La Vibora
Specific Type: Swiss Bob
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Six Flags over Texas is home to thirteen roller coasters, the most in Texas. They are also home to one of very few bobsled roller coasters in the world, their very own La Vibora. La Vibora is Spanish for "The Viper" and is one of nine bobsled coasters in operation in the world and one of just four in the United States. The other three bobsled coasters in the United States are Avalanche at Kings Dominion, Alpine Bobsled at Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom, and Flying Turns
The Intamin AG bobsled coaster opened up in 1984 at Six Flags Magic Mountain under the name Sarajevo Bobsleds, and then due to when Six Flags had their Ride Rotation Program, the coaster was relocated to Six Flags over Texas as Avalanche in 1986 (opening in 1987). The ride operated as Avalanche from 1987 to 1995, and then the park changed its name to La Vibora and painted it like a snake to fit in with the Spain section of the park. Guests looking to ride La Vibora first will want to take an immediate left upon entering the park entrance and follow the midways until they see the park's pirate ship called Conquistador, where La Vibora's entrance is directly next to. La Vibora is relatively a short ride as most bobsled coasters are. It lasts about a minute and a half and covers 1,490 feet of a trough style track. As with real bobsleds, the coaster does not run on actual rails, but in a U-shaped trough, where the trains move freely within and let the momentum and energy carry them within the trough. La Vibora reaches a maximum height of sixty feet and reaches a top speed of around thirty-two miles an hour. Unlike other bobsled coasters, La Vibora's trains actually consist of just one car, each with 3 rows. One or Two people can sit in each row, depending on size or how comfortable one wants to be during the ride. Everyone walking into the park will get a great view of one of La Vibora's enormous turns as it sits right on the edge of the south park border and north border of the parking lot. Directly out the station, riders are taken up the lift slowly. The first drop consists of a steep and rightward 180 degree turn, and then a 270 degree leftward turn back up into the coaster's first break run. After the break run, a downward ninety degree turn to the left leads riders into a an S-turn, where the track veers a little to the left, and then switches back to right. After this 180 degree turn to the left, rider's now enter the second break run of the coaster, where they are facing the same direction as they did going up the lift hill. Following the second break run, riders are twisted downward 180 degrees to the right, and then are led through another S-turn element, where it can feel the ride is out of control due to the train's quick left and right banking motions. A quick ninety degree turn to the right ends this S-turn elements, and the trains are lured into yet another break run. Riders then are taken downhill slightly more through a small ninety degree turn to the left, and then finish up the coaster with a 180 degree turn right. The final break run catches the trains and the trains slowly make their way forward back into the station. |
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