High Roller Stratosphere Tower August 18th, 1999 S T A T S Manufacturer: Structures & Machine Construction Height: 909 feet (including tower) Extreme elements: none really Length of ride: 2 minutes Novelty: perched on top of the tallest observation tower on the west coast Thanks to Greg K. and Technocomposer for the info!

We had to get something to eat, and I'm happy to say that the west coast is home to one of America's great food chains, Jack In The Box. Home of the all-day Breakfast Jack, we took in some nutrients and downloaded some pictures before heading off to our next destination. We have visited the Stratosphere Tower before, but have never been able to ride the rides due to a number of factors. Either the two attractions were broken down, or closed to high winds. That and the maddening fact that we couldn't get a peep out of their public relations for two years made it all the more desperate of a gambit to finally ride these two long-sought out adventures. When I noticed that both the High Roller and the Big Shot were operating, my assistant Katie Hartmann and I decided to "damn the cost" and moderate speed ahead.

After parking in the garage and taking a high-speed (20 m.p.h.) elevator ride to the top of the mammoth structure--we headed out onto the observation deck and got in line for what was some kind of long-awaited thrill.

For those of you not fully indoctrinated with the oddities of the Strat--it's the tallest observation tower in the Western Hemisphere and is home to two thrill rides that hold the Guinness World Record for being the highest off the ground. First things were first--the Big Shot beckoned. This S&S creation is a free-fall ride of the most extreme design. Popular all around the world, the towers come in two models, ones that shoot you upwards and ones that shoot you downwards. The Big Shot is of the upward variety and these rides are normally pretty thrilling. Just add to that the fact that you're already scratching God's eyebrow and the fear factor intensifies so much more. Once strapped in to the beat of pulsating techno music, the operator unabashedly teased us by stating that we were about to embark on what is unequivocally, the greatest thrill on the planet. My heart raced--looking out towards North Las Vegas, we were already at a mind-blowing height. We were about to break the 1,000 foot barrier the hard and fast way though. That signature burst of compressed air sighed out its fury and then we were gone. Whoomp! There it is!

Ohmygod, I thought. The horizon doesn't change at all--and you feel that there's nothing in between you and the ground far, far below. At the top of our ascent, there was a tantalizing moment of weightlessness--zowie! Then, we slid down that tower and bounced for a little while before returning to what was most certainly not ground zero. With legs of spaghetti and heart racing, I stepped off unevenly with a big stupid grin on my face. There is no explaining exactly what you might feel when you disembark, but this kid certainly got the thrill of a lifetime, a sort of controlled sky-diving, and you can't beat the view with a stick.

Next came the coaster, and I'm sorry to say that it doesn't nearly live up to its compadre up there on the world's most terrifying skyscraper. The High Roller is a somewhat tame kiddie coaster built by an Italian company that I've never heard of before. With 980 feet of track, the operator sends you around twice in a concentric loop of three passes around the top of the tower. The biggest drop is 32 feet and as a scenic train ride, it's a nifty little thrill, but not much more to write home about. It's also pretty rough, especially when ending the third circuit and contacting those infernal lift wheels.

If I sound non-plussed about the whole experience, it might be because the High Roller gets most of its thrill factor from the view, which you can already get just by standing on the deck and saving your money. However, the Big Shot delivers a power-packed punch and is totally worth the price of admission and then some. There's a package that includes your elevator trip, both rides and even a $4 buffet that was pretty satisfying after we had spent time at the top of the tower.

But there was still plenty more to do. Buffalo Bill's Resort and Casino was putting us up for our visit and there was a host of things to do there, as we learned on a previous visit. Having finally conquered the thrills atop the Strat--we mosied along the boulevard and out of Las Vegas towards Primm, positioned on the border between Nevada and California. There, awaited the most gonzo coaster in the country, and one of our personal faves.