Big Chief Karts and Coasters
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
By Nate Kohlrusch
June 13, 2001
I finally made it out to Big Chief during operating hours last night and
took one ride on Zeus (back seat) and one ride on Cyclops (back seat). We
skipped Pegasus because paying $5.50 for a family coaster didn't
interest me much and I'm sure I'll get a ride in later this year (*reviewed separately below).
The big news about the park (somehow I missed this a few days ago) is
that both Cyclops and Zeus have new stations, and even though they
look like picnic shelters, I'm glad they're finally covered. The
Poseidon Underwater Go-Kart Track also got a new picnic shelter
(er...station). Zeus's exit is now routed along the backside of the
ride and the former exit is now part of the entrance queue. Finally
the park is paying some attention to itself! Some better landscaping (or heck, even some grass) would help improve the look of the park a lot, as right now it�s all dirt and pavement. Pricing for the park rides are as follows: $5.50/ticket (or 4 for $20)
$32 for a 1/2 day pass (open-5pm or 3pm-close).
On to the coasters. I will use the semi-standard Griswold scale, which ranges from �3 to +5, with 0 being slightly favorable.
CYCLOPS - 1995 CCI wooden terrain twister with PTC trains: +3
Cyclops is, in my opinion, one of the best wooden coasters out there but it has
seen better days than last night. It seemed to be running very
sluggish, and the airtime suffered. The trains have a single
position lap bar, but the ride op still managed to staple us in with the seatbelt. Grrr... The first twisting drop still gave nice air,
but the only other spot of real airtime was on the drop (if you've
ridden it, you know what I'm talking about). The airtime on the drop
was close to standing, but nothing like the "I'm going to throw you
out of the train now" air I've seen before. Laterals were still nice
and the ride runs as smoothly as ever. I'm hoping that whatever was
slowing the train down gets taken care of (do we need more grease,
perhaps??!). The trains still look ridiculously short with the last
car removed; I really wish that would be returned.
ZEUS - 1997 CCI terrain out and back woodie with PTC trains: +4
Zeus got new lap bars this year and, sadly, they're better at stapling
you in than the old ones. It still delivers a great ride, though,
with plenty of airtime, a great location, and a killer turnaround.
The double dip is as furious as ever, and the turnaround-double dip-
return run is, in my opinion, one of the best sections of any woodie out
there. Zeus, too, was running a little slower than usual but I still
enjoyed it a great deal. What's better than a smooth, air-filled
ride through the woods and around a pond? I am so thankful these two
fantastic woodies are only 45 minutes away. I've said it before and
I'll say it again, if you're ever in the area, Big Chief is very
worth the trip.
PEGASUS � 1996 CCI junior/family woodie with PTC trains. +1
Pegasus is a really fun ride � great for kids and families � but is not as thrilling as the other two CCI junior woodies I�ve ridden (Cornball Express and Zach�s Zoomer). There are a few moments of slight airtime, especially on the great run back to the station, but the train just meanders through the rest of the course with, it seems, not much sense of direction. Laterals are definitely present, and there�s a vicious turn into the brake run, but I prefer airtime to laterals by a lot. Pegasus is worth a ride once or twice each season, but it�s nothing I�d want to ride again and again (especially with those other two fantastic rides across the way!).
-Nate
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