The High Roller (also known as the Let it Ride High Roller
) was a
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
roller coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...
constructed over the
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of ...
. It was the highest
roller coaster
A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...
in the world when compared to the surrounding terrain. It was located on top of the
Stratosphere Tower
The stratosphere () is the second layer of the Earth's atmosphere, atmosphere of the Earth, located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. The stratosphere is an atmospheric layer composed of Atmospheric stratification, stratified tem ...
,
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, which is the tallest free-standing observation tower in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
[Stratosphere Hotel website](_blank)
/ref> The coaster was manufactured by S&MC GmbH Structures and Machines.
History
The ride opened on April 29, 1996,
/ref> in a special VIP gala opening, one day before the ride and casino opened to the general public. High Roller was one of the first two amusement rides to open on the Stratosphere tower at the casino opening (the other being Big Shot
Big Shot may refer to:
Fiction
* Big Shot, an animated superhero character on the television show '' The Tick'' created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986
* Big Shot, the former mascot of the Philadelphia 76ers until 1996
* ''Big Shot'', a fiction ...
). Even initially, Stratosphere guests exhibited considerably greater excitement over the Big Shot gravity drop tower than they did over High Roller.
As with the other rides at the Stratosphere Las Vegas, admission to the High Roller was typically charged per ride, as opposed to a single pass that allowed for unlimited rides as is typically the case in most United States amusement parks. The cost to ride the High Roller was $5 per rider in 2001 (barring residency and other discounts). This price was later lowered to $4.
Closure and removal
High Roller was closed on December 30, 2005, and dismantled. The ride was in need of refurbishing that would cost over $500,000 and was the least popular of the Stratosphere rides, leading to the decision to remove it. It was initially estimated that removal of the ride would take three months and be accomplished largely by crane, but the use of plasma cutting
Plasma cutting is a process that cuts through electrically conductive materials by means of an accelerated jet of hot plasma. Typical materials cut with a plasma torch include steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass and copper, although other con ...
, as opposed to gas cutting
Principle of burn cutting
Oxy-fuel welding (commonly called oxyacetylene welding, oxy welding, or gas welding in the United States) and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases (or liquid fuels such as gasoline or petrol, diesel, ...
, sped the removal of the coaster (the lack of need to transport flammable acetylene
Acetylene (systematic name: ethyne) is the chemical compound with the formula and structure . It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in its pure ...
canisters for gas cutting also improved safety). The track segments were also removed by elevator as opposed to being removed by crane.
Ride experience
The High Roller sat high on top of the tower's observation pod and its track wound around the central mast. Due to these design limitations, the High Roller was neither a fast nor intense ride experience; the height alone was the primary thrill element. The height of the ride itself from base to top was quite modest, only having a drop of . Some writers described the ride as being bumpy while the coaster banks sharply around the tower. While it seemed to riders that there was nothing between the track and the Las Vegas Strip below, a platform was present underneath the ride.
The ride garnered generally poor reviews from its riders. For example, it was ranked as the 8th most overrated roller coaster by ''About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...
's'' Arthur Levine, who criticized High Roller for its low speed and acceleration, as well as its lack of drops and inversions. Aggregated reviews on themeparkcritic.com gave the ride an average of 2.77 out of 5.0, compared to Stratosphere's other rides—Big Shot
Big Shot may refer to:
Fiction
* Big Shot, an animated superhero character on the television show '' The Tick'' created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986
* Big Shot, the former mascot of the Philadelphia 76ers until 1996
* ''Big Shot'', a fiction ...
, X-Scream
X-Scream is a ride at the top of the Strat SkyPod in Las Vegas, Nevada. At a height of approximately , the world's third highest amusement ride, located on top of The Strat. The name of the ride is a play on the word ''extreme''.
Ride experience
...
and Insanity
Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...
—which all garnered ratings above 4.0 out of 5.0.[Theme Park Critic rating page for High Roller](_blank)
/ref>
Although there were never any serious incidents or injuries on the High Roller, the ride was well known for its frequent break-downs, and all the rides on Stratosphere would frequently shut down temporarily due to high winds (greater than 45 mph). Notable incidents early in High Roller's operation included a drive cylinder breaking loose and cracking safety glass in an observation level below, and an incident where two wheels came loose—derailing the train and forcing riders to be rescued. One major break-down in 1996 necessitated in High Roller being re-engineered.
See also
* SkyJump Las Vegas
SkyJump Las Vegas holds the Guinness World Record for highest commercial decelerator descent with an official height of and is located at The Strat. As part of its grand opening event, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman presented a written proclamati ...
References
External links
{{Commons category-inline
Roller coasters in the Las Vegas Valley
Former roller coasters in Nevada
Buildings and structures in Las Vegas