bunny hill, bank right,
head over another bunny hill, traverse a 90 degree turn to the left, and navigate a step-up. All
these elements occur in rapid-fire succession and your body is tossed about like a ragdoll.
The first two bunny hills offer some mildly sustained floater airtime. Then the sudden
changes of direction offer jolts of laterals since you can’t brace for them. And the step-up
gives a little pop of floater airtime. However, this tunnel is the roughest part of the ride.
This section tracks super poorly, so while you experience the ride’s intended forces,
you are also mercilessly jostled about. That 90 degree turn is particularly brutal.
When you emerge from the underworld, you get a downright terrifying headchopper
and then navigate the giant corkscrew. This elongated element offers a pinch of hangtime,
much more so than you’re average corkscrew. It feels more like a zero-G roll to be honest.
This entire section takes place on its own island in the parking lot.
If you aren’t’ familiar with Hades’s layout, you’ll be really confused to see what looks like
some random wood coaster track all by itself. The corkscrew is followed by a low and shaky turn
before zooming over a camelback that drops you back underground. This hill delivers good
sustained floater airtime up front, but those in the back get weak ejector airtime because of
the sizable plunge. And this element is presented well with the Greek columns positioned around it.
You don’t see something like that on Pantheon! The second tunnel starts with a minimally banked
right turn with solid laterals followed by an elongated left turn that features three humps,
including one that is slightly outer banked. Each hill delivers a small pop of airtime
and you also get some faint laterals throughout. However,
this stretch is almost as jarring as the outward tunnel.
You then burst out of the tunnel and coast over the big camelback. Those up front get
some floater airtime, but the element is even better in the back. Remember, it’s a double
down. Those in back get a faint pop on the first descent and great floater on the second dip.
Heck, even the front gets a little floater pop on that second dip since you have so much speed.
Next is a turnaround. The entry into this element gives some weak floater up-front
and then you have this swooping drop downwards. It gives a little bit of laterals,
but it’s more notable for how shaky it is. Hades then flies over back-to-back bunny hills.
The first one gives a little floater up front while the back gets a weak pop on the second one.
And that second one also includes a sweet headchopper with some supports.
You then wrap upwards into the brake run and bleed off speed shockingly fast.
It really feels like you’re going to stall out. You then hit the final brakes,
but the ride isn’t over. You have this unassuming little dip into the station,
but those in the back get a little yank forwards since the train enters
the station with some appreciable speed. This ends the experience on Hades 360.
So what would I rate this coaster? This is one of the hardest coasters for me to rank, but I
would give Hades 360 a 7 out of 10. This coaster is not one that I can marathon. It takes a toll
on your body. But I love the layout and elements so much that I’m willing to endure the beating.
This ride has a handful of amazing drops in the back car and those underground tunnels
are completely out-of-control between the darkness, speed, and dynamics.
If this park can’t perform a full retracking, bare minimum, I think they need to address those
two underground tunnels. That stretch has the potential to be one of the best on any coaster,
but it’s hard to fully appreciate its brilliance when you’re getting roughed up.
This is a flawed coaster in its current state, but it is still my favorite ride at Mt. Olympus.
If you hate rough rides, you may want to avoid this one. There aren’t many coasters rougher
than Hades 360. But if you can handle an aggressive ride, you will love Hades.
So those are my thoughts on Hades 360. What are your thoughts on this coaster?
Do you think it’s too rough? Let me know which version of this attraction you experienced.
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