What's new

Polercoaster

Intricks

Strata Poster
I swear this was confirmed at either IAAPA when one of the clubs were interviewing S&S, or by CoasterCruiser here when he interviewed them.
 

sparky2u

Mega Poster
Looking Up:



The Polercoaster thrill ride and observation tower is shown in this rendering provided by Orlando-based US Thrill Rides. The company has applied for FAA clearance to build a 650-foot tower at the Tropicana.

Because of the height and location — a map with the application shows it at the Tropicana — the agency must assess any potential hazard posed to the planes flying in and out of nearby McCarran International Airport.


However, U.S. Thrill Rides President Michael Kitchen said the company has held discussions with banks willing to furnish loans for the Polercoaster, with an estimated cost approaching $100 million.

He declined to comment on the location. A spokeswoman for Tropicana did not comment.

“This will be the tallest roller coaster in the world,” he said. “Since Las Vegas is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, we think it will get higher visibility and foot traffic than other places.”

Windmere, Fla.-based U.S. Thrill Rides has built about 300 rides, many of them roller coasters for amusement parks. Company founder and CEO Bill Kitchen, Michael Kitchen’s father, said he conceived the Polercoaster idea as a way to add a thrill ride to an existing destination that lacks much open land.

“It goes very high, so you get an enormous amount of thrill from a very small amount of space,” Bill Kitchen said. “Using a couple of acres that you would need for a regular roller coaster would be out of reach on the Strip because of the cost.”

The Polercoast would resemble something like the Stratosphere tower, with a round top that would including dining, retail and an observation deck. The Stratosphere, at 1,149 feet, would still be far taller.

On the Strip, only the unfinished Fontainbleau resort at 735 feet has gone higher than the proposed Polercoaster; the Palazzo would be 8 feet shorter.

Polercoaster’s center core would contain two glass elevators to the top for people who just want to look but not ride. Around that would run a regular spiral track to guide the eight self-propelled passenger cars to the top. Outside of that and the structure’s supporting pillars would be downhill ride, including several twists, turns and loops.
 

Hutch

Strata Poster
Hmm. 650 ft is pretty ridiculous, especially since Kingda Ka would be 200 feet shorter. The observation tower and dining idea does sound pretty neat though. We'll just have to wait and see...
 

Snoo

The Legend
rollermonkey said:
As with anything in Vegas, don't believe it until it opens.

This. I've lost count of these stupid 'concepts' that slip into not happening slowly over time as they never gain any traction.
 

tomahawk

Strata Poster
Remember the fish hook off Stratosphere? Yeah, let's wait and see since there are how many uncompleted construction projects in Vegas right now?
 

roomraider

Best Topic Starter
Speak purely from a design point of view its a very nice idea. Using another structure to literally drape a coaster down. It does seem to be a design with a very limited market. Vegas is really the only obvious destination that jumps to mind, Perhaps a larger beach resort area maybe.

Regardless if it gets built in Vegas or not its certainly a nice idea.
 

therick311

Mega Poster
Am I the only person who thinks the name Polercoaster sounds like something from a bad pickup line?

"Hey baby, you wanna ride my Polercoaster?"
 
Top