Climbing up into the excavator, it was hard to know what to expect. There were buttons all over the place, levers everywhere I looked. It was difficult to believe the instructor when he said, “It'll just come to you.”
To relax and forget their worldly problems, some people go to the beach. Others might grab a book. Then there are some people who like to crush cars with excavators.
Those people go to Dig This, in Las Vegas. At Dig This, adults get to use heavy machinery in a giant playground full of mud, dirt and 600 pound tires. From bulldozers to excavators, Dig This is making people's dreams come true in America’s sin city. And a dream to be at the controls of an actual excavator overcomes more people than one may think.
Around 8,000 people come to Dig This each year. And they come from all over the world. From all demographics. And they all come for different reasons. Surprisingly, most guests don't come just to play with equipment. They come for a deeper reason.
Embracing their mission statement (“To provide exceptional experience that helps people forget their lives for a brief moment and regain their sense of confidence, accomplishment, and adventure.”), Dig This already knows “people are here for a reason.”
Said Owner & Founder Ed Mumm: “We had a lady here from DC. She was very involved with the political scene there. She got out of the excavator, and she said it was the first time she hadn't thought about her job in two years.”
Of the 8,000 people that come to try out the equipment, 50% are women. This came as a surprise to Mumm, who initially thought his clientele would be men when he founded the company in 2005. Apparently, the unique experience of climbing into an excavator and effortlessly scooping up thousands of pounds of dirt out of the earth appeals to everyone.
Push, pull and rip your way to excitement on huge D5G Bulldozers at Dig This. [Photo by Dig This]
Leaning slightly forward in my seat, I tilted the two levers in front of me forward. The excavator lurched forward, then slowly rolled over the earth. With word from the instructor, I pushed them all the way forward, as far as they would go, and the excavator sped forward at a whopping five miles per hour. But it wasn't about the speed. It was the feeling of sitting high up above the ground, 60 or more tons of machine at my calm and steady command. It was the anticipation of moving the powerful claw towards the dirt below.
Mumm grew up in New Zealand, but he'd been visiting the United States for the rodeo to watch his friends compete. He'd grown up on Bonanza and Gun Smoke. He just always had a fascination with the US, so it was no surprise when he moved here after three months of traveling through the West.
In New Zealand, he grew up around farms. He would used tractors, but he hadn't really operated heavy equipment until he moved out to Colorado with his wife. When they decided to build their own house, Mumm rented a Caterpillar. And when he climbed up into the seat of that excavator he thought, “This is the best thing ever invented. Imagine how many people would love to do this, but can't.”
There was one thing Mumm knew he wanted out of his unique business model: He wanted it big. He wanted it supersized. This was America, after all. With a nice selection of heavy equipment – bulldozers, steer loaders, excavators – people were soon traveling from all over the country to see what Dig This was all about. Now, after 8 years in Las Vegas, Dig This has served 42 million visitors from all over the world.
So what makes over 8,000 people a year come to ride on a bulldozer?
Following instructions, I let the claw slowly fall towards the earth until the teeth had effortlessly dropped below the surface. Then, I scooped up what I could. It took more and more dirt, more than I even thought would fit, and then glided upward. Just below the claw, I saw a hole in the earth big enough for me to stand in. And the excavator's claw was holding thousands of pounds of dirt, with no effort. As easy as driving a car, it was effortless to completely change the earth.
One of the most popular offerings at Dig This is the Aggression Session. Participants are given a can of paint and told they can write whatever they want on cars – purchased from a salvage yard and stripped of their engines. Then, they step into the hunk of metal and proceed to “beat the living shit out of the car.”
About a dozen people a week sign up for this.
“There are a lot of angry people out there,” explained Mumm. “They leave from the session as different people. You get to use the force of the machine to tear apart a car. People love crushing and smashing and ripping things apart. But it's not something people do very often.”
Men and women alike. It's exhilerating. It's empowering. It's unlike any other experience on earth.
And Mumm's favorite part is when they all leave.
“The reason I say that,” he laughed, “is that they come in not quite sure what they're getting into. But they're leaving with a massive smile on their face. A huge sense of accomplishment, if you may. That's priceless.”