Ever heard of a teeter-totter that sits on the top edge of a 1,149 ft. tall building? Who in his right mind would want to ride that? Think again!Friends whom I haven't seen in over 10 years were recently in Las Vegas for a visit. They wanted to try a thrill ride at the Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. The Stratosphere Tower, considered the tallest free-standing observation tower in the US, offers three out-of-this-world rides:
1. The Big Shot - Passengers are strapped to this vertical ride which shoots straight up 160 feet at 45 mph (over 4 Gs) until they are 1,081 feet above the Las Vegas Strip.
2. X-Scream - It's a giant seesaw that sends passengers teetering 27 feet over the edge of the Tower, about 866 feet above the ground. (This was their pick!)
3. Insanity, the Ride - It looks like a mondo-sized robotic spider that holds passengers on each of its mechanical legs. Imagine this robotic spider slowly extending its legs so that passengers are 64 feet over the edge of the Tower and then spinning them at a force of 3 Gs for a very wild and wicked ride. It certainly lives up to its name.
How did I do? Oh I had a great time...just watching them from the observation deck, thank you very much! Did you know there used to be a roller coaster that wrapped around the top of the Tower? And I thought that was crazy!
I'll post photos as soon as my friends e-mail them to me. [Kristoffer, hint! hint!] Meanwhile, you can google "Stratosphere rides" and find several photos and videos on the internet.
http://www.stratospherehotel.com/thrills/
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