January 24th, 2014 - How to survive a fall from 855 feet

I've always been a bit of a thrill seeker.  I've been bungee jumping before, and I've done a wide assortment of slingshot type rides more times than I can remember.  I've even gone skydiving (and over some parts of New Hampshire, I think that you can still hear me screaming).

So when we went to Las Vegas this weekend for my bachelor party, I was immediately intrigued by one of the adds that I saw when doing my research about things to do in the City of Sin.  It was for the Skyjump at the Stratosphere Resort and Casino.  The jump promised thrills and chills as you took an elevator to the 108th floor, and then jumped off, falling 855 feet, all to land safely on the ground.

I had to find out how to survive a fall from 855 feet, so today, I went into action.

I discovered upon arrival that in order to survive this kind of fall, you really just need a decelerator.  Decelerators are used to create a controlled fall that will gradually slow the fall of an individual.  You can find them in use in many Hollywood movies (think Hans Gruber's tumble off the Nakatomi Tower in Die Hard).

The word "gradual" apparently has a different meaning in Vegas than the one I was accustomed to (see video as to why this is so).  But I survived to tell the tale nonetheless!

Other things I learned/looked up:

1)  The Hooters Casino is to Vegas as Mos Eisley is to Tattooine...in that you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy (Personal research)