Viper @ SFMM

what is this coaster like? iv always waned to go on it but living in pa and being a poor collge stuent i dont see it happening anytime soon. what is that giant loop like? kinda reminds me of the scream machine at sfgad. does it hurt as much? id imagine it does(harnesses, yuck!)

Many people who have ridden both (or not) have always made it clear that Viper's double corkscrew is one of the best out there and quite good for an old school Arrow coaster. And then there is the majority who say that nothing is worse than G.A.S.M.'s corkscrews, feeling the pain of the side to side slamming. I personally enjoy this ride. The long hill rising into the vertical loop is real fun as you zip 130 some feet uphill before you round 360° at 144 FT high. The next two consecutive vertical loops pull slightly stronger Gs and comes very fast. The hill leading to the brake run gives a STRONG pop of airtime. Although the MCBR is turned up quite high, nearly cutting the speed at that point in half, it leaves the batwing and double corkscrew elements much more enjoyable and fun. You get alot of hangtime (not so much that it makes the ride look so slow and pathetic) and it decreases headbanging. So overall, I feel that Viper is the best old school looping coaster in the world.

I agree you with you, you explained Viper perfectly. It is one great looping coaster that seams to get better and better each time I ride it. 

You said it brother!!! Viper is the best old school steel coaster out there in my opinion, that I've ridden anyway.

Viper is one of the best steel coasters I've been on. 1st, Theres the very tall lift hill, it makes your heart beat and it takes more then a minute to get up, Then It does a twisting first drop to the bottom and goes up a loop, There is a lot of hang time on this loops then it does a banked turn and drops a bit and does a double loop. I can't really remember what happens next but I really love the corkscrews on the ride, It makes your feel like you are floating off your seat which is pretty scary.

viper is the a great ride and not to be missed . lots of rerides due to short lines

by what i've seen in books and videos, also online, that it is a great ride, but the POV video i saw the MCBR was up very high, almost to a stop
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Millennium Force
Millenniumforce3@aol.com

kRaXLeRidAh said it all!! Viper is a fantastic ride, it can be moody, though. I have had very rough rides on it, and other times quite smooth ones.

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"X" marks the spot in 2001!

Viper is spectacualar! It doesn't have much of a line at all eithier. Probly by top 3 of coasters at SFMM. The corkscrew off the Batwing throws you into the OTSR which is a reason Viper is one of the only rides that need them! The midcourses are on hard but you defently will need them through the finale. The finale still is fast though. The miscourses give some cool airtime to! I was about 5'11' when I last rode Viper and I easily had my head over the OTSR causing not one jolt of pain, if your head is in the middle of the OTSR though, you better be tough!

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SFMM line cutters are the braviest in the world.

On the contrary, Viper is a piece of gerbage that does not thrill me one bit. It is a disgrace to have such an eyesore next to the incredible X. But at least it shows how much arrow has come in the past decade and thank god they have improved because I would hate to see any more of arrow's awful mega-loopers around. They are so poorly designed and have no creativity whatsoever since all of them have the same elements and inversions. As soon as a saw Viper's first drop and loop, I knew it was not designed properly, I mean they could even change the size of the vertical loop, instead they just have you pull up 60 feet above the ground, that is just a prime example of whiplash and head-banging. Alright I'll stop trashing the ride since X is going to totally redeem my faith in Arrow. 

Actually I thought the loop up high at the beginning was very clever. It might not be the smartest thing, but I really think it works. It was the main element that really scared me the first time I rode. I'm sick and tired of people saying Viper's layout is uninspired. Look at many recent B&M's. They're all just the same thing: Big fat loop, immelman, Cobra Roll, two corkscrews, and possibly a zero-g roll. I love all B&M's, but their layouts are just as simple. I think Viper is a wonderful ride, and at times, it is my favorite ride at Magic Mountain.

I agree. This is one Magic Mountain coaster that actually has a 'mood'. Sometimes it will slightly beat you up, other times it's like riding the B&M next door. And I am serious.

It's still an incredible coaster, and it's not smooth and forceless like most modern B&M's. It's pure rock em' sock em' steel that thrills the way a steel looper is suppose to thrill. Riding most modern steel feels like more of a virtual experience than a coaster.
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And then Jerry said, "Take care of yourselves, and each other".

*** This post was edited by DWeaver on 9/5/2001. ***

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sethman said:
On the contrary, Viper is a piece of gerbage that does not thrill me one bit. It is a disgrace to have such an eyesore next to the incredible X.

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        I can in no way agree with you. This ride is an amazing ride for being an Arrow multi-looper. Barely any headbanging. The layout is very exciting and speedy. The loops are awesome and the batwing is very fun. A bit rough in places, but still an example of Arrow's finest. How can you say it's an eyesore? Viper is one of the most amazing-looking ride in the entire park. A paint job is needed, but hey it's not Viper's fault. Anyway it's loop arrangement in my opinion is very majestic. I can't stand it when people call any ride a piece of garbage, why don't you think about the amount of time and effort put into any ride.

Hey sethman, you wanna step outside??? :)

OK so I haven't ridden Viper, but I'm sure all of you will notice one important thing: Someone WAS thinking about all the poor souls STILL getting horsewhipped on Great America's Shockwave (I'm one of them) and decided to make a 180 before the mid-course brake. Thus eliminating the inhumane beating that results from Shockwave's terrible RCT curve up into it's mid-course. Why is it 2001 and Shockwave still hasn't been altered? If Steel Phantom could be redesigned, then SFGAm could've at least added a helical curve up around to the right that would reduce momentum AND bring the train into the brake straight on. I'm staying out of front seat until they do! It's a move that would make that ride worth repeating.
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My score on PCW's Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion: 2370!
www.angelfire.com/oh4/tk173

I agree Andrew, Viper is a brilliant old school coaster. And I think it's a beatiful thing to see X right next to it. Two great arrow coasters right next each other: a classic right here, and a work of art over there.

Can't get any better than that.

If your short you can complain about Viper's roughness, if your not and your head clears the OTSR, and you still think its rough I will join Arrow guy with you outside ;) J/J.

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SFMM line cutters are the braviest in the world.

Good News- Your head clears the OTSR

Bad News- Hello neck banging!

hey sethman, quit banging up on viper! from what i've seen it is a great ride like i said earlier!
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Millennium Force
Millenniumforce3@aol.com

when i was there a few years ago it was awsome, and the best part was there was no line all day.  my brother and i must have rode that thing a ton of times that day.
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Montu, God Of Coasters

Raging Bull, Don't Fight It, Ride It