The Fremont Street Flightline runs from the top of a parking structure about six stories up near Neonopolis down several blocks of Fremont Street, ending under the canopy about two stories up near Binion's. Riders zoom down the line at speeds approaching 35 miles per hour while bemused street bound spectators (or sane people) watch from below and point and laugh.

Usually when I see thrill rides like this my first reaction is "No way in hell." For some reason when I saw this I didn't have that reaction. I didn't necessarily want to do it, but I figured that my lack of an immediate "No!" was worth examining. Before I was finished with my introspection I was signing some waiver that essentially said that my surviving relatives wouldn't sue the zip line people if the whole thing ended messily.

In the office (address listed above) you fill out the forms, sign away your life, pay your money, and get weighed to determine the right rigging for your frame. There are weight limits - no one less than 60 pounds or more than 250 pounds is allowed. Anyone under 18 must get the messy end waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian.

After all the requisite paperwork is done, you head up to the fifth floor of an adjacent parking garage and are put into the harnesses that will secure you to line. One word of advice - go when it's warm so you can wear something light and not bulky. The harnesses are tight, restrictive, and uncomfortable even before you are dealing with thick pants and a heavy coat to ward off the cold and rain.

Next you go up onto what appears to be a rickety platform spanning Fremont Street. It isn't rickety - it's quite solid - but it looks like something someone built in their backyard. It isn't exactly confidence inspiring.

What is, however, are the attendants who are there to guide you through every step of the process and to tell you to quit whimpering and be a man for God's sake. Okay, I wasn't really whimpering but I think they could tell I wanted to. They were very kind to me and provided decent answers every time I said "Why am I doing this?" I asked that a lot.

There are four lines down so you can go in a group or individually. They attach your harness to one of the lines, make you "sit" into the harness to make sure you get the feeling of it, and give you the basic do's and don'ts. Do hold onto the rigging cable tightly; do ride in a sitting position; don't go horizontal or upside down; don't forget to tuck up your legs as you get to the landing platform.

Three, two, one, go....

I wonder if the people on the ground understood what I was yelling. If they did and there were any children around, I apologize.

It's really not as bad as all that. Compared to jumping off the top of The Stratosphere Tower it's probably a kiddie ride, but it is faster than you expect to be and so enough of a thrill for all but the most hard core of thrill seekers. The entire experience from walking in the door to landing takes 15-20 minutes unless there are lots of people ahead of you, but the actual zip line portion of it is less than a minute.

Rides are $15 before 6pm, $20 after (which would be cool when the Fremont Street Experience is all lit up if you can keep your eyes open long enough to see it). You can also pay $50 to ride all day and yes there are people who do that, returning dozens of times and whooping with delight every time.

You can also get a picture of yourself doing it, as is evidenced by the following. I intend to put it on my smart phone as a background so the next time someone calls me a wuss, I can just pull it out and say "Ha!"

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