Monday, Aug. 18, 2003 | 8:27 a.m.
Roller coasters twist and turn. They loop and dive. They spin nearly out of control. And they scare the bejesus out of us.
At least, some of them.
Sometimes it's tough to tell which ones will and won't send us into a tizzy.
That's where we come in. Having spent an entire day riding area coasters including the Desperado in Primm we offer the following list of the best and worst of Las Vegas roller coasters. (Keep in mind, however, this list is limited only to roller coasters, and does not include other thrill rides or motion simulators such as the Big Shot at Stratosphere, Race for Atlantis at Caesars Palace or Star Trek: The Experience at Las Vegas Hilton.)
In addition, Frank Gordon, founder of the world's first coaster club, Roller Coaster Buffs International, in 1977, chimes in on each ride with his comments. Gordon, a Vegas resident since 1989, has ridden all of the local coasters and has ridden approximately 1,000 coasters in his lifetime.
Latch in tight ...
Desperado
Where: Buffalo Bill's in Primm.
Thrills: Maximum height is 210 feet with a maximum drop of 225 feet into a tunnel at a top speed of 80 mph. No loops, but plenty of whiplash-conducive turns.
Time: Two and 1/2 minutes.
Cost: $6 per ride; $25 for a half day; $33 for a full day.
Bang for the buck: The Desperado is the 250-pound bully to the mostly 90-pound weaklings of area roller coasters. The coaster is mean, taunting thrill seekers with its excruciating climb up the first hill, only to drop 225 feet on a 55-degree incline. The rest of the steel coaster is rougher than Tom Sizemore on a bad day, as it knocks you senseless with quick turns at near breakneck speeds. You don't ride the Desperado, you survive it. The Desperado is in a class by itself and, for any local roller coaster fan, well worth the 40-minute drive to Primm.
Gordon says: "It's a world-class coaster ... that still probably ranks with most everybody's top 10. It's an incredible piece of machinery. Nothing in town comes close."
Rating (out of 5 stars): *****
Manhattan Express
Where: New York-New York
Thrills: Maximum height is 203 feet with a maximum drop of 144 feet and a top speed of 67 mph. Features a single loop, corkscrews and a heartline twist, a maneuver that sends the train into a barrel roll 80 feet in the air, creating a zero-gravity sensation, before the track dives under itself.
Time: Two and 1/2 minutes.
Cost: $12 for first ride, $5 for additional ride; $30 all-day pass.
Bang for the buck: The Manhattan Express is a good ride. At times it's a thrilling ride. But it's also an expensive ride. Costing $12, it's a serious investment for what amounts to 2 and 1/2 minutes of fun. Still, the coaster delivers enough jolts and air-time (that zero-gravity feeling) to make it the runner-up to best coaster in the area. Plus, it's cool to zip in and around the buildings outside of New York-New York.
Gordon says: "The Manhattan Express is a pretty good ride. It's a standard steel coaster with a fast pace. They have an element on the ride that's called a 'diving loop' that comes right after the circular loop where you go into a dive and then the whole train dives down. It's a nice little effect. But it's certainly not worth ($12). I think that's a little costly."
Rating (out of 5 stars): *** 1/2
Speed -- The Ride
Where: Sahara.
Thrills: Maximum height of 224 feet with a maximum drop of 224 feet at a top speed of 70 mph. It features one loop, and then a large hill, which sends you through the entire ride again -- backward.
Time: Under a minute.
Cost: $8; $11 for an all-day pass.
Bang for the buck: With a name like Speed, you know what you're getting into before you ever ride the coaster: 0 to 70 mph in four seconds. Launching from a dead stop, you're sucked back, rocketlike, into the -- thankfully -- cushioned seat. While the coaster isn't mammoth, you do experience the entire track twice -- forward and backward. The coaster is also novel in that the big hill is placed at the end of the ride instead of the beginning.
Gordon says: "For a short coaster ride you get a lot of bang for your buck. It's certainly worth every bit of the wait and the money you spend. It's very thrilling."
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***
Canyon Blaster
Where: Adventuredome at Circus-Circus.
Thrills: Maximum height is 90 feet with a maximum drop of 90 feet at a top speed of 55 mph. It features a double loop and a double corkscrew.
Time: One and 1/2 minutes.
Cost: $5 per ride; unlimited-ride ticket $19.95.
Bang for the buck: For what the Canyon Blaster is -- a roller coaster jammed into a indoor amusement center -- it's not bad. There really isn't much room to work with. And, unlike the Stratosphere's High Roller, which is also hampered by space limitations, the Canyon Blaster actually manages a few moderate thrills. While the Canyon Blaster is a quick ride, it is one of the better bargains for Las Vegas coasters. If you're at Adventuredome, the Canyon Blaster is definitely worth a spin.
Gordon says: "The Canyon Blaster is a good example of a double-loop helix coaster. The helix is the last little loop that it does at the very end. It's the best part of the ride."
Rating (out of 5 stars): ** 1/2
High Roller
Where: Stratosphere Tower.
Thrills: Maximum height is 909 feet -- that's including the tower -- with a maximum drop of 30 feet at a top speed of 30 mph.
Time: One and 1/2 minutes.
Cost: $11, including the price to ride the Stratosphere elevator; $17 to ride both the High Roller and Big Shot.
Bang for the buck: Perched near the top of the Stratosphere, unless you're either terrified of heights or going around in circles, there's nothing thrilling or frightening about the High Roller. Perhaps the scariest part of the ride is when you get on. At first it appears the coaster is suspended on the outer edge of the building, with nothing preventing you from plummeting to your death if you should fall out of the train. Once in the seat, however, a quick glance to the left reveals there's the observation deck safely below you. The ride itself is akin to a kiddie coaster at a mall carnival, in which the biggest fear is getting dizzy. For a true adrenaline rush at this height, save money and time and ride the Big Shot.
Gordon says: "I think it's significant only because of its placement on top of the Stratosphere tower. It's certainly the highest roller coaster in the world, but as far as the ride goes, it's minimal -- you're just going around in a couple of circles."
Rating (out of 5 stars): 1/2*
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