ilrider

^Iron Wolf was very smooth for several years when it first opened. It was actually enjoyable to ride.

^I always knew it was only a matter of time before this park had an accident with a coaster. We have been there only once, and while we had a great time, I don't foresee ever returning after this due to the nature of the accident. We live 15 minutes from SFGAm and have passes, so it's not like we are hurting for a park to go to.

The track is done on the overbank. Looks great. I just drove by it today and said hi.

^That's what it looked like to me too.

^ I believe that is part of the zero G stall element. There is some wood framing the track passes through.

^Yep, they definitely are going up with the overbank track today! Looking forward to seeing that complete.

^If they didn't work in the rain, April would be a very unproductive month! These workers are men of steel to brave the conditions they have faced this winter. Hats off to them.

^I can sadly top that. Someone last week told me his friend said he recently rode Goliath at SFGAm! When I told him that would be hard, since there is not even a lift hill constructed yet, he said, "Oh, I guess he was lying."

^The victim was found unconscious with severe bleeding from the head and arm, and was airlifted to the hospital according to an article I posted. That sounds potentially serious to me.

^I am pretty sure the indoor theme park (i.e. dry rides in the same building as Opa) is open all year, so all the dry rides in that area were shut down because of the incident, is how I interpreted the article. The indoor water park, which is in a separate building, remained open. The outdoor theme park does not open until the weather improves.

^Someone posted awhile back it is 125 ft., with the twist and shout (the lower overbank) at about 60 ft., but I am not sure. That looks about right.

That top overbank element is going to be quite a thrill! It is amazing how tall that structure is, to see it in real life after only seeing renderings. The energy coming out of the tunnel after the first drop is going to be awesome.

http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/Man-falls-off-of-Roller-Coaster-at-Mt-Olympus-Resort-248918561.html Victim was airlifted to the hospital, was found unconscious but breathing, had severe bleeding from the head and arm. Theme park is shut down, waterpark is still open. A 15-20 foot fall may not sound like much, but if one lands on his head, and on a concrete floor, that could easily kill a person. Hope he recovers. Very curious to find out the cause.

^I knew it was only a matter of time for that park. Without more details, I guess I should not assume the park is to blame, but... Hope the guy is okay.

^I assume it is due to modern building code not allowing the structure to be built so close to Washington St., not seeking permission of the neighbors.

Me neither. Fixed.

I would think the risk of a backlash is greater now because we have the original renderings--what we thought we were getting--to compare the new ones to, so the difference in the look of the lift and zero G is sort of a shock. The new look seems to have its big fans and its foes, but it is what it is, and I'm still looking forward to the ride very much.

I honestly did not like the new look at first. I just love the traditional structures of huge coaster lifts. But, it's growing on me. It's not like it's changing the ride experience in a negative way, and it is definitely a unique look for a wooden coaster. I was wondering how they were going to get all that built in time with the old renderings, as long as the overbanked turn structure has taken to construct. Cannot wait!

Thanks for posting the photo! I am starting to get really excited. There is another piece being placed as we speak.

No time to post a screen capture right now, but the overbanked turn is going higher!

^Wow, what are the odds of that?!

Ride operator arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Inspection reveals ride had been tampered with and key safety parts were missing. More arrests expected. http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=20692984&sid=81&ts=true

It is a pretty good day to go in our experience since a lot of adults still work, but as mentioned almost everyone is out of school in the Chicago area and there are still some people with the day off work (my wife and I included). If you can get there at the start of the day, you should get several rides in before it gets too crowded. We are going Monday too.

Of course the park is going to absolve itself of any responsibility and blame the rider when it was essentially able to conduct its own investigation with little oversight, but what warning on signs would the rider have ignored? I don't think I have ever seen a warning about being too large to ride. If there is any negligence involved, those signs do not mean squat.

We would have attempted it yesterday but our schedule wouldn't allow, so we just went to SFGAm for a couple hours in the morning instead. We had discussed going to Mt. Olympus Saturday for the $15 tickets but decided it would be too busy. I would love to hear how it was yesterday.