Stratosphere's New 'Ride'

[themeparkman25]

I think the fact that you only fall 625+ feet in 11 seconds is somewhat unimpressive. Yes this ride/experience will be intimidating, but really, that sounds quite controlled and (fairly) slow. Think about it, a standard 200 ft Intamin drop tower does 150 feet in a second, this is 625 in 11. Maybe it is just me, but that is not a freefall, and therefore sucks some "fear" out of the ride.

[Crazy4Coasters!]

^ I don't know if that's sarcasism but just the mear mention of 625ft would probably make most people a 'tad' scared... Including me!!!

[cooksta77]

^I'm personally dying to do it. But I would really like to do this I hope it gets done soon.

Andrew " Just jump and pray the cable doesn't break" Iorio

[themeparkman25]

^^No I am being dead serious. Yes it is a MASSIVE drop, but it is only going at 56.8 fps, quite a bit slower than any drop tower and definitely slower than the launches on some coasters. I'm not trying to say that this ride isn't scary, cause it would and will scare a ton of people (myself included), but I am saying I was hoping for more of a freefall.

[thrillrideseeker]

OMG! OMG! OMG! All I can say is "YAY" I would love to do this, and I think it would be super amazing! I think the view, and the experience would just be fantastic! I can not wait for this to actually be up and running! I think the Stratosphere made a great choice by adding this!

~Matthew

[bostonlva]

A few people have already jumped from the 1,149-foot Stratosphere, though usually for reasons beyond the pure thrill of it. Now gamblers who drop a wad at the casino can find out what it feels like to take that plunge and live to see another day.

 

The hotel known for outrageous thrill rides is adding SkyJump Las Vegas, a "controlled free fall" of 855 feet from the top of the tower to a landing platform on the second level.

 

"It's kind of like a big fishing reel," Stratosphere marketing director Todd Ford described Friday. "The core in the middle is graduated, so as you jump off you go fast and then it slows you down so you have a nice gentle landing."

 

SkyJump joins the Big Shot, X-Scream and Insanity rides at Stratosphere, where the sheer height of the tower makes any ride a little more exciting than anything at the county fair.

 

Even the dismantled High Roller coaster -- considered tame in terms of speed and sharp turns -- provided a certain "edge" when riders couldn't see the ground below them.

 

Ford predicts SkyJump, based on a ride in Australia, will become one of the top tourist attractions in North America.

 

"It's not just for adrenaline junkies that want to jump off a building," he said. "It's also people that want to watch them, who might not have the courage to do it themselves."

 

Jumpers will have a fabulous view of the Strip -- if they keep their eyes open.

 

Construction of the $3 million SkyJump ride began this month and the new attraction is expected to open in April. Cost is $100. Tickets for X-Scream and Insanity are $12, while the Big Shot is $13.

 

The ride is similar to skydiving and base jumping. After a short safety lesson, riders put on custom "jump suits." They'll then be connected to a patented high-speed "descender" machine and led to the edge of a small platform where they leap from the 100-story Stratosphere. Guide wires keep them from slamming into the concrete structure. The entire experience takes about 30 minutes.

 

The ride is adventurous, but safe, Ford said. It won't operate during high wind conditions.

 

Developed by the late Bob Stupak at the site of the former VegasWorld, the Stratosphere has become a Las Vegas icon with its observation deck and Top of the World restaurant.

 

In 1996, Stupak proposed a "King Kong" ride where people would scale the tower walls inside of a 70-foot gorilla. The gorilla would have carried 48 thrill-seekers about 670 feet above the street. As the beast descended, projections of airplanes would appear to attack him, at one point sending him into a 30-foot free fall.

 

Another Stratosphere ride idea that met with ill fate was a proposed roller coaster that would drop from the top of the tower across Las Vegas Boulevard at speeds of 120 mph. Neighbors put the kabosh on that one.

 

"It's really not the noise," one area resident told the Review-Journal in 2001. "The main concern is no one wants to live in the shadow of a carnival."

 

Frank Riolo, chief executive officer of Stratosphere parent company American Casino and Entertainment Properties, said the new thrill ride is part of the company's commitment to reinvesting in the property at all levels. Recent improvements include new carpets and refurbished hotel rooms and rest rooms. A new bar also opened at the top of the tower.

 

The most popular ride at the Stratosphere is the Big Shot, which shoots passengers straight up 160 feet at four times the force of gravity.

 

"It's my favorite," Ford said. "That unique second and a half when you hit the top -- that feeling of weightlessness -- that's what made me go back again."

 

X-Scream is like a giant teeter-totter that propels people 27 feet over the edge of the tower, while Insanity uses a massive mechanical arm extending 64 feet out and spinning riders at a force of three Gs.

 

Contact reporter Hubble Smith at hsmith@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0491.

 

www.lvrj.com/news/stratosphere-plans-skyjump-thriller-855-foot-free-fall-81060722.html[/code]

[BJS1981]

Sounds like a helluva thrill experience....... but I dunno if I wanna pay $100 for it

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

I wouldn't pay $100 for it, either. In fact, I'd find it hard to pay $13 for Big Shot.

[Coasterfusion]

$100 to ride this thing! Yea, like I would pay that! I wonder why it is so much!?

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

^I'd think because of the extremely low capacity. By the description, 2 riders per hour is what it'll be getting at the most.

[DBru]

No, no, no...the "entire experience" lasts about 30 minutes. That includes the safety course and everything. Based off of the ride in Australia, I'd say the jump itself won't last more than 30 seconds.

 

Therefore, I assume this thing will be giving more than 2 rides per hour.

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Ok, it sounded to me like it would be a 30min ride time. So yeah, way more than 2 people per hour.

[SharkTums]

^How in the world did you think it would be a 30 minute ride?!!?

 

They're just saying it takes 30 minutes to make people feel better about dropping $100 for less than a 10 second experience.

 

$100 does seem kind of steep, especially since you can bungee and skydive for less than that in Vegas!

 

I would do it if it was more of a freefall, but it's really quite controlled and not that thrilling unless you're scared of heights.

[ebl]

^ The entire experience lasts 30 minutes, which I think includes any lessons, getting fitted with the suit, etc.

 

The last time I was at the Stratosphere (2004), I paid about $25 for an all-day pass, including unlimited access to all attractions as well as the elevator to the top (for which there is also a charge---and is the fastest damned elevator I've ever ridden). At the time, I rode the High Roller, X-Scream, and Big Shot (no Insanity yet, but would have if it was there).

 

What was nice about the pass is that I got it in the late morning, and I was able to come back that evening had I chosen to do so. At the moment, I don't know what the ride ticket policy is.

 

Eric

[chemical_echo]

^^ Where do you find $100 skydiving in Vegas? I looked into it when I was there and a 15000' jump is $200. The Bungee jumping at Circus Circus is also apparently closed.

 

There's indoor skydiving ($75), but where's the fun in that?

 

 

$100 is steep, but I'm pretty sure they figured it to be the "right" price: A little more than indoor skydiving and half the price of real skydiving.

[robbalvey]

^ The entire experience lasts 30 minutes, which I think includes any lessons, getting fitted with the suit, etc.

Right. She knows that. We've done this exact same thing before with the exact same company at other towers. And it's not "2 people per hour" are you kidding me?

 

They take a group in at one time, you all get suited up, you all watch the video, you all go through your little 'training' thing, then you do the drop.

 

It's probably about the same capacity as a Skycoaster or a SCAD tower.

 

The actual drop takes about 3 to 5 minutes with getting each person into place, checking all the cables and restraints, and then the drop, then unhooking you from the cables.

 

The actual experience is very much like the old Knott's Parachute Sky Jump, but instead of the cables being attached to the parachute, they are attached to your harness.

 

But it's about the same speed of descent.

 

--Robb

[ParkTrips]

Wow, the old parachute towers were fun, but definitely not worth that price.

[Jew]

I think it would be pretty cool to hang out over the side and have that awesome view of the strip...but not $100 cool.

[pianojohn]

I. Would. Never.

 

Me too. The never part!

[JimmyBo]

I might do this if I ever win big in Vegas. And by winning big I mean a comp at a hotel for two nights and nightclub passes...then I might jump off the Strat.

[10ryansmith]

This sounds fun but I really don't think that I would pay $100 for the thing though. As mentioned above, I had the pass that let me on all the rides and the elevator and that was like $40. I wonder if they would do some sort of discount because of the price down the road. They were doing some sort of discount for high roller when I went and it was still expensive. Again sounds fun, but i would rather watch and then pay the $40 for the all day pass on the other rides and the all day pass for Speed at the Sahara.

[nitrofan]

I wouldn't pay the $100 to do this, but I know some people who might pay the ticket price and pay me more money on top of that to see me do this.

[rcdude]

I think I would really like watching this, but there is very little chance of me actually doing it. I don't mind heights when I'm strapped into a ride or on a secure platform, but on something like this I would probably back out once I got near the edge of the tower. Example: I have no problem riding Supreme Scream at Knott's Berry Farm (250 ft tall) but I really don't like standing on the edge of a cliff that is only around a hundred feet. I might consider this if someone paid for me to go on a trip somewhere on the condition that I did this ride, but otherwise I'll watch from the ground or the observation deck.

[DenDen]

Wow, last time I was in Vegas, the Big Shot only cost $5. GSC used to cost $15 Ride all day! Holy crap!

 

Anyway, I would do this, but I would certainly find a way to get it comped.

[spaceace12]

^^ Where do you find $100 skydiving in Vegas? I looked into it when I was there and a 15000' jump is $200. The Bungee jumping at Circus Circus is also apparently closed.

 

There's indoor skydiving ($75), but where's the fun in that?

 

 

$100 is steep, but I'm pretty sure they figured it to be the "right" price: A little more than indoor skydiving and half the price of real skydiving.

 

I would personally take indoor skydiving over bungee jumping. Indoor skydiving is when you get into a suit and fly around. You get into a tube with a huge fan and can go up and down and spin walk upside down.

 

http://www.vegasindoorskydiving.com/