The Six Flags Vipers – Venomous Roller Coasters

If you’ve ever been to a Six Flags theme park, you probably have your favorite ride. But did you know that your favorite ride may share a name with a different ride at another Six Flags park?

Coaster enthusiasts love to poke fun at Six Flags for its recycling of names. Sometimes, it can be hard to keep them all apart and remember what makes each one different.

With some help from Roller Coaster DataBase, let’s take a look at all the Six Flags Viper roller coasters.

Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain

^{Source: Alton, Wikimedia, 2007}

Height: 188 feet
Drop: 171 feet
Speed: 70 mph
Length: 3,830 feet

Of all the Vipers on this list, Six Flags Magic Mountain’s may be the most famous. I myself remember seeing this roller coaster on TV growing up – the Discovery Channel seemed to love it. Opening in 1990, this roller coaster is only a few months older than me, so it’s had time to earn its fame.

When it opened, it was the world’s tallest and fastest looping coaster – a record it no longer holds, but still remains towards the top of the record holder list. This Arrow Dynamics coaster may not be the smoothest, but it definitely has its fans.

Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake

Height: 121 feet
Drop: 75 feet
Speed: 50 mph
Length: 3,100 feet

The oldest coaster on this list still operating, Viper at Six Flags Darien lake dates all the way back to 1982. Also built by Arrow Dynamics, when it opened, it was the first roller coaster in the world to feature five inversions. It’s gone through a few different paint schemes, but its all black coat has been deemed the most classic.

Viper at Six Flags Great America

Height: 100 feet
Drop: 80 feet
Speed: 50 mph
Length: 3,458 feet

The only wooden roller coaster on this list, Viper at Six Flags Great America is a mirror image of the famous Coney Island Cyclone. Cloning this classic was all the rage to Six Flags in the 1990s. In fact, this coaster was built entirely by Six Flags themselves.

Having ridden this Six Flags Viper myself, I was surprised by how enjoyable it was. Surprisingly smooth for a wooden coaster, it had some fun pops of airtime and enjoyable drops. Don’t sleep on this one if you visit Six Flags Great America.

Honorable Viper Mentions

Six Flags has had other roller coasters named Viper throughout the years. Here are some that are no longer operating or never even got the chance to open.

Viper at Six Flags Great Adventure

Height: 88 feet
Speed: 48 mph
Length: 1,670 feet

Viper at Six Flags Great Adventure operated from 1995 to 2004. Extremely rare even by today’s standards, Viper suffered from maintenance issues and rough rides, which eventually lead to its downfall. Manufactured by TOGO, it featured a heartline roll and a unique dive loop. It was replaced by the world famous wooden coaster, El Toro.

Viper at Six Flags Over Georgia

Height: 137 feet
Speed: 57 mph
Length: 863 feet

Viper did not begin its life at Six Flags Over Georgia – it opened as Tidal Wave at Six Flags Great Adventure. Opening in 1995 at Six Flags Over Georgia, investors in the park were not happy about receiving a relocated ride, and it even involved lawsuits against the park operators at the time.

A classic Schwarzkopf shuttle loop coaster, Viper launched riders forward through a vertical loop and up a spike, before doing it all again in reverse. Viper was replaced by Superman – Ultimate Flight in 2002 – it was relocated to Kentucky Kingdom and known as Greezed Lightnin’ where it closed for good in 2009.

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Viper at Six Flags AstroWorld

Height: 80 feet
Speed: 47 mph
Length: 1,942 feet

Relocated from Six Flags Over Mid-America (now Six Flags St. Louis) in 1989, Viper at Six Flags AstroWorld was a Schwarzkopf Looping Star model coaster. It was fairly simple, containing a single vertical loops and some turns with one twist – a tunnel that covered the top of the first drop. Viper closed with AstroWorld forever in 2005.

Vipère at La Ronde

^{Source: La Ronde}

Height: 105 feet
Speed: 34 mph
Length: 810 feet

Boy, what a story this one has. Originally opening as Green Lantern: First Flight in 2011 at Six Flags Magic Mountain, it was the first Intamin ZacSpin coaster in the United States. However, modifications were made after the ride opening that caused it to be known as an extremely painful coaster. It closed in 2017, with it officially being removed from the park in 2019.

Six Flags announced that the ride would be relocated to LaRonde and renamed as Vipère in 2020. However, due to the pandemic, the ride was delayed to 2021. Ultimately though, the ride was cancelled indefinitely and never opened again.

Six Flags loves re-using names, and clearly Viper is no exception. Which of these Six Flags Viper coasters is or was your favorite?