Tallest waterslide in U.S. opens at Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin Dells (2024)

JOHN GITTINGS

Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells is now the home of America's tallest waterslide.

The Rise of Icarus, which opened Saturday,is a 145-foot-tall waterslide attraction that features five separate slides. One of the slides, The Fall, winds around a tower on its way down from the top.

"It was really fast," said Amanda Thompson, who rode The Fall on Saturday with her children, Dante and Marinda. "I was dizzy when I got out, but it was really fun. That's the fastest water slide I have ridden."

The long staircase leading to the top of The Fall also made for a "great workout," Thompson said.

Four other slides descend from a 60-foot-high platform on the tower, including The Drop, a straight slide with a steep decline that produces a similar amount of speed at the end to The Fall.

The Fall begins with a short, sharp decline before gradually descending and wrapping around the Icarus tower. It lasts roughly 30 seconds before finishing at the longest ending of the five slides to adjust for riders' speed coming out.

Both Marinda and her mother said The Fall felt like a long ride, even with the speed.

Icarus' three other 60-foot-high slides — The Voyage, The Flight and The Journey— all also wind around the tower and each other and end with a large splash.

Another rider on Saturday, Minnesota native and boxer Sona "Slink Proper" Akale, said The Fall picked up a lot of speed as it went on and said the towering slide made for a thrilling ride.

The Drop is the only straight slide of the five. A blue tube that features a very short enclosed portion before opening up, The Drop produces speed quickly, and lasts between 10 and 15 seconds.

The Flight is a teal-colored tube that winds around the right side of the Icarus tower. It features four turns before finishing and lasts roughly 20-25 seconds.

Luis de la Cruz, a Mt. Olympus employee, was the first rider on The Rise of Icarus when he tested all five slides on Wednesday during the late afternoon. He lauded the view of the Wisconsin Dells area from the start of The Fall at the 145-foot height, and said The Rise of Icarus has the best waterslides he has ridden.

"All of them have a different experience," de la Cruz said of the five slides.

Tallest in the nation

Construction on The Rise of Icarus began just after last summer. It overtakes Thrillagascar and Jungle Jammer in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as the tallest waterslide in the U.S. and the third-largest in the world,according toWater Slide Database, which still had Thrillagascar and Jungle Jammer, at 142 feet, listed as the third-largest on Monday.

The world’s tallest waterslide, at 164 feet tall, is Kilimanjaro at the Aldeia das Aguas Park Resort in Barra Do Pirai, Brazil, near Rio de Janeiro, followed by Hurricane Tower, 147.6 feet, in Xianyang, China.

Verruckt, a former slide in Kansas City, Kansas, that stood more than 168 feet tall, was shut down in November 2017 after a 10-year-old rider died on it.

"It's going to be a great addition to our family of rides and attractions,"Mt. Olympus owner Nick Laskaris said of The Rise of Icarus, adding he believes The Fall will be the most popular slide of the five and is for "thrill seekers."

The Rise of Icarus is the second unique waterslide Mt. Olympus has opened in the last three years. Medusa's Slidewheel, which is part of the attraction's indoor waterpark, is the only "rotating waterslide" in the U.S. and one of three worldwide, with the others in China and Poland.

"It's what we do here," Laskaris said. "We bring one-of-a-kind."

Hades 360, the attraction's largest roller coaster, is "the largest underground roller coaster in the world,"Laskaris added.Following a large drop, the coaster runs through a tunnel underneath the Mt. Olympus parking lot to a segment on the east end of the lot.

"We have to build one-of-a kind attractions to bring people not just to Mt. Olympus, but to the area called Wisconsin Dells," Laskaris said.

Mt. Olympus will have an official opening ceremony on July 4, when the Laskaris family will introduce The Rise of Icarus and Icaria Splash 'n Slide, a 12,000-square-foot children's attraction that will feature 10 small slides along with other aquatic features and a wading pool.

The park is also adding eight air-conditioned cabanas, umbrella tables with lounge chairs, a new bar and concession area, and a retail and locker facility.

Admission to the water and theme park at Mt. Olympus is free to all guests at Hotel Rome and other hotels owned by Mt. Olympus. Tickets to the park are $45 when booked online and $50 at the gate.