A brief review of the Ridge Rider Mountain Coaster at Heavenly Mountain in South Lake Tahoe, California, to save you the trouble.

PROS:
The gondola ride from the base up to the action park provides some stunning views of the mountain and of Lake Tahoe.
A gorgeous, mindbending view of Lake Tahoe from about 10,000 feet.
The staff brings you water while you wait in line.

CONS:
The wait on a Wednesday afternoon was over an hour. There was a distinct lack of urgency in moving the line along.
The entire ride took five minutes and fortyfive seconds, four plus minutes of which was being slowly towed up the mountain.
The ride back down takes 97 seconds.
The gorgeous view of Lake Tahoe lasts about three seconds. After that, it’s the rocky geography of a ski area during the summer.
It cost NINETYEIGHT DOLLARS. $63 for the gondola ride to the adventure park, $35 for a single ride on the coaster.($30 if you buy in advance, but advance tickets were sold out)
Every other activity in the adventure park is an upsell.

CONCLUSION
If you want the view, save yourself time and money and take the Tamarack Express Chair Lift.