Viper (Six Flags Great America)
Encyclopedia
Viper is a wooden roller coaster
located at Six Flags Great America
in Gurnee, Illinois
, which opened in 1995. Viper features a layout that is a mirror image of the Coney Island Cyclone
and is the only roller coaster
ever to be built directly by Six Flags
. Viper is also the only wooden roller coaster that has ever carried this name, (all the other Viper roller coasters, both operating and not, have been steel roller coaster
s).
and the entrance to the adjacent Hurricane Harbor water park
. Unlike most Cyclone clones, Viper provides a much smoother ride than the original Cyclone.
During its first year of operation, Viper's entrance was located in Hometown Square. With the opening of Southwest Territory in 1996, Viper was officially made part of Southwest Territory, where it is today.
trains. These trains are exactly the same as the trains on The American Eagle
, however, painted green to resemble a snake
.
. At the top, the track drops at a 53-degree angle, before rising into a right hand first 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.
Wooden roller coaster
A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with laminated steel running rails overlaid upon a wooden track. Occasionally, the structure may be made out of a steel lattice or truss, but the ride remains classified as a wooden roller coaster due to the track design...
located at Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...
in Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 28,834 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 30,772 in 2005. The village borders the city of Waukegan and is considered a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Gurnee is perhaps best known for being the location of...
, which opened in 1995. Viper features a layout that is a mirror image of the Coney Island Cyclone
Coney Island Cyclone
The Coney Island Cyclone is a historic hybrid roller coaster in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City. On June 18, 1975, Dewey and Jerome Albert, owners of Astroland Park, contracted to operate the Cyclone under an agreement with New York City...
and is the only roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
ever to be built directly by Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
. Viper is also the only wooden roller coaster that has ever carried this name, (all the other Viper roller coasters, both operating and not, have been steel roller coaster
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
s).
Overview
Throughout the years, Viper's queue has undergone numerous modifications to accommodate additions such as Raging BullRaging Bull (roller coaster)
The Raging Bull is a Bolliger & Mabillard hyper-twister steel roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. It was built in 1999, and features a first drop and top speed of , and is currently one of the most popular rides at Six Flags Great America. At in length, it is...
and the entrance to the adjacent Hurricane Harbor water park
Water park
A waterpark is an amusement park that features waterplay areas, such as water slides, splash pads, spraygrounds , lazy rivers, or other recreational bathing, swimming, and barefooting environments...
. Unlike most Cyclone clones, Viper provides a much smoother ride than the original Cyclone.
During its first year of operation, Viper's entrance was located in Hometown Square. With the opening of Southwest Territory in 1996, Viper was officially made part of Southwest Territory, where it is today.
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 PTCPhiladelphia Toboggan Company
The Philadelphia Toboggan Company is one of the oldest existing roller coaster manufacturing companies in the world.Mack Rides of Germany dates back to 1781, but it did not start building coasters until 1921 Based in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, it was established in 1904 by Henry B...
trains. These trains are exactly the same as the trains on The American Eagle
American Eagle (roller coaster)
American Eagle is a two track racing wooden roller coaster located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. It was manufactured by Intamin of Switzerland and built in 1981 by the contracting firm Figley-Wright...
, however, painted green to resemble a snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
.
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 feet (30.5 m) lift hillLift hill
A lift hill, or chain hill, is often the initial upward-sloping section of track on a typical roller coaster that initially transports the roller coaster train to an elevated point or peak in the roller coaster ride...
. At the top, the track drops at a 53-degree angle, before rising into a right hand first 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
Brake run
A brake run on a roller coaster is any section of track meant to slow or stop a roller coaster train. Brake runs may be located anywhere along the circuit of a coaster and may be designed to bring the train to a complete halt or to simply adjust the train's speed...
, ending the ride.
Viper's overall layout is a mirror image of the Coney Island Cyclone
Coney Island Cyclone
The Coney Island Cyclone is a historic hybrid roller coaster in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York City. On June 18, 1975, Dewey and Jerome Albert, owners of Astroland Park, contracted to operate the Cyclone under an agreement with New York City...
, 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 Wooden Roller Coasters | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2008 | 2009 |
| Ranking | ||
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.See also
- Georgia CycloneGeorgia CycloneThe Georgia Cyclone is a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in Atlanta, Georgia. Opened in 1990, it is a mirror image of the legendary Coney Island Cyclone. Ten feet higher than the Cyclone, it stands at and has a track length of and a top speed of...
, a wooden roller coaster at Six Flags Over GeorgiaSix Flags Over GeorgiaSix Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located west of Atlanta, in unincorporated Cobb County. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas....
, also a mirror image version of the Coney Island Cyclone. - Texas CycloneTexas CycloneThe Texas Cyclone was a wooden roller coaster at the defunct Six Flags Astroworld in Houston, Texas, and was known for its airtime, speed, and feeling of being out of control. It was tall, had of track, and the ride lasted for two minutes and fifteen seconds...
, at the defunct Six Flags AstroworldSix Flags AstroworldAstroWorld was a seasonally operated theme park located on approximately of land between Kirby Drive and Fannin Avenue, directly south of Loop 610 in Houston, Texas, USA...
, also was a mirror image of the Coney Island Cyclone. - Psyclone, at Six Flags Magic MountainSix Flags Magic MountainSix Flags Magic Mountain is a theme park located in Valencia, California north of Los Angeles. It opened on Memorial Day weekend on May 30, 1971 as Magic Mountain, by the Newhall Land and Farming Company. In 1979, Six Flags purchased the park and added the name Six Flags to the park's title. In...
, was a mirror image of Viper, the Georgia Cyclone, and Texas Cyclone, and demolished in 2007.