| Viper | |
| Viper, from X's queue. X's lift hill is in the foreground. | |
| Location | Six Flags Magic Mountain |
|---|---|
| Park section | Baja Ridge |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | April 7, 1990 |
| Cost | $8,000,000 USD |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Designer | Arrow Dynamics |
| Model | Custom Looping Coaster |
| Track layout | steel |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 188 ft (57 m) |
| Drop | 171 ft (52 m) |
| Length | 3,830 ft (1,170 m) |
| Max speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
| Inversions | 7 |
| Duration | 2:30 |
| Max vertical angle | 50° |
| Capacity | 1700 riders per hour |
| Max G force | 4.1 |
| Height restriction | 4 ft 6 in (137 cm) |
| Flash Pass Available | |
| Viper at RCDB | |
| Pictures of Viper at RCDB | |
| Amusement Parks Portal | |
Viper is a steel roller coaster made by Arrow Dynamics of the United States. The roller coaster is located in the Baja Ridge area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California.
Viper is the last of the three 7-looper roller coasters built by Arrow Dynamics to remain operating. The other two, Shockwave at Six Flags Great America and the Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags Great Adventure, were demolished in 2002 and 2010, respectively.
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When Viper opened in April 1990, it was the tallest and fastest looping coaster in the world, until the opening of the Steel Phantom roller coaster at Kennywood in May 1991, which had a top speed of 80 miles per hour (130 km/h).
Viper would appear to almost beat the current record for world's tallest 360-degree loop at 140 feet (43 m). Technically though, it is a standard size loop of which the top is at 144 feet (44 m). Arrow Dynamics never changed the size of their vertical loops, only the height at which they start. The world record for the tallest vertical loop is currently held by Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, TX, which has a height of 145 feet (44 m)
Viper still remained the tallest looping coaster in the world, but when the Steel Phantom was modified in 2001 to become Phantom's Revenge where it lost its inversions, Viper reheld the title of fastest multi-looper in the world joint with the new Superman Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, both with a top speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h).
It was only until Storm Runner opened in 2004 at Hersheypark, with a top speed of 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) that Viper once again lost the title of fastest multi-looping coaster. Viper however, is taller than both Storm Runner (150 feet (46 m)) and Superman Krypton Coaster (168 feet (51 m)) with a height of 188 feet (57 m), which then made it just the tallest multi-looper in the world.
Upon exiting the station, the train immediately begins climbing the 188-foot (57 m) lift hill. Upon reaching the top, the train curves into the 171-foot (52 m) drop, entering the 140-foot (43 m) tall vertical loop. The train then turns a sharp left, entering two vertical loops and then climbing into the mid-course break run, followed by a zig-zag into the batwing (two connected diving loops, each is a mirror image of the other). Riders are photographed by the on-ride camera in the middle of this element. Riders then make a right turn and immediately enter the double-corkscrew, followed by flat track and two turns before hitting the final break run, then making a final turn before returning to the station.
Viper was used in the 1992 Brendan Fraser movie Encino Man (referred to in the movie as the "Vaper"). It was also used in the 1993 Christian Slater movie True Romance and the 2000 movie Space Cowboys. It was also used in a commercial for Toyota.
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