Up until X Scream, I never thought I really had a fear of heights. This ride changed that. This is such a simple ride concept that is so unbelievably freaky it blurs the line between scary fun and just plain scary. X Scream teeter-totters on the very edge of the Stratosphere observation deck, almost 1000 feet off the ground. Riders ride in an 8-passenger vehicle that slides forward and backward on the teeter-totter as it tilts up and down. The ride begins by immediately tilting downward, so the car charges straight toward the edge, and it passes the point where you can still see track below you. All you can do is pray that you dont go flying off to your doom. It stops there for a bit, the platform tilts up, the car rolls back, but before even stopping we tilt down again and once again go hurtling off the edge. This happens one more time. The last time, though, we are dangling off the side for a long time, waiting and waiting for the platform to tilt up again, but it unexpectedly drops down even steeper, which should scare the pants off of anyone. It finally brings us back to safety. I rode this at night, when it was very windy and trying to sprinkle. That added even more to the dread. The first ride took place in the back seat, but I then rerode a second time in the very front. If you live for the rush, I highly recommend this seat. If you get weak in the knees easily, I say stay as far away from anywhere on this ride as possible. X Scream will forever hold a place as one of the scariest rides ever created.
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