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New York Post
I earn six figures as a pro roller coaster rider — despite being afraid of heights
By Taylor Knight,
3 hours ago
He’s buckled in for a wild ride.
Sean Evans, a professional roller coaster rider and YouTube content creator, revealed he makes six figures from his daredevil lifestyle despite being afraid of heights.
“I’m always there shaking and trembling. I always get butterflies in my stomach … but as soon as that roller coaster goes down its first drop, the fear kind of washes away in that moment,” the UK resident told PA Real Life.
“But approaching a new ride, I’m back to square one, nervous again.”
Sean Evans, 33, is a professional roller coaster rider who makes six figures.
Evans, 33, confessed his fear of rides started when he went on his first roller coaster, the Corkscrew at Alton Towers Resort , during a school field trip. The thrill of the roller coaster wasn’t enough to convince him to do it again, so he avoided the amusement park ride for years.
However, during the pandemic, he found himself binge-watching tons of theme park videos, which piqued his interest in roller coasters.
“In lockdown, all we knew was the inside of our house, so I was watching people who had traveled abroad, gone to theme parks and attractions, and I realized the escapism that a theme park brings,” Sean said.
The content creator started a YouTube channel called “ Lift Hills and Thrills ” focused on his adventures exploring theme parks around the UK. The channel has more than 20,000 subscribers.
“It’s not necessarily the ride itself, but the fact you can walk into a themed environment and be completely whisked away,” he confessed.
Evans embarked on his new thrill-seeking journey, which required him to try different amusement park rides like roller coasters, despite vertigo in May 2021. Vertigo “causes dizziness and makes you feel like you’re spinning when you’re not,” explained Cleveland Clinic.
Since then, the UK resident has visited around 50 theme parks, riding about 130 roller coasters, and set a park record by riding Nemesis at Alton Towers 64 times in six hours. He even conquered Europe’s tallest roller coaster, Red Force, over 367 feet high, in PortAventura World, Spain.
“I wanted to do something that would make my channel stand out, being a new channel, and someone had previously ridden Nemesis all day and got 63 laps, so I did 64,” he said .
“I basically turned a hobby into a full-time job, and I get paid quite well for traveling and enjoying myself, which many would say is living the dream,” he added.
The content creator uploads videos on his YouTube channel “Lift Hills and Thrills” about his latest theme park adventures.
Evans, who works between 9 a.m. and 3 a.m., claims he’s “living the dream” and that his job “doesn’t feel like work” because he’s doing something he loves.
The thrill seeker experienced vertigo in 2021 but didn’t let it stop him from riding a roller coaster 64 times.
Even with his research and experience of riding the coasters, fear still overtakes him when it’s time to ride the beast.
“I think it’s always worse in your head, so I tried to mentally prepare myself,” Evans said. “I was talking randomly about how scared I was or swearing to the person next to me, as it’s just my coping mechanism.”
Although the theme park expert has traveled across the UK, taking on as many roller coasters as his vertigo can handle, he’s ready to expand his exploration abroad to visit Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida and Universal Studios Singapore.
“I’m talking about things I’m passionate about, sharing what means a lot to me,” Evans said about his hobby turned career.
Evans enjoys his work so much he doesn’t feel like it’s work.
He encourages others to conquer their fears and remember they can get through them.
“Have a mental conversation with yourself, try to compose yourself, and know that you will be ok,” he added.
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