Anyone for desert?
Uggggh. That's a horrible noise. There's a jarring, creaking clank of metal as the buggy crunches down to earth at an incredibly ill-advised angle. The mild lurch sideways in the seat should realistically be accompanied by an undignified and potentially rather dangerous rollover, but these little beasties are incredibly tough, it seems.
A majorly appealing part of whizzing around the desert in SunBuggy's cute little contraptions is that they haven't been bought in wholesale from elsewhere. It's not as if they're quad bikes that can be found anywhere in the world, or vehicles that can be seen traversing the dunes from California to New South Wales. SunBuggy makes its pugnacious little terriers in-house – look through the door behind the reception desk and a guy can be seen welding them in the workshop at the back. Everything is custom built with the punishment they're likely to take at the hands of clumsy and often massively over-enthusiastic drivers in mind.
The buggies are made for withstanding a pounding rather than looks. They're essentially a metal frame cage with a low seat, foot controls and an engine that sounds like a sickly lawnmower on the back. There's a fair bit of grunt in that engine, though – the buggies can hit speeds of around 60km/h, although it feels considerably faster when sitting ultra-low to the ground, desert winds buffeting your face.
Fun in the sun.
SunBuggy's signature experience is the Mini Baha Chase where, in theory, first timers get to chase a guide around the 15,000 acre Nellis Dunes just outside Las Vegas. Realistically, it's more following than chasing, and the whole convoy grinds to a halt when one hapless driver gets stuck halfway up a dune due to not flooring the accelerator as instructed.
Getting stuck isn't nearly as bad as getting lost, though. Telling the tale of a bachelor party where the would-be groom got detached from the group, then had to stagger hungover to hitch a lift on the main road, is a bold tactic. But if it drives home the message to stay at the top of the dune when the rest of the group disappears from sight, so be it. Far better to sit around for a minute or two looking silly while the guide retraces his tracks, than head off aimlessly into the unforgiving sands.
The pursuit starts off relatively gently on stony ground, before heading into the softer stuff. The buggies don't exactly offer power steering in the first place, but once on the sand, there's considerably less control – as the veering driver in front ably demonstrates. Momentum and space become key. Trust in power, and give enough room to rectify any divergence from the optimum path, and it's all hunky-dory.
Up, up and away on the zip line.
The dunes get bigger as the pursuit goes on. Some are made for hurtling up, then plunging down, buggy clattering and crunching all the way. Others are taken at an angle, tyre tracks created in parallel with the arc of the curve. Some are taken on with elegant aplomb, others rank misjudgement which calls the buggy's remarkable powers of stability into action.
Sheepish kamikaze moments aside, though, the entire chase is undertaken with a beaming grin. There's something tremendously enjoyable about wrestling a souped-up homemade go kart around the desert, especially when the Las Vegas skyline appears on the horizon when mounting one of the monster dunes.
It is also by no means the only adrenalin experience that Las Vegas offers. Few cities offer more opportunities for people to get their heart rate going and mouth involuntarily whooping or screaming.
Satisfy your need for speed.
And for petrolheads not satisfied with dune buggying, Speedvegas ratchets things up a notch. Around 10 minutes' drive south of the last of the big Strip resorts, this operation has spared no expense in collating some of the sexiest cars known to man. Under the scorching blue skies, Porsche Cayman GTXs, Corvette Z06s, Lamborghini Huracáns and more line up along the pit lane of a purpose-built track.
Said track is 2.4km long, includes 12 turns of varying difficulty, and the long home straight is ripe for getting up to speeds of around 210km/h. Bravely, the owners of these cars are prepared to let giddy amateurs drive them around the circuit, with only a pre-spin briefing on where to brake when and an instructor in the passenger seat.
Of course, this is Las Vegas, where you can be two champagne glasses from a helicopter flight and a free bottle of beer offered on hotel check-out to the good before arriving at the course. And for such shambling lushes, who are secretly worried they'd just end up driving around like a terrified grandmother anyway, there is the option of merely playing co-pilot.
It's perhaps for the best that Steve, one of Speedvegas' professionals, is in the driver's seat of the yellow Ferrari 458. "This section here comes up really fast," he explains as the section comes up really fast. "You need quick reaction times."
The coaching continues further round the track. "Brake in hard straight lines, not around the corners. And try to make the straightest line from corner to corner." Approximately 5 per cent of this goes in when merrily tiddly and quite happily enjoying the ride, but it's a noble effort to impart wisdom nonetheless.
While the whizz round is enjoyable, the problem of picking the most glamorous car available quickly becomes apparent. Even at high speeds, the Ferrari glides around the track incredibly smoothly. That's partly down to Steve's driving, but partly because with six-figure price tags, such dream cars aren't designed to offer a jolting, rough-and-ready experience. It's so mellow and easy-going that the thrill is dulled and the fear factor is diminished.
This is not definitely not the case at one of Las Vegas' newest and silliest action attractions. Slotzilla takes the form of a giant slot machine in the middle of Fremont Street, downtown Vegas' gaudiest and most visually dazzling strip. Surrounded by flashing lights, a giant LED roof and a neon blizzard, Slotzilla offers the chance to zipline almost five blocks above the throng of people gathered to watch rockers and country guitar-twangers on the live music stages below.
The zipline starts 23 metres up, but the much more nerve-jangling 'zoomline' is nearly 35 metres above ground. And it involves getting spectacularly trussed up beforehand. Minidress-esque rubber sacks are strapped around the body, all manner of carabiners and harness loops dangling free, while two Velcro straps are wrapped just below the knees. Once at the top, willing victims lie down on hydraulically-operated bed-like platforms, and everything is hooked up to the zipwire apparatus above.
The blue beds are then lowered, leaving strapped-up flyers hanging, horizontal and facing straight forward.
Then the barrier is lowered, revealing Fremont Street below. Pulse rates quicken, hearts disappear into mouths, and the release mechanism is triggered. Suddenly, there's a lurch forward and the human contents of these glorified hang-glider bags are sent hurtling across the neonscape.
It's a fabulous rush, taken on superhero-style with arms outstretched in front. The undignified hollering is slightly less heroic, but it's perfectly acceptable behaviour in the circumstances.
With four flying at the same time, competitive urges take over. Finding the most aerodynamic position becomes paramount for overtaking purposes, although several years of unrestrained pie-eating proves to be a more significant advantage. Sheer bulk and gravity combine to produce the top speeds – of around 56km/h.
They also lead to a hefty crash to a halt at the end, though. It's a jerking, jolting climax rather than a gentle deceleration. But that's not going to detract from the sheer, joyous, excitable glee. The juices are flowing and the night is still young. And with such adrenalin rushes, the viva is well and truly injected into Las Vegas.
TRIP NOTES
MORE INFORMATION
lasvegas.com/au; travelnevada.com
GETTING THERE
United Airlines fly to Las Vegas via Los Angeles from both Sydney and Melbourne; see united.com
STAYING THERE
The Mandalay Bay is a family favourite on the Strip with arguably the best pool complex in the city. Rooms from $US108 ($145); see mandalaybay.com
SEE + DO
The SunBuggy Mini Baha Chase starts at $US149 for half an hour; longer trips offer better value (sunbuggycom/lasvegas). Speedvegas offers high speed drives around its purpose-built track from $US49 per lap (speedvegas.com). The Slotzilla zoomline experience on Fremont Street costs $US45; it can sell out in the evening (vegasexperience.com/slotzilla-zip-line).
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FIVE MORE LAS VEGAS THRILLS
TAKE A RIDE
A rollercoaster inside a resort? Sure, why not. New York New York on the Strip boasts a surprisingly hardcore thrill ride. It goes 61 metres high, has severe drops, and throws riders upside down with no gentle treatment. See newyorknewyork.com
SKYJUMP
The Stratosphere is the tallest building west of the Mississippi, and the SkyJump offers the chance to walk off a platform 260 metres above the Strip for a controlled freefall back to terra firma. See skyjumplasvegas.com
THE BIG SHOT
The Stratosphere doesn't limit itself to ludicrously high platform jumps – there's also the fairground-style Big Shot which cranks you up to 319 metres, then plummet, hoping the seat restraint does its job properly. See stratospherehotel.com
SKYDIVE OUTDOORS
Jumping out of a plane in Vegas not only offers views of the Strip – but of the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and surrounding mountains too. Skydive Las Vegas offers tandem jumps. See skydivelasvegas.com
SKYDIVE INDOORS
If you can't/won't jump out of a plane, a simulated alternative involves jumping above a DC-3 propeller, then being blown upwards inside a vertical wind tunnel. See vegasindoorskydiving.com.
David Whitley was a guest of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Travel Nevada.
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