Viper (Six Flags Great Adventure)

Viper was a roller coaster located at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Manufactured by TOGO, the ride opened to the public in June 1995. The roller coaster closed at the end of the 2004 season and was demolished the following year for various reasons. It was replaced with El Toro.

Viper
Viper on the right with the now defunct Rolling Thunder (left) in 2003
Six Flags Great Adventure
Location	Six Flags Great Adventure
Park section	Frontier Adventures
Coordinates	40.139°N 74.435°W
Status	Removed
Soft opening date	May 1995
Opening date	June 1, 1995
Closing date	September 6, 2004
Cost	$4,000,000[1]
Replaced by	El Toro
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	TOGO
Model	Sitdown Looping
Track layout	Twister
Lift/launch system	Chain lift hill
Height	88.6 ft (27.0 m)
Length	1,670 ft (510 m)
Speed	48 mph (77 km/h)
Inversions	2
Duration	2:24
Height restriction	54 in (137 cm)
Trains	3 trains with 4 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 16 riders per train.
Viper at RCDB Pictures of Viper at RCDB

Viper stood 89 feet (27 m) tall and reached a top speed of 48 mph (77 km/h). It had two inversions; a dive loop after the first drop and then a heartline roll. The ride ran three trains with four cars per train. Riders were seated two across and each train seated a total of 16 passengers. The trains resembled a snake and were colored light green and orange.

History

In 1990, Six Flags Great Adventure had 5 roller coasters, but due to ride rotation programs and the purchase of Batman the Ride, the park was down to only three by the end of 1992. Batman's opening brought the park back up to four coasters in 1993. At that point a decision was made to buy a new coaster for the park. Because Ultra Twister, the ride that previously occupied the site chosen for Viper, was gaining in popularity at its new home park, Six Flags Astroworld, TOGO was hired to design and build a new coaster to occupy the site that Ultra Twister once stood on. The company showed a new prototype sit-down coaster at their testing facility in Ohio, so Six Flags decided to buy it and send it to their Great Adventure park.[2]

Originally, the new coaster was going to be themed to the Clint Eastwood film Unforgiven, but the name was considered to be too dark according to market research. Therefore, Six Flags chose the name Viper instead.[3] Later, the company requested that more steel rings to be added to the track to give it a snake-like appearance. The ride started construction in September 1994 and was finished in April 1995.

In May 1995, Viper opened but shortly closed due to technical difficulties. Normal operations commenced in June.[4]

By 1996, Viper would end up suffering from a plethora of maintenance issues and plummeting guest satisfaction. As time went on, the coaster got extremely rough and bumpy. As a result, the ride's popularity began to fade and the lines shortened.

The ride did not operate for a majority of the 1998 season when Six Flags was having difficulty procuring replacement parts as TOGO was suffering financial issues due to problems with Windjammer Surf Racers at Knott's Berry Farm. The red rings and several track sections had to be constantly re-welded and replaced due to not being able to handle the forces. The ride reopened on Labor Day of 1998 and normally operated during the 1999 season.

In 2000, the ride was closed for most of the season due to constant difficulties and frequent downtime to keep the coaster maintained.

Viper stayed closed for maintenance for the entire 2001 season. Following the closure, Viper was withdrawn from the official website, the park guides, and map. Six Flags planned to remove Viper that year, but it was cancelled after being unable to find a satisfactory replacement attraction to fit the space of land originally occupied by Viper.

During the 2001-2002 off-season, modifications were made on the restraints and track and the ride reopened on March 29, 2002. However, the ride experience continued to be rough and multiple frequent breakdowns occurred.

Viper was closed several times in the 2003 season. The next year, it operated as only one train operations. On Labor Day 2004, Six Flags felt that they could no longer keep up with the ride's needs and decided to permanently shut it down. In May 2005, Viper was demolished and scrapped, leaving only the station and queue area. In 2006, Viper's station was utilized for El Toro and remains the only current part of Viper in use.

Ride experience

As the train departed the station, it made a left turn and headed up a 88.6-foot (27.0 m) chain lift hill. During the first drop, the train reached a maximum speed of 48 mph (77 km/h). This was followed by a dive loop, a left turn, and a heartline roll inversion. The train then made a left turn into the final brake run before returning to the station.

References

1. "Six Flags parks". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 31, 1997. Retrieved January 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Ultra Twister At Six Flags Great Adventure". www.greatadventurehistory.com. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
3. "Viper At Six Flags Great Adventure". www.greatadventurehistory.com. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
4. "Viper Roller Coaster Uncoils At Six Flags". Retrieved 2017-02-10.