Viper (Six Flags Great America)

Viper is a wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, which opened in 1995. Viper is a clone of the Coney Island Cyclone and is the only roller coaster ever to be built directly by Six Flags.[1] Viper is also the only wooden roller coaster with this name (all other roller coasters named Viper, both operating and not, have been steel roller coasters). It was built by Rygiel Construction.

Viper
An aerial photo of a train on Viper's lift hill, as seen prior to the addition of Hurricane Harbor.
Six Flags Great America
LocationSix Flags Great America
Park sectionSouthwest Territory
Coordinates42°22′05″N 87°56′14″W
StatusOperating
Opening dateApril 29, 1995
General statistics
TypeWood
ManufacturerSix Flags
DesignerSix Flags
Track layoutConey Island Cyclone (mirror image)
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height100 ft (30 m)
Drop80 ft (24 m)
Length3,458 ft (1,054 m)
Speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration1:45
Max vertical angle53°
Capacity1000 riders per hour
G-force3.6
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains2 trains with 5 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 30 riders per train.
Flash Pass Available
Must transfer from wheelchair
Viper at RCDB

History
Viper as seen just before dusk

In 1994, Six Flags Great America announced that they would be adding Viper. It would be a wooden roller coaster scheduled to open for the 1995 season. Construction of the coaster began in the fall of 1994 and was completed in early 1995.[2] Viper opened on April 29, 1995.

Throughout the years, Viper's queue has undergone numerous modifications to accommodate additions such as the addition of Raging Bull directly south of the ride and the former entrance to the adjacent Hurricane Harbor water park directly west of the ride. Unlike most clones of the Coney Island Cyclone, Viper provides a much smoother ride than the original attraction.

During its first year of operation, Viper was part of Hometown Square. With the opening of Southwest Territory in 1996, Viper was officially made part of Southwest Territory, where it and Raging Bull are the anchor attractions.

On May 24, 2013, the park announced that Viper would be one of three coasters running backwards for the first time during 2013 season for a limited time along with Batman: The Ride and American Eagle.[3][4]

Ride experience

Riders enter Viper from Southwest Territory. After winding through an outdoor queue passing under parts of Raging Bull, guests enter the station and board the 30-passenger PTC trains, each composed of five three-bench cars that seat six riders each. These trains are the same model as the trains on American Eagle, but painted green to resemble a snake.

Layout

Upon leaving the station, trains make a slight left hand turn, followed by a straight segment of track. This leads into another left hand turn and trains then climb the 100-foot-tall (30 m) lift hill. At the top, the track drops at a 53-degree angle. The maximum speed may vary between 50 and 55 miles per hour (80 and 88 km/h) depending on the weather conditions, time of day and the load. Next the train rises into a right hand turn around. This turn around leads to a sharp second drop, before rising over another hill and passing through a left hand second turn around. The second turn around has a double down element as riders descend another drop into the wooden structure. The ride makes another out and back run, and after the final turn around, hits the brake run, ending the ride.

Viper's overall layout is a mirror image of the Coney Island Cyclone, however, the approach to the lift hill is much longer and the final turn leads into a straight brake run leading directly into the station. The second turn around also is a direct gradual ascent, peaking at the middle, before leading into a double down drop.

Awards
Golden Ticket Awards: Top wood Roller Coasters
Year19981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014
Ranking 24[5]19[6]24[7]–[8]24[9]23[10]29[11]26[12]32[13]37[14]30[15]30[16]34[17]41[18]26[19]44 (tie)[20]49[21]

Note: Viper has not charted in the Golden Ticket Awards since 2014.

Incidents

On June 25, 1997 a 14-year-old Waukegan boy injured his arm while dangling it outside the car. His limb got caught between the car and the platform as the ride reentered the station and slowed to a stop.[22]

See also

References
  1. "Viper | Six Flags Great America". Six Flags Great America. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  2. Piccininni, Ann (January 1, 1995). "Shades of Coney Island!". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Six Flags Great America Announces BATMAN: The Ride Backwards" (Press release). Six Flags Great America. February 21, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  4. "Six Flags Announces a Full Season of Backwards". Six Flags. May 24, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  5. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 1998. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  6. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 1999. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  7. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. August 2000. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  8. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. August 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  9. "Top 25 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 6B. September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  10. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 10–11B. September 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  11. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 14–15B. September 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  12. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 22–23B. September 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  13. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today: 30–31B. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  14. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 11 (6.2): 42–43. September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  15. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 12 (6.2): 42–43. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  16. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 13 (6.2): 38–39. September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  17. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 14 (6.2): 38–39. September 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  18. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 15 (6.2): 46–47. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  19. "Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 16 (6.2): 46–47. September 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  20. "2013 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 17 (6.2): 40–41. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  21. "2014 Top 50 wood Roller Coasters" (PDF). Amusement Today. 18 (6.2): 38–39. September 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  22. Buchanan, Andrew (1997-06-25). "Thrill Park Says Teen Caused Accident". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-07-14.
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