Jack Morris remembers coming to Circus Circus from Dallas as a kid. Now Morris has witnessed the end of a project he started in October 2012 as just a dream that turned into the newest indoor roller coaster at Adventuredome, El Loco. The 72-second thrill ride takes adventure seekers through G drops, insane turns and twists, even barrel rolls and gravity-defying action.
This crazy train flies at a top speed of 45 mph over 1,300 feet of yellow track, snaking through other attractions at the indoor park. From below, it looks like a bright yellow mess of rails as riders scream past on their way to thrills.
What a thrill it is. You’ll steadily climb 90 feet, the highest point of the ride, at 14 feet per second in cars of four with two people sitting in front, two more in the back. Zoom down to a lateral G hairpin turn that has you on the edge of your seat, followed by another dive that creates a negative 1.5 vertical G-force. Go upside down through a barrel roll with a seat belt and restraint keeping you in. A doughnut roll makes you cling to those restraints. And that’s not even the end of the ride. The capper, a reverse 240-degree roll right into another drop, then bam!—hit the brakes and it’s over. All during the ride, speakers built into the seats blast music, but you won’t hear it over your screams even though it’s a surround sound system. Your first instinct when the ride is over is to race around to the end of the line to try it again.
S&S Worldwide Inc., who created the ride, says there are only six El Loco roller coasters in the world, and the version at Adventuredome is the only one indoors. Others can be found in Australia, France, China, the United Kingdom and Indiana. The version at Circus Circus is also the only one with a “lateral floater,” where riders float as they turn, a “60-degree inline roll out” and an inverted drop that ends with the brakes.
El Loco replaces Rim Runner, the water ride that opened with the park in 1993. “It reached the end of its lifespan,” says Morris, the assistant chief engineer and senior project manager at Circus Circus who built the coaster from scratch. Each piece was collected and assembled onsite then constructed when the theme park was closed. The new ride joins Canyon Blaster, the only indoor double-loop, double-corkscrew roller coaster in the world. That ride reaches speeds of 55 miles per hour. Other attractions here include Canyon Cars bumper cars, Sand Pirates, with a pendulum swing, and Disk’O with its rocking and spinning motion.
But maybe the best part of riding on El Loco? “The second time is better,” says Morris, who was one of the first to ride the roller coaster before it opened to the public. “You know you’re going to live.”
Circus Circus, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 10 a.m.-midnight Fri.-Sat., hours may vary, $5-$10 per ride or $29.95 for an all-day pass ($16.95 for children under 48 inches). 702.794.3939
