Riding the new glass slide is not for the faint-hearted. It's a long way to the ground below. Photo: AP Photo/Richard Vogel

Daredevil skyscraper attraction Skyslide opens in the US

Staff Writers|Apr 16, 2019

A terrifying glass slide attached to the side of a skyscraper has been road-tested for the first time.

The verdict? While it’s not going to rival Six Flags or other popular fun parks, it’s an architectural amusement experience that is likely to draw big crowds and long queues.

A member of the media prepares to take a ride down a glass slide during a media preview day at the U.S. Bank Tower building in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, June 23, 2016. Starting this weekend, thrill-seekers can begin taking the Skyslide, a 1,000-foot high slide perched outside of the tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) Thrillseekers only: The first visitors have tested the Skyslide at the US Bank Tower building in Los Angeles. Photo: AP Photo/Richard Vogel

The Skyslide on the US Bank Tower puts only a thin sheet of glass – 3.2 centimetres – between slide-riders and the ground 300 metres below.

It’s an initiative of Singapore-based building owner OUE, which bought the tower in 2013 and was looking for ways to add value to a building which, like many of its high-rise counterparts around the world, was struggling to find tenants.

The skyscraper was built in 1990 and will be overtaken as LA’s tallest building when the 335-metre Wilshire Grand Center is completed in 2017.

A member of the media rides down a glass slide during a media preview at the U.S. Bank Tower building in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, June 23, 2016. Starting this weekend, thrill-seekers can begin taking the Skyslide, a 1,000 feet high slide, perched on the outside of the tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) Only a few centimetres of glass is between sliders and the ground 300 metres below. Photo: AP Photo/Richard Vogel

The 70th-floor entrance to the slide is 1.2 metres wide and its length about 14 metres, so it’s a quick trip down to the 69th floor observation deck overlooking LA and its surrounds.

It’s part of the Skyspace LA project, which is billed as California’s highest open-air observation deck and interactive experience.

Anyone aged five and over can use the slide for a cost of $11 on top of the $35 Skyspace ticket. However, there are height and weight restrictions.

Skyspace and Skyslide are part of an initiative by OUE, a real estate company and developer, to bring new life to buildings and communities.

In this Wednesday, June 22, 2016 photo "Skyslide" juts out from the side of the U.S. Bank Tower building in downtown Los Angeles. Starting this weekend, thrill-seekers can begin taking the ride that is about 1,000 feet high and perched on the outside of the tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi, the U.S. Bank Tower. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) The slide is attached to the US Bank Tower, Los Angeles’ tallest building. Photo: AP Photo/Richard Vogel

The slide and observation deck are part of a $50 million makeover for the US Bank Tower, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Overseen by architecture firm Gensler, the new facilities also include redesigned lobbies – one for the tenants at ground level and the other for the slide-going public – a cafe and a restaurant and bar on the 71st.

The slide itself was designed by M. Ludvik Engineering.

Attractions, amusements and experiences, such as a giant enclosed slide that opened in a Chinese shopping centre earlier this year, are becoming more popular in commercial premises around the world as as retailers compete for customers and try to lure people back to bricks-and-mortar shopping.