Last month, Los Angeles unveiled the Skyslide, a 1,000-foot high, clear glass slide attached to LA’s Bank Tower. At a whopping 70 stories above the city’s downtown, the ride sounds like a total thrill—and also a total deathtrap.
However, complaints about the dangers of the Skyslide have so far had nothing at all to do with its enormous height.
Instead, a recent lawsuit filed by a 57-year-old New York woman claims the slide doesn’t give its riders enough time to properly slow down or stop before reaching its end. The woman, Gayle Yashar, and her husband are suing the Skyslide for damages after a rocky landing caused Yashar to break her ankle while exiting the slide.
Ironically, it seems the risk of injury at the ride’s end is the only thing visitors are finding frightening. Despite the fact that Skyslide’s website claims the slide “boasts a thrill experience unlike any other,” most patrons seem to find the overall experience to be a bit underwhelming.
The slide itself is pretty small—only 45 feet long and 4 feet wide—making for a relatively short and casually-paced ride. Additionally, admission costs $33, a little more than half as much as it costs to spend experience an entire day of excitement at LA’s Six Flgas Magic Mountain amusement park.
That being said, mixed reviews may be irrelevant, as the ride is only a small part of the much larger OUE Skyspace development at the Bank Tower. In addition to the slide, the sky-high development includes dining options, shopping, gardens and a 360-degree observation deck.
Overall, the Skyspace seems to be receiving positive reception, and even the Skyslide itself has generated a large degree of media coverage.
It remains to be seen what will happen in the meantime if complaints and injuries continue to mount. In the meantime, be sure to keep your legs tucked in while you ride that burlap sack down a 1,000-foot-high tube—and maybe try not to look down either.
Dillon Thompson is a travel intern with Paste and a student at the University of Georgia.
