Would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane? Would you jump from a building that was structurally sound? Not even on fire or anything as
harrowing as that. I did. Okay, not so much the jumping from an airplane part, at least not yet, but it is on the list to do.
Fremont Street Experience
I jumped from a building at a height of 114 feet… on purpose! Ok, so I was in Las Vegas at the time. If you have been to Las Vegas, then you know it is a crazy place and sometimes it makes you do crazy stuff!
I wanted the Fremont Street Experience, which means I had to do Slotzilla! As the name suggests, Slotzilla follows the theme of Vegas, you know, slot machines everywhere – even in CVS pharmacies. It is a 12-story building designed as a slot machine.
The Zip Line – Slotzilla
Slotzilla is a dominating icon at one end of Fremont Street with cables that run the length of the street high above the crowds below. Entry to the zip line is up several flights of stairs (there is also an elevator lift for those that are not keen on stairs). Don’t worry, I did not have to walk up all 12 flights of stairs. Only a couple, and then there was an elevator lift for the rest of the way.
I was outfitted in a special safety harness that kept me securely attached to the cables as I flew high overhead soaring down Fremont. When I reached the launching pad at the top of the grandiose slot machine I laid on my belly on this table-like contraption that filled with air to lift me up to the cable (it was only a couple of feet) so I could be attached to it. The air was released from the table and it sank slowly back down to the floor.
There I was, hanging in the air, thinking, “wow! I am really going to do this!”
The door started to open in front of me. I could see Fremont Street spreading out in front of me. All the lights flashing on the buildings, the overhead TV screen was playing a music video, I could hear the music mixed with the sounds of the people far below. They looked rather small, not quite like ants, but more like in the Disney movie, “Honey I Shrunk the Kids.”
Push Off!
I pushed myself forward with my hands on the edge of the airlift table and I was off! There was a quick drop of a couple of feet as I sailed out over the street. It was amazing to get such a different perspective of Fremont that high in the air.
It was fun to feel the wind rushing past me and to wave at the people below. Flying down Fremont Street at 40mph it only took a minute (literally) to traverse the 1,750 feet to the next tower, and stopping point. The end was a little jolting as I bounced against the rubber bumper to slow my speed. I was gently and slowly brought to another set of airlift tables and disconnected from the cable.
Safety
They do have numerous safety protocols in place to make this an enjoyable ride for everyone, on the zip line and on the street. Before I launched, two workers each inspected the locks and connections of my harness to the cable, verifying correct connections and all safety locks were in place.
I could not hold anything or have any loose items, such as sunglasses, flip-flops, camera, phone, etc. They clipped a canvas bag to my harness to hold all my personals. Also, you cannot be drunk or even tipsy to go on Slotzilla. Could you imagine! Going over all those people and then getting sick! I think, I would rather not think about that scenario!
Should You?
If you have never zip lined before or if you have an issue with heights, this would be nerve wracking – maybe even challenging, but worth it!
Slotzilla was fun and I would recommend that if you want the full Fremont Street Experience, that you do this. There was a down side though – my wait time from stepping on the first stair until I hit the end landing pad was just over an hour… for 1 minute of flight time. As long as you are prepared for the wait, you will have a great time.