Desperado (roller coaster)

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Desperado

Location	Primadonna Resorts
Type	Steel
Status	Operating
Opened	1994
Manufacturer	Arrow Dynamics
Designer	Ron Toomer
Model	Hypercoaster
Height	209 ft (64 m)
Drop	225 ft (69 m)
Length	5,843 ft (1,781 m)
Max speed	80 mph (130 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	2:43
Max vertical angle	70°
Capacity	1700 riders per hour
Max g-force	4
Height restriction	4 ft 0 in (120 cm)
Desperado at RCDB Pictures of Desperado at RCDB
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Desperado is a hypercoaster located in Primm, Nevada at the Buffalo Bill's Hotel and Casino a part of the Primadonna Resorts complex.

According to the roller coaster database, Desperado is one of the tallest roller coasters in the world with a 70-degree, 225 foot drop; a 209 foot lift hill; and top speeds around 80 mph. On the 2 minute, 43 second ride, riders will experience almost 4 Gs.^[1] A portion of the ride runs through the interior of the casino. The coaster was listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's tallest roller coaster in 1996.^[2]

[edit] History

At opening, the coaster was tied for the longest dropping and steepest roller coaster. However, the top speed of 80 mph was slightly slower than the Steel Phantom at Kennywood which had a top speed of 82 mph. There was much discussion when the ride opened that questioned if it's 209' lift height was higher than The Pepsi Max Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England. The Big One opened in May of 1994, with an advertised height of 235', but many claimed that number was above sea level which was 34' lower than The Big One. Later measurements showed The Big One as being 213' high.

For his Top Secret special that first aired on February 24, 1999, magician Lance Burton staged a death-defying escape in a stunt where he was tied to the roller coaster's track and had to break out of handcuffs in order to escape.^[3]