Viper (Six Flags Great Adventure)

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.[1]

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.[2] 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.[3]

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 majority 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 Following the closure, Viper was withdrawn from the official website, the park guides, and map.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 canceled after being unable to find a satisfactory replacement attraction to fit the space of land originally occupied by Viper.

During the 2001-02 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 and in the following season, it operated as only one train operations. On Labor Day, Six Flags felt that the ride could no longer be salvaged, and decided to permanently shut down the ride. 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.

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.