One wouldn’t normally associate a hotel with a roller coaster ride, but in Las Vegas, what’s normal elsewhere seldom applies. In Vegas, hotel-casinos like the Stratosphere loom 1,149 feet high and have rides like the Big Shot at the top of them. And it’s not only normal here; it’s a ton of fun.

The Big Shot is likely the most famous of the three rides atop the Stratosphere, and with good reason. After riding up 100 stories to the Stratosphere’s Observation Deck, riders have to take a second elevator up to the ride, which sits at the 921 foot level of the building. The ride begins with the sound of the air compressors kicking on. Before you even have time to panic about the fact that your arms and legs are simply dangling off the seat, or that you are unbelievably high up in the air, you are shot up 160 feet in a mere 2.5 seconds. Panic and exhilaration ensue as riders feel four ‘G’s of force on the way up. At the top, the ride lingers long enough for riders to blink and enjoy a brief period of weightlessness before it shoots down again in a free-fall so fast and intense, screaming may not even be an option.

After the first drop, the ride bounces up and down the mast three more less intense times before calmly settling back down to the launch pad. You’ll feel deliriously giddy and energized as it does, and be sure to take some time, if you can, to enjoy the incredible view of the Las Vegas Strip. Ride again at night, too, for a different view and experience; the psychological terror of the Big Shot is somehow expanded in the darkness, but the view of all the neon lights is truly incredible and makes the experience more exhilarating.