In the late 80's and early 90's, Arrow Mega-Loopers were THE type of coaster.  Rides like Shockwave at Six Flags Great America, The Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags New Jersey were all great examples of these, but the biggest of the bunch opened in 1990, at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Standing 188ft tall, Viper is the first structure you see when you pull up into the parking lot.  Its huge lift hill, twisting drop, and wild inversions all stand tall, almost as if they are taunting you.  So what do you do?  If you are like most people, run straight towards the giant steel structure known as Viper.

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You board the ride in standard Arrow mega-looper trains equipped with over the shoulder restraints.  Your restraints are checked, and you slowly make your climb up the gigantic 188ft lift hill.  Viper's lift hill is one of the largest and longest in the park.  It takes over a minute to reach the top.

As you crest the top of the hill, you can spot X directly in front of you.  But you won't have much time to look as you speed down the long, steep, and twisted first drop, reaching speeds of 70mph.  

Viper's first drop is very intense and leads straight into the ride's first inversion, one of the world's tallest vertical loop.  

Soon after the first loop, you head into a 180' turn-around, which leads into two more consecutive vertical loops.  These can be very disorienting, and have even caused some people to black out.  

Exiting the third and final vertical loop, you head up into the mid-course brake-run.  Sitting near the front of the train, this part of the ride can provide a wonderful pop of air.  

After the brakes slow you down, you start heading into Viper's fourth and fifth inversion, the Batwing.  A batwing is what Arrow Dynamics calls its inverse version of the boomerang.  Basically it is a pretzel like inversion, where the exit is parallel to the entrance.

From the Batwing, you head into my personal favorite part of the ride - the double corkscrew.  Although some people complain, I enjoy the hang time you get from these inversions because of the moderately slow speed you enter them at.  

From this point, you head up into a straightaway, and take one more surprising dive underneath the station and into the final brake-run.

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Viper is a very fun and intense roller coaster.  I enjoy the high speeds and array of inversions.  Like all Arrow coasters, Viper can be a bit rough.  But, if you are tall enough you should not have a problem.  Viper is definitely one of the best Arrow Mega-Loopers and should not to be missed.

 

Rating: 7/10

Pros:

  • First drop

  • Double Corkscrew

Cons:

  • Rough