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Louise Thomas
Editor
A professional roller coaster rider who has accumulated a six-figure salary travelling the world and vlogging his adventures on YouTube has said he is “living the dream” despite struggling with a fear of heights.
Sean Evans, a 33-year-old content creator who lives in Stoke-on-Trent, has been scared of heights since childhood and remembers being the “first person to close the blinds on the aeroplane” during family holidays.
While on a secondary school trip to Alton Towers he challenged himself to go on a roller coaster but felt so petrified he avoided rides for years to come.
During the pandemic, he binge-watched theme park videos, and realised the escapism they could bring, so he started a YouTube channel called Lift Hills and Thrills with the aim of eventually going to theme parks and videoing his experiences.
Despite having vertigo, in May 2021, he went on his first roller coaster since the school trip, and set a park record by riding Nemesis at Alton Towers 64 times in six hours.
He has since been to around 50 theme parks and ridden about 130 roller coasters. His YouTube channel has amassed more than 7.2 million views, in a job that “does not feel like work” but can involve him working 9am to 3am.
Sean told PA Real Life: “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.
“But approaching a new ride, I’m back to square one, nervous again.”
Sean has always had a fear of heights, dating back to his childhood, and he remembers being the “first person to close the blinds on the aeroplane” when his family went on holiday.
As Sean got older, he avoided anything involving great height, but in secondary school he forced himself to go on a roller coaster during a trip to Alton Towers.
He recalled: “I was like, right, I’ve got my friends around me, I’ve got to save face, I can’t be a shaky, nervous wreck who refuses to go on the ride.
“So I ended up going on the Corkscrew, which was my first ever roller coaster, and I came home that day after the high school trip and didn’t go on any roller coasters for years after that.”
Sean suffers from vertigo, which causes dizziness and can trigger 24-hour migraines, but claims that going on rides does not make his condition “any worse”.
For years, Sean continued to avoid heights, but during the pandemic, he began binge-watching content of people “exploring the world” and found himself inspired.
“In lockdown, all we knew was the inside of our house, so I was watching people who had travelled abroad, gone to theme parks and attractions, and I realised the escapism that a theme park brings,” Sean said.
“It’s not necessarily the ride itself, but the fact you can walk into a themed environment and be completely whisked away.”
He launched a YouTube channel called Lift Hills and Thrills to cover his “newfound passion”.
During lockdown, he posted videos about Alton Towers’ reopening plans and new social distancing rules for theme parks.
At the time, he was already working full-time as a content creator, writing articles about movies and television, so starting a YouTube channel felt like a natural next step.
Once restrictions eased, Sean threw himself into the deep end, and in May 2021, he rode Nemesis at Alton Towers 64 times in six hours, setting a park record.
He said: “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.
“I was talking randomly about how scared I was or swearing to the person next to me as it’s just my coping mechanism.
“It was such a daunting feeling, but I think it’s always worse in your head, so I tried to mentally prepare myself.
“For someone with vertigo, it was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.
“I felt such a sense of achievement; it was amazing, and my friends and family couldn’t believe I did it.”
Sean continued going to theme parks throughout the UK, and eventually abroad, to feel “that escapism” and grow his channel.
Before visiting a new park, he researches thoroughly, watching videos of the rides and comparing heights and bends to those he has experienced previously.
Despite visiting around 50 theme parks and trying about 130 rides, he still feels he hasn’t fully conquered his fear of heights.
After riding a roller coaster, he “tries to one-up” himself by seeking out the next tallest ride. In 2023, he even rode Europe’s tallest roller coaster, Red Force, at 112 metres, in PortAventura World, Spain.
Over time, Sean’s channel has grown, reaching more than 20,000 subscribers and accumulating 7.2 million views, and he expects this growth to continue.
His most-watched video, featuring him on the Velocity ride at Flamingo Land Resort in Kirby Misperton, North Yorkshire, has nearly 700,000 views and made him around £3,000.
He has travelled the globe in search of roller coasters, recently visiting the Netherlands, and, after being home for just a day, booked a trip to Abu Dhabi the following day.
He said: “I basically turned a hobby into a full-time job, and I get paid quite well for travelling and enjoying myself, which many would say is living the dream.
“The thing is, I’m doing something I love. When I’m writing about the attractions or recording the videos, it never feels like work.
“I’m talking about things I’m passionate about, sharing what means a lot to me.
“I’m sharing my journeys and experiences with people; it never feels like work.”
To others hoping to face their fears, he said: “Have a mental conversation with yourself, try to compose yourself, and know that you will be OK.”
Looking to the future, Sean hopes to go to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, a 335-acre animal theme park in Florida, and Universal Studios Singapore to combine his passion for film and roller coasters.
