Specific Type: Custom Looping Coaster
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By the latter years of the 1980s, the Valencia, California-based Six Flags Magic Mountain had become a popular hangout for coaster enthusiasts, drawing thrill seekers to four major scream machines, two being famed record-setters. Meanwhile, over at Six Flags Management, contracting was signed between Utah's coaster-creators at Arrow Dynamics and the Six Flags chain for three mega-looping steel thrill rides, the first of which opened in 1988 at Gurnee, Illinois' Six Flags Great America as Shockwave, the second opening as Great American Scream Machine the following year at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. In 1990, it was the Magic Mountain's turn to open the third and final ride on the almighty contract - Viper. Rising up to a height of one hundred and eighty-eight feet, the new serpent became the tallest looping coaster around, also claiming the world's highest loop - at 140 feet - and a tied record shared with the former two Arrow mega-coasters for most inversions - seven. With a hair short of four-thousand feet of bright red track work, Viper struck for the first time on April 7, 1990 and redefined the limits of steel coasters forever.
Making an exit out of the loading station, the 2-abreast green-and-orange train is carried up to the top of the 19-story heights via chain lift. Around to the left and down it is, spiraling 180-degrees towards the dry landscape below. Hitting the bottom, Viper pulls right back up with 70 miles an hour to its name, then hits the Vertical Loop at a 14-story altitude. Rounding a downwards-angled U-turn, the train whips through two more consecutive loops for double the inversion mayhem. Next stop: the block brakes. Viper heads down a spiraling drop under the first drop, then it's diving down the first half of the Boomerang and up the second half of the double inversion. Out of the Boomerang, a right-hand curve leads the coaster into the coiling Double-Corkscrew - the third and final double-flipping inversion. Concluding the Corkscrews, Viper concludes the track circuit with a serpentine S-curve snaking underneath the lift hill and around to the brake run. |
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