Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park Discussion Thread

[chickenbowl]

What a terrible tragedy!!!! Prayers to the boy and his family!! I hate to bring up the security issue with this, but how on earth did they get past security guards, locked gates, and get past the entrance of the slide (like a barrier blocking the stairs up), and get all the way up to the top without being noticed?!

 

Have you ever been to/seen pictures of Mt Olympus? They don't have much security keeping you from the rides...

 

If there's any park that's easy to sneak into, it's probably Mt Olympus in the winter...

[Thunder_Run]

At the rate Mt. Olympus has been going, I wouldn't be surprised if it's now seen by locals as "Wisconsin's Action Park." Sad for the family, but still stupid that the boy even tried this in the first place.

 

I'm more worried for people's future safety on the water slide since they mentioned a sled was used on a water slide.

[Cj1990]

I was just having a conversation the other day about kids making stupid decisions. They don't think things through and consider the worst thing that could happen. This entire situation could have been avoided. The family better not try to sue. It doesn't make the pain go away. Just once I'd like to see someone realize there were stupid choices made, an accident happened, and it's not anyone's fault but the person who chose to do something idiotic.

I'm sorry the family has to go through this. Losing someone is never easy. This whole thing could have easily been avoided.

[BackseatBoss]

It's really unfortunate to hear, and our thoughts are with the family. I do imagine that people sneaking into the outdoor park is way more common than we realize.

 

I'm more worried for people's future safety on the water slide since they mentioned a sled was used on a water slide.

 

What do you mean, that the slide is damaged now? It should be covered in snow, so my guess would be that nothing too bad happened.

[Mater]

What a tragedy.

Edited December 22, 2016 by Mater

[Samuel]

Terrible to see high jinks end in tragedy, but as we've seen with stadium falls and other amusement park accidents, things that are supposed to be fun aren't exempt from reality. I know we can tend to withhold pity whenever we can point to stupidity, or whenever it involves Mt. Olympus for that matter, but kids are kids, and this is simply sad to see. I knew two high schoolers who died in a foolish car race on some unpaved roads -- it was beyond dumb, and just awful for the whole family.

 

Given how easy it is to find trendy "fails" and Jackass stunts getting showered with attention online, I'm surprised we don't hear about more of these situations stemming from kids who acted on a whim idea that they didn't think through.

[Samuel]

I was just having a conversation the other day about kids making stupid decisions.

 

I think that goes for people in general. Hey, we've all been in traffic and seen how minds can function (not function). I worked a stadium venue for years -- I've seen it all: fights, tackle arrests, bodily fluids, and even some tumbles off the escalators. Kids are prone to being immature or perceiving no consequences simply because they're not mature. With adults, on the other hand, I find it harder to come up with excuses. I think common sense is still fairly common, but the exceptions truly stand out.

[JT325]

 

Have you ever been to/seen pictures of Mt Olympus? They don't have much security keeping you from the rides...

 

This is one of the (very few) things I really liked about Mt. Olympus. It's nice to get close to rides, especially if you don't make bad decisions to do dumb stuff. Notice many fair rides in Germany don't even have simple fences around them. Unfortunately, we live in an all too litigious country.

[XII]

Sad to hear about this accident. But while I will admit that I really don't care for Mt. Olympus and agree that they've been responsible for several accidents (There is no excuse for that Opa accident), In this incident, the park is not at fault. While it's sad what happened, that kid should've never hopped the fence and did what he did.

[Thunder_Run]

I'm more worried for people's future safety on the water slide since they mentioned a sled was used on a water slide.

 

What do you mean, that the slide is damaged now? It should be covered in snow, so my guess would be that nothing too bad happened.

 

Never said it was damaged, for all we know it could have been a cheap plastic sled. But some people still prefer the old-styled sleds with metal runners, so the thought crossed my mind.

 

But I'm sure if something was damaged, Mt. Olympus would fix it before next season, right?

 

Right..?

[RaceBoarder]

Darwinism at it's finest!

[Cj1990]

I was just having a conversation the other day about kids making stupid decisions.

 

I think that goes for people in general. Hey, we've all been in traffic and seen how minds can function (not function). I worked a stadium venue for years -- I've seen it all: fights, tackle arrests, bodily fluids, and even some tumbles off the escalators. Kids are prone to being immature or perceiving no consequences simply because they're not mature. With adults, on the other hand, I find it harder to come up with excuses. I think common sense is still fairly common, but the exceptions truly stand out.

 

I do have to agree with you. I see lack of common sense at work every day. You're right. It doesn't matter the age.

[BackseatBoss]

I'm more worried for people's future safety on the water slide since they mentioned a sled was used on a water slide.

 

What do you mean, that the slide is damaged now? It should be covered in snow, so my guess would be that nothing too bad happened.

 

Never said it was damaged, for all we know it could have been a cheap plastic sled. But some people still prefer the old-styled sleds with metal runners, so the thought crossed my mind.

 

But I'm sure if something was damaged, Mt. Olympus would fix it before next season, right?

 

Right..?

 

Lol I understand now. Suuuurrrreeee they will

[Fingers]

What a terrible tragedy!!!! Prayers to the boy and his family!! I hate to bring up the security issue with this, but how on earth did they get past security guards, locked gates, and get past the entrance of the slide (like a barrier blocking the stairs up), and get all the way up to the top without being noticed?!

Any park that is closed down for the winter this could happen at. It would be so easy to sneak in a park in the middle of the night when it is closed for the year. All you have to do is hope the fence and boom, you are in and they aren't going to have security guards wandering the park looking for people. Also seeing people from the outside in a park would be hard to do because most of the area isn't right against a busy street.

[xstech25]

I'm sure that the degree of difficulty Mt Olympus made it to get to the slide will decide whether or not there is a lawsuit due to attractive nuisance law. I am 99.99 sure the parents have no case here and would be 100% sure if this were any normal park that follows ASTM standards. But considering this is Mt Olympus, as one of the previous posters said, if there is a big hole in the fence or not adequate "danger" signage, there is that 0.01% chance they could be liable.

 

Remember that guy that jumped the padlocked fences at SFOG to get his hat and was struck and killed by Batman, the dept of labor decided the signage was inadequate and said the ride could not operate unless security stood there and watched the fences until "Extreme Danger" signage was added. And yes, the dept of labor (which somehow got involved in this) literally told Six Flags the signs should have said "extreme danger" instead of just "danger" because somehow that was going to prevent the accident.

A related ridiculous note: I remember after this incident SFGAm put up some signs next to their rides that said "Extreme Danger: If you enter this area you will be arrested and banned from Six Flags" complete with a picture of handcuffs! I have no idea if those are still there.

[larrygator]

More details

http://www.wkow.com/story/34112905/2016/12/22/florida-teen-dies-after-fall-from-mt-olympus-water-park-slide

 

Florida teen dies after fall from Mt. Olympus water park slide

By Greg Neumann

Dec 22, 2016

 

LAKE DELTON (WKOW) -- A 16 year-old boy fell to his death late Wednesday night after climbing up a closed outdoor waterslide at a local amusement park.

 

Lake Delton Police have yet to identify the teen who died, but said he was staying at the Mount Olympus resort with his family, which was visiting from Florida.

 

"They'd never experienced the cold and the snow and so they were coming up to ski and enjoy the winter time events that we have here in Wisconsin," said Lake Delton Police Chief Daniel Hardman.

 

But tragedy struck on a night that began with harmless fun for the teen victim, his brother and another friend.

 

"They'd been sledding at different locations, but they actually approached a seven foot tall fence that was securely locked and entered the area that was closed and restricted," said Chief Hardman.

 

The victim then decided to climb on to one of the park's outdoor waterslides despite his brother and friend trying to discourage him.

 

"He got about halfway down and got stuck in snow that had accumulated on the slide. We're not sure if he was just trying to unstuck himself or if he was trying to stand up, but he did fall approximately 35 feet from that structure on to another slide that was below it," said Chief Hardman.

 

A paramedic happened to be driving by Mount Olympus when the call went out that a male subject had fallen off a slide and responded immediately. But EMS crews were not able to save the boy.

 

Chief Hardman said he feels like the fences surrounding the closed areas of the park do provide a reasonable level of safety.

 

"I mean, you could make the fence ten feet tall, these kids are athletic enough that they could have scaled that. I mean, there is - like I said - there's a point of personal responsibility and I believe the resort owners were well within all safety standards," said Chief Hardman.

 

But the ultimate decision on that will be made by investigators from the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, who will look into the accident.

 

As for the other two boys involved in the trespassing, they will not be charged with any crime.

 

"This is tragedy enough," said Chief Hardman. "There would be no point to that."

[storms555]

Ok I hope I dont come off as insensitive by straying away from the actual topic at hand....but why on earth are Floridians traveling up cold as buck,Wisconsin? Wisconsin Dells is awesome and all but in all honesty if I lived in Florida i wouldnt want to leave the comfort of the sub topics to go to some miserable gloom,snow,ice,and cold brutal winds...You can say they are visiting family but Id be like heck with that! Better off buying plane tickets for them to visit you instead! Or they could just wait till the summer to go there....just saying. Midwest winters are miserable.

[larrygator]

but why on earth are Floridians traveling up cold as buck,Wisconsin?

 

Did you read the article right above your post?

[RaceBoarder]

Ok I hope I dont come off as insensitive by straying away from the actual topic at hand....but why on earth are Floridians traveling up cold as buck,Wisconsin? Wisconsin Dells is awesome and all but in all honesty if I lived in Florida i wouldnt want to leave the comfort of the sub topics to go to some miserable gloom,snow,ice,and cold brutal winds...You can say they are visiting family but Id be like heck with that! Better off buying plane tickets for them to visit you instead! Or they could just wait till the summer to go there....just saying. Midwest winters are miserable.

There are people that enjoy Winter you know. Not everyone whines when the temps get below 50*F.

[storms555]

but why on earth are Floridians traveling up cold as buck,Wisconsin?

 

Did you read the article right above your post?

Yes I did but i want to know WHY someone would want to experience that. I guess living in the midwest area Im pretty cynical when it comes to winter time weather. I been to Florida during the winter too and i have to say i prefer Florida's winters 100 times over. I'm also not a sports person so i can care less about skiing and snowboarding and all that.

[PKI Jizzman]

but why on earth are Floridians traveling up cold as buck,Wisconsin?

 

Did you read the article right above your post?

Yes I did but i want to know WHY someone would want to experience that. I guess living in the midwest area Im pretty cynical when it comes to winter time weather. I been to Florida during the winter too and i have to say i prefer Florida's winters 100 times over. I'm also not a sports person so i can care less about skiing and snowboarding and all that.

 

Hey guess what I know it might be hard to comprehend but there are actually other people in this world with different interests and desires.

[michaellynn4]

but why on earth are Floridians traveling up cold as buck,Wisconsin?

 

Did you read the article right above your post?

Yes I did but i want to know WHY someone would want to experience that. I guess living in the midwest area Im pretty cynical when it comes to winter time weather. I been to Florida during the winter too and i have to say i prefer Florida's winters 100 times over. I'm also not a sports person so i can care less about skiing and snowboarding and all that.

 

Hey guess what I know it might be hard to comprehend but there are actually other people in this world with different interests and desires.

 

x 1000

[SixFlagsAstroworld]

but why on earth are Floridians traveling up cold as buck,Wisconsin?

 

Did you read the article right above your post?

Yes I did but i want to know WHY someone would want to experience that. I guess living in the midwest area Im pretty cynical when it comes to winter time weather. I been to Florida during the winter too and i have to say i prefer Florida's winters 100 times over. I'm also not a sports person so i can care less about skiing and snowboarding and all that.

 

Hey guess what I know it might be hard to comprehend but there are actually other people in this world with different interests and desires.

 

I agree with this 100%

[storms555]

Hey have I have nothing against that. Each to their own but growing up in the area I lived in all my life I still cant see the appeal. I have a long distant friend who lives in northern Alabama and it was suppose to get a snow storm of some sort. She was HOPING for snow! While most adults would be discouraged by the idea of a snow storm. Years back I had another friend from Florida who also you'd think won millions of dollars from the lottery when she seen a small sprinkle out her window. If they ever had to move to the mid west or Chicago area I think their minds would quickly change...

[Coasters & Lamps]

Hey have I have nothing against that. Each to their own but growing up in the area I lived in all my life I still cant see the appeal. I have a long distant friend who lives in northern Alabama and it was suppose to get a snow storm of some sort. She was HOPING for snow! While most adults would be discouraged by the idea of a snow storm. Years back I had another friend from Florida who also you'd think won millions of dollars from the lottery when she seen a small sprinkle out her window. If they ever had to move to the mid west or Chicago area I think their minds would quickly change...

 

I'm not a big fan of the winter either. I work and spend most of my spare time indoors sleeping. Last year, I tore up both knees while attempting to ski. I won't try it again. I come alive in the summer. I save up all winter long in order to go on summer road trips that include visiting Theme Parks.

 

But as for Wisconsin being colder than Florida, it is ironic that in hot, dry summers, the northern climates can be hotter than the southern climates. 109 degrees is the hottest temperature recorded anywhere in Florida whereas temps once rose to 114 at the Wisconsin Dells. As a general rule of thumb, the further northward and eastward you go from Florida toward the Dakotas, the temperatures fluctuate more wildly. North Dakota once reported a temperature of 121 degrees. There are several factors involved. When I went to the Dells in September of 2015, it was a hot and sunny 92 degrees which was perfect for a water park. But yeah, I wouldn't have any interest in skiing there, but many people do. One of my roommates is a serious skier who loves skiing there.