Escape Routes Zipline Final Challenge 360 Ft Above The Las Vegas Strip
This is a guest post written by Chris Rauschnot, @24K on Twitter, of @24KMedia.
Would you be adventurous enough to ride a zipline between several towers at more than 35 stories up, while the wind is blowing hard and the nation is watching your every move? Probably not, but that is what six teams, on Ford’s Escape Routes NBC television show did, as their final challenge, in one of the most amazing cities in the US. Las Vegas was the lucky city to host the teams, season finale challenge and many friendly folks from Ford.
Ford Escape Routes Zipline Video
The morning started out like any other, on the Las Vegas Strip, except for the zigzagging zip lines from the near top of the New York New York hotel to the Monte Carlo hotel next door. The zip lines were over 360 feet above moving cars, people and concrete. In addition to the height, the contestants would be facing helicopters flying around them to get video of a stunt that has never been allowed or performed in Las Vegas.
Once each team member made it to the first checkpoint, at the edge of the Monte Carlo hotel, they were asked a question as a secondary challenge. Then, each member embarked on zip lines bridging two towers, by pulling themselves, hand over hand.
From below, it looked really tough and not something I would easily consider doing. The second stop was a ledge facing the Las Vegas Strip. After each teammate made it to the second stop, they had a final zip line to tackle, again with the hand over hand method. The visitors on the Strip literally could not believe what they were seeing!
The zip line challenge, across the Monte Carlo, was one of the craziest stunts I have ever seen in Las Vegas, and I’m not just saying that because Ford is sponsoring this post, I was compensated for my time. The top challenge however, for anyone visiting the city, has to be the Sky Jump at the Stratosphere Hotel and Tower.
High above at over 820 feet, even those who are not afraid of heights, shy away from the ride, but that is Las Vegas. There are activities here that you will not see anywhere else in the US or even the world.
There can only one winning team on Ford Escape Routes. But the overall winner was Las Vegas, because it showed visitors that they could still have an unbelievable time here, whether they are zip lining across the Strip or simply enjoying a vacation. Photo credit: Bill Cody