Viper (Six Flags Darien Lake) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Viper
The Viper's 121-foot lift hill
Six Flags Darien Lake
Location	Six Flags Darien Lake
Coordinates	42°55′42″N 78°22′54″W / 42.92833°N 78.38167°W / 42.92833; -78.38167
Status	Operating
Opening date	May 29, 1982
Cost	$6,500,000
General statistics
Type	Steel
Manufacturer	Arrow Dynamics
Designer	Ron Toomer
Height	121 ft (37 m)
Drop	75 ft (23 m)
Length	3,100 ft (940 m)
Speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions	5
Duration	2:04
Capacity	2100 riders per hour
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)
Trains	2 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 28 riders per train.
Viper at RCDB

The Viper is a thrilling steel looping roller coaster. You can find it at Six Flags Darien Lake Amusement Park. This park is located near Buffalo, New York. When it opened in 1982, Viper was a huge new ride for the park. It was also the first roller coaster in the world to flip riders upside down five times! The company Arrow Huss built this amazing ride.

Viper broke a world record when it opened. It had more inversions than any other coaster. Before Viper, the Carolina Cyclone at Carowinds held the record. Viper kept its record until 1987. That's when Arrow Dynamics built Vortex at Kings Island. Vortex then had even more inversions.

History of the Viper Roller Coaster

On November 17, 1981, Darien Lake announced exciting news. They would build a brand new roller coaster for 1982. Arrow Huss was chosen to build it. This would be the park's very first major roller coaster. It was also going to be the first coaster to turn riders upside down five times! The new ride was first going to be called Thunderbolt Express. But its name was later changed to Viper.

Viper officially opened to guests on May 29, 1982. The track was originally all black. In 1999, Six Flags took over Darien Lake. They repainted Viper with a green track and black supports. Then, in 2010, Darien Lake painted the Viper all black again.

The ride used to have three trains. These trains were blue, red, and yellow. In 2013, the trains got new green designs. One train had an orange stripe, and another had a blue stripe. The third train was used for spare parts. Today, Viper usually runs with one train. The two trains switch out each year.

Experience the Viper Ride

Riding the Viper is an exciting adventure. It has several parts that turn you upside down. These are called inversions.

Viper's Inversions

The Viper has five amazing inversions:

Viper's Ride Layout

After leaving the station, your car makes a wide U-turn. This leads to the lift hill. The lift hill pulls you up 121 feet (37 m) into the sky. The first small drop is about 10 feet (3.0 m). This gives the train speed to go around a bend. Then comes the main drop, which is about 75 feet (23 m) tall.

At the bottom of this drop, the train reaches its fastest speed. It goes up to 50 mph (80 km/h)! Right after, you go through a huge vertical loop. Next, the train enters a batwing element. This is a heart-shaped section with two inversions. It includes a reverse sidewinder and then a sidewinder. After this, the track turns 180 degrees. You are now heading back towards the station.

After a left turn, the train slows down at the mid-ride brakes. Then, the track makes a 180-degree turn to the right. You then go through two corkscrews, one after the other. A corkscrew twists you upside down like a corkscrew. Finally, the ride enters a 540-degree helix. This is a big spiral where the track goes through a 110-foot tunnel. After the tunnel, you return to the station.

There are cool things to see around the ride. The line to get on the ride goes under parts of the track. This lets you see the coaster from below. During the FrightFest event, there's a special attraction under the track. Also, a camera takes your picture during the ride. You can buy your photo near the ride's exit. The camera used to be by the second corkscrew. For the 2017 season, it moved to the entrance of the tunnel.

• Viper at the Roller Coaster DataBase