Has anyone heard or seen how Hades is coming along?

I'm really excited about this coaster. Anyone know anything recent?

Most of the construction currently happening isn't very visible. Save for the steel running rails, the visible portions of the ride have now been tracked.

-Nate

RCDB has quite a few pics, I don't know if you looked there yet. Man how I hat woodies with steel supports.

Why does the support structure matter (assuming you ment 'Hate' and not 'hat')?

I don't think it does except for parts where the coaster goes under the track. The steal supports are much more minimalist that the wood, obstructing your view much less.

The support structure matters to me, Tekno. I much prefer wood over steel. Wood, which is more forgiving and pliable, has a totally different feel than steel.

YMMV, of course ;)

Techno...Maybe it's just a psychological thing with me, but it seems I can always feel a big difference whether the supports are steel or wood. Steel supports just don't seem to have that "give cushioning effect" that wood does, and the ride seems to be much stiffer in my opinion.

The Dec. 10 ACE News Now on the ACE site says Hades is "nearing completion," but they could just be guessing with that vague term.

I check on the construction weekly. About 80% of the structure is completed and construction has slowed down do to freezing rains and typical Wisconsin snow storms.

Uh...there has not yet been a "typical Wisconsin snow storm." So what gives?

-Nate

Not only snow-storms, but freezing rain. Freezing rain haults everything that has to do with construction.

Okay, not a "typical" snow storm, not a catargory 5 blizzards. But the winds from the lakes are causing frezzing rains.

I mainly prfer all wood over steel structure for asthetic appeal. I can't say I've managed to notice a difference in how they affect the ride experience. None the less, Hades looks wicked. I can't wait to ride it and Avalanche in 2005, not to mention good `ole Cyclops. :)

Has anyone figured out that helix/head-chopper yet?

Zeus has some steel under structure, I think it's still a wicked awesome cool ride.

Cyclops, the best kept secret for wooden coaster lovers. Better said, the best air time ever concieved,...EVER!

Even so, how many times have we had freezing rains so far this year? Once (last night)?

Weather has been extremely mild so far this year (knock on wood).

-Nate

I understand that the steel stucture could matter to some, but honestly a lot of the steel structures are still top 10 rides. IE Cornball.

I think that Cornball and for that matter the Coney Island Cyclone (and until recently the GE Comet) have all stood their own with steel supports.

BUT....coasters like Villain, Twisted Twins, and even for that matter Great White have not faired so well...I think that this may have a lot to do with the parks that they are in (ie maintenance) and the construction thereof (ie CCI).

Best,

Jim 'jimvid' McDonnell

But in general wood coasters awesomeness depends on how lovingly the parks take care of them, either wood or steel structure just depends on how much the park likes the rides. Raven and Legend run as good now as they ever have, so does Hoosier Hurricane and Cornball and the parks like them, but if you look at Mega Zeph and The Boss they aren't fairing as well. I still think a steel structure wood coaster may not have that completely out of control woodie feel, but it still rides more like a true wooden coaster (more demanding) than Intamin and GCI.

I just passed through the Dells last Saturday and this is what I noticed.

1st off, it wasn't too cold.

Ok, the new Proslide Tornado at the Great Wolf Lodge is huge! I've never seen one in person, so I didn't know what to expect. It starts indoors, but it then goes outdoors and comes back inside after the funnel. The outside portion is also 'capped' off with a clear cover to keep the cool air out of the funnel.(Hope this all made sense.) There is also a lot of construction going on on the back side of the hotel.(Outdoor waterpark expansion? More rooms?)

Next up was to check out Hades. First off, the hotel that was once right next to Big Chiefs is gone. Completely demolished. The main parking lot also showed a lot of contruction around it, but I'm not sure for what. Just a lot was going on for the new 'mega resort.' Also, Hades' structure looks for the most part complete. They still need to track the ride and build the station. The ride is huge! The lift hill/first drop looks very odd though. It will be a great addition!

Also, we passed by Timber Falls and Avalanche. There was a little construction going on, but I didn't really notice what it was for.

Also to note. Noah's Ark was closed off, but I noticed some contruction near The Point of No Return. I have been led to believe that the Thunder Rapids tube rides have been demolished, and that a quarter mile long Proslide Rocket is being added in it's place. I have heard the name of 'Black Anaconda'. 1-3 people will be able to ride in a tube at a time and the ride will reach speeds of 30mph.

That's it for now. *** Edited 12/11/2004 7:46:57 PM UTC by DejaVu The Ride***

Great Wolf's Tornado is a bit excessive. Images:
http://www.greatwolflodge.com/tornado.asp

They needed to enclose the thing, but the upper half of the funnel is for cosmetic purposes only. They might have been able to jam the half-funnel part indoors and spectators may have still been able to watch the riders.

Which do you think was cheaper? Enclosing the top half of the funnel or building an entire new building to house it?

-Nate