In the last few years, I’ve participated in the most extreme adventures that I could imagine. Even my wedding day included a little bit of rock climbing and a trip up the trapeze ladder to swing my way into married life. You may have a different opinion of what constitutes an extreme adventure, but I’ve narrowed it down to my top 5 extreme adventures based on sheer fear, nervousness, excitement, and potential to crap my own pants.
Falling in the number four spot is the Sky Jumping from the Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino!
Have you ever stood in the window of a massively tall building and looked down only to
worry about the horrific fall if something were to go wrong? The Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel & Casino brings those nightmarish thoughts to reality and puts the Sky Jump in the top four spot of extreme adventures.
Atop the 1,149-foot-tall Stratosphere is a controlled free fall Sky Jump similar to base-jumping. Connected by a cable while wearing my snazzy jumpsuit and harnessed to the edge of the observation tower, I lept, or if you were actually there watching me, I closed my eye tightly and fell, off of the platform and prayed that the guide wire would keep me from slamming into the tower’s cement columns 855 feet below. With a view like no other, I fell from the top of Vegas!
Before the jump, we were prepped and suited up in Stratosphere’s custom jump suits and given a safety lesson. After a short elevator trip to the top of the Stratosphere Tower, we needed to decide who was going to jump first. Since it was my husband’s first “falling” experience, I offered to go before him and take pictures from the landing platform. 
I was connected to a high-speed “descender” and led to the edge of the jumping platform.
Standing on a four foot platform 108 floors above Vegas was the most nerve racking experience of my life. The instructor asked me to step toward him and toward what looked like my death. The last step before I plummeted through the sky was the hardest. I needed to shut off my brain and simply listen to the instructions.
As the countdown began, 5-4-3-2-1, my goose bumps had goosebumps, my heart pounded in my chest, and the winds against my face screamed “Don’t do it you idiot!”
$#@%!
Here I go. I gripped my harness and edged my toes off the platform. That was all it took! The wind caught my legs and I was off into the skies.
My eyes were closed for the first 2 seconds then I felt the cable catch and a false sense of security came over me. The cable was my safety and although I was falling at about 40 miles per hour, I was secure.
The wind was rushing in my face and I let out one yell of excitement: YEAH! I was invincible and free!
Safely on the platform, I quickly regained my composure and grabbed the camera to get
photos of Darren’s jump. My hands were shaking so badly that I had to sit on the ground and rest my elbows on my lap to get a steady shot. The adrenaline was pumping so fiercely through my body that I could have been hit my a car and I wouldn’t even have felt it.
I instantly wanted to return to the top of the Stratosphere as I snapped off picture after picture of Darren falling through the sky. 
Skyjump is an adrenaline junkies quick fix. For only $100, I was given the ultimate view of Vegas through the highest controlled free fall in the world. All I needed to do was take a leap of faith and open my eyes.
Read about the #5 extreme adventure at http://www.bucketlistpublications.com/2012/05/03/top-5-extreme-adventures-5-spelunkingcaving/
Bucket List Publications 
AWESOME. I’m thinking of bungee jumping off the Macau Skytower sometime in the near future.
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That looks terrifying…you are a brave girl indeed.
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Awesome! That’s my home town 😀
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I’m going to Vegas next February and this will be on my to-do list. Thank you for sharing such wonderful and exciting adventures!
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I felt the adrenaline just by reading you. You are as brave as it comes.
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Never… I’m Way too afraid of heights…
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Two things I’m afraid of: Heights, and jumping from them. (from the Muppet Christmas Carol). First thought I had when I saw this post 🙂 You are brave…
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That looks awesome! I know from some ziplining that I’ve done in the past just how hard that last step is!! I think next time I head down to Vegas I will also have to add this to my “To Do” List!
You got some really cool pics! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
-Andrea
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That is pretty darn cool. I need to write a bucket list and start doing these types of things…
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awesome!!
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You are one crazy chick! Lol
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HOLY SMOKES!
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I’ve always wanted to sky dive but not sure I’d have the courage now, this may have to take it’s place….and I did the chair ride at the top of the building but it wouldn’t compare to this.
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NICE! Great pics too.
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I’d have fainted just going up that high in the elevator!
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Wild Lesley! Now that sounds like living fully! Was sky diving even better?
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Very impressive photos.
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HI,
OMG that looks very scary, I don’t know if I would be able to walk out on that platform, that is unreal, I’m shaking just thinking about it. 🙂
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Fantastic photos with a great perspective of how high up hubby was when he jumped! 🙂 If it had been me I probably would have been able to come home with the jumpsuit beacuse they wouldn’t want it after I … #&@* in it. lol! Thanks for sharing such a great adventure!! 🙂
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“Sweet Jesus” seriously fair-play to you! I think I will stick to reading your posts about it!!
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It is amazing how I almost could feel your sensations while jumping from the tower. I’m sure it is exciting, scary, alive feelings and much more your husband and you must have felt.
What an experience!
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How fun!!! I definitely don’t have the guts to do that, but it looks like a ton of fun 😉
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Totally nuts!
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Hi Lesley, my biggest extreme adventure is the 50 years of married life, and still counting.
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Looks amazing! I wish I had your courage.
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Awesome. This is now on my own bucket list.
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so you just fall straight to the ground like bungee jumping, no parachute? That is too quick for me. I liked floating around in the sky after my chute was opened. But I think I would try this 🙂
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Wow. Kick ass! Did you jump off the top of a building because you lost your entire retirement savings at Encore’s Roulette wheel?
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Reblogged this on Wealth Structuring International.
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You’re brave 🙂
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This post is awesome! Love the pics. FYI! I’ve nominated you for The Versatile Blogger Award, check it out!
http://mtwentysix.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/the-versatile-blogger-award/
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You are a brave woman. My heart is pounding just looking at these pictures.
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I have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! Check it out at http://momknowsbetter.wordpress.com Happy Thursday!
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Thanks for the nomination; it’s greatly appreciated.
I now follow your blog and I’ll check back regularly.
🙂
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Thank you! 🙂
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I love all your adventures. When I was 13 we went to Vegas for the Big Bad Scary Millennium and my family went to do the sling shot thing on top of the space needle. I got to the top and chickened out!! They went on the ride and I went back inside. My family hasn’t let me live that down.
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Oh my gosh, that sounds like an incredible experience! How amazing to be able to say that you “flew” over Vegas. I (almost) wish I wanted to sky jump—it sounds so amazing—but I am shaking simply after reading this. So impressed that you managed to make the jump!
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My heart is pounding just reading this. I would never do this haha. Props to you.
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Thanks for visiting my page. You’re page is pretty rad, I’ve been conquering my fear of heights slowly. I’m eating at the Tower of Americas in San Antonio this weekend for my birthday so that’s my thrill for now 🙂
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What a rush – not sure I could do that – you’re a braver woman than me. Great write up as always
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I can admit that I’ve been to the top of the Statosphere Las Vegas Hotel. You’ve go a lot more guts than I have or ever will. With such a small platform, I have visions of s body swinging INTO the tower of the hotel. But YOU made it, so I guess the swing OUT is farther. Whew!
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You are so brave!!
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awsome thanks for the pictures.
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Couldn’t do it – kudos to you – we all got to see such great pictures – thanks for sharing!
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That is so damn cool! I would love to do that!
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That is killer! I’ve been able to sky-dive from a plane and really enjoyed it, but never from a building. It’s on my bucket list now!
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awesome post! i literally got butterflies reading it! i’m roadtrippin to vegas next week and highly tempted to fork out the money for this.
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Holy crap is that crazy?! And you guys look so calm in your pre-jump picture…
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Hello Lesley,
such a great post and these pictures – thank you for sharing.
I would have no nerves for such a jump – I do not think anyone could persuade me …
I admire you!
Thank you for stopping by on my blog – nice to meet you!
Greetings from Germany
Sunelly Sims
ps: I also liked your article about HEIDELBERG / Germany very much on http://www.bucketlistpublications.com/2012/05/03/heidelberg-not-heidelburg/ !
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This is so AWESOME. Reading this gave me goosebumps! Going to VEGAS after ten days.
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You are definitely adventurous! I can’t believe this is only number 4! It looks like the most scary thing ever.
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