We get a number of questions asking about the Stratosphere roller coaster ride. The original Stratosphere coaster was named the High Roller and was a rather tame coaster by almost any definition. Mostly, it just circled the top of the tower at a moderate speed, without any real major hills or twists.
Of course, the coaster was operating at a height of 900 feet in the air, which made it the highest coaster i the world and which provided some thrills for those with fears of heights. But that coaster was dismantled in 2005 to make way for new rides, so if you hear somebody today talking about riding the “Stratosphere Roller Coaster”, odds are they are talking about one of those rides, specifically one called the X Scream. More on that ride below, but first, if you want to get a good look at the old coaster, check out the video below.
So when this old coaster went away in 2005, it was replaced by three new thrill rides, Big Shot, Insanity, and X-Scream. Of the three, X-Scream most closely resembles a traditional roller coaster, running along a 69 foot long segment of track.
You can read more here about the X Scream ride, which really is far, far scarier than the old High Roller coaster. While some might lament the loss of the world’s highest true roller coaster, I think the three new rides (along with another extreme attraction called SkyJump, which opened in 2010) more than make up for the loss of the High Roller.
Bear in mind that these rides are probably not appropriate for very little kids, due to the height and to the fear factor involved. But some kids will love the ride up to the tower by itself and the amazing views from up there, so if you and the older folks in your party want to try out the rides, you can probably do so while the younger ones are checking out the sites of the city from on high.
