Sweden's death-defying free fall

"Not for the squeamish..." Indeed, all you need to do is fall down and... maybe write your will beforehand. 

  • The new thrill ride at Liseberg, scheduled to open in 2011, is being named "AtmosFear."

  • Meant to raise you to a dizzying height of 479 feet (146 meters) above the sea level in the port town of Gothenburg, Liseberg Tower in the popular family entertainment and amusement park of the same name is being converted into Europe's highest free fall attraction. Appropriately, the thrill ride is being named "AtmosFear."

  • AtmosFear will be Europe's tallest free fall ride both in terms of its vertical drop and the building behind it. Only one attraction in the world comes near, and that is another AtmosFear ride in Australia.

  • The ride starts in underground cellars in the tower. To get from there to the summit takes about 100 seconds. The trip down goes a lot faster: free falling lasts just over three seconds at a speed of around 70 miles per hour. Brakes do not kick in until you reach the basement. During deceleration, the passengers undergo a maximum of four times the weight of gravity.

  • The 36 passengers on each free fall will sit in open chairs with their legs flailing freely when they fall. Construction began last week, and the ride is scheduled to open in next spring.

  • "AtmosFear is nothing for those who squeamish. It will be the coolest attraction," said Mats Wedin, CEO of Liseberg.

  • For more info, see www.liseberg.se