Desperado
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| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics | ||||||||||||||
| Product | Hyper Coaster | ||||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Ron Toomer | ||||||||||||||
| Type | Steel - Hyper | ||||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 30 | ||||||||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 1700 | ||||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Chain lift hill | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 209 feet | ||||||||||||||
| Drop | 225 feet | ||||||||||||||
| Top speed | 80 mph | ||||||||||||||
| Length | 5843 feet | ||||||||||||||
| Inversions | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| Drop angle | 60° | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2:43 | ||||||||||||||
| G-Force | 4 | ||||||||||||||
Desperado is an Arrow Dynamics steel hyper roller coaster located at Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino in Primm, Nevada, USA.[1] It is currently standing but not operating with no known plans to reopen.
History
Desperado opened on August 19, 1994, and was the third hyper coaster to ever be built.[2]
In 1999, magician Lance Burton performed an escape act on the roller coaster. Burton was chained to the roller coaster track and escaped before the train would have hit him.[3][4]
The last time Buffalo Bill's stated the coaster was open to the public was August 11, 2019.[5] The attractions page on the hotel's website listed the coaster as "currently closed until further notice" starting December 2019 or earlier.[1]
On December 14, 2019, the ride was inspected by Clark County, Nevada, and put out of service as it was deemed unsafe according to a notice placed on the ride's operation panel. The notice was still there in December 2022.[6]
According to the Las Vegas Weekly, in a February 2020 phone call with a hotel employee, it was said that Desperado only had a "slight chance" of ever reopening, however no offical comment was given by the hotel on the coaster's status.[7] Buffalo Bill's closed temporarly, and later indefenetly due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 18, 2020.[8]
The hotel reopened on December 23, 2022, but the coaster remained closed.[9][10] In February 2023, Buffalo Bill's General Manager Jerry West stated that Desperado had been cycled once monthly for the duration of its closure to keep it operational, but that it didn't have a reopening date.[10]
In mid-2023, the coaster was removed from the hotel's website.[11] It also had operating hours listed on an April 2023 hotel directory, but there's no mention of it opening during this time.[12] As of November 2024, all of the coaster's signage has been removed, and its entrance is blocked by arcade games.[13]
Design
The ride's supports were designed by Ride Centerline.[14]
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Color scheme
Yellow track and beige supports.
Trains
3 trains with 5 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows, for a total of 30 riders per train.
Images
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The first hill at night -
One of the hills in the first half -
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Family Attractions". Primm Valley Casino Resorts. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ "Ready for a fun run to the Nevada border?". The San Bernardino County Sun. August 19, 1994. p. 67. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ Hallyburton, Carole-Anne (1999-02-21). "Lance Burton to try another spectacular trick on Wednesday". The Salisbury Post. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
- ↑ "Burton uses stealth in TV magic special". The Republic. 1999-02-18. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
- ↑ "The moment we have all been waiting for! The Desperado roller coaster is open at Buffalo Bills". Facebook - Primm Valley Casino Resorts. August 9, 2025. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ "Stopped off at Buffalo Bill's in Primm to see the mighty #Desperado #RollerCoaster". Instagram - YourFavoriteCoasterSucks. December 28, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ↑ Ventura, Leslie (Feb 13, 2020). "Has Primm's Desperado roller coaster made its final descent?". Las Vegas Weekly. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ "A Message to Our Valued Guests and Community Members". Facebook - Primm Valley Casino Resorts. March 18, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ Wilson, David (December 24, 2022). "Buffalo Bill's in Primm reopens". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Stutz, Howard (February 12, 2023). "Primm casinos reopen as ownership plots course to recapture the market". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ "Family Attractions". Primm Valley Casino Resorts. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ "Primm Directory Guide" (PDF). Primm Valley Casino Resorts. April 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ "The bad news: Desperado entrance is blocked off by vending machines, seems empty, and all signage has been removed". Bluesky - Rideguy70. November 15, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ "Rides List". Ride Centerline. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
External links
- Desperado on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
- Desperado on Coaster-Count.
| Tallest roller coaster drop tied with Steel Phantom 1994 - July 1996 | ||
| Preceded by Magnum XL-200 |
Tallest roller coaster drop tied with Steel Phantom 1994 - July 1996 |
Succeeded by Fujiyama |
| Fastest roller coaster tied with Steel Phantom 1994 - July 1996 | ||
| Preceded by Magnum XL-200 |
Fastest roller coaster tied with Steel Phantom 1994 - July 1996 |
Succeeded by Fujiyama |