Viper • Six Flags Magic Mountain

Intensity

This was aggressive and intense, and I mostly liked it. A few typical janky Arrow transitions, of course, but none that really destroyed me. Some mild hangtime too in the non-loop inversions. The intensity was for real in those loops and a few turns. Rode near the middle. Favorite Arrow looper overall.

Discomfort

Didn’t really care for this one. It was pretty uncomfortable the entirety of its long, inversion filled layout.

Capacity Headbanging Discomfort Tear it down!

Viper has Magic Mountain's shortest wait time by far....for good reason. Even by midday, when there's a 2-hour wait for Tatsu, there will be less than 50 people in Viper's line; because this ride is pure PAIN! Its jarring from beginning to end. The protective padding is hard, sharply rounded, and positioned to punish the sides of your head and neck. Its so bad that I honestly think it needs to be shut down until they can decide to renovate or scrap it. Its over 30 years old now, and its age shows - even more so than Revolution, and that ride opened in 1976! This is the only coaster I've ever ridden that I truly believe deserves a 1-star rating, and that's coming from someone who rode Green Lantern: First Flight!

Intensity Discomfort

Nothing but pain. We skip this ride every time we go to the park.

First Drop Capacity Fun Headbanging Discomfort

I really liked this ride even though people said it was rough (which it was). Despite the tight harness and headbanging, this ride is worth a try. The double loop and corkscrew are probably the best parts of this ride for me.

Nice surprise! Smoothness Layout Rattle Harness Dead spots

This is an interesting one. First of all, if you lay your head back throughout the ride you will get NO HEADBANGS AND THE RIDE WILL BE PERFECTLY SMOOTH FOR YOU. However, the harness can cause a bit of discomfort. The layout is amazing, it’s a classic coaster, and it goes pretty damn fast. However, the loops don’t really offer any intensity, and there are some dead spots. This shouldn’t be torn down in any respect, those talking about discomfort didn’t ride it properly. This just needs a fresh coat of paint and polish, and it’ll be a must do again.

Nice surprise! Fun Headbanging

aside from the headbanging, it's actually a very solid coaster. loved the batwing and double corkscrew, probably my favorite elements on the ride

Inversions Headbanging

I liked it immediately we were on well I had to finish my sherbet orange thing but nevertheless it was really good and the inversions were high nearly as high as the lift hill really good

Inversions Intensity Rattle Headbanging Discomfort

I've heard this ride is fine once you clear the over-the-shoulder restraints, but I rode as a kid, and the headbanging was VIOLENT! I cannot in good faith rate this ride any higher, even though I really want to appreciate its power and iconicity!

Inversions Nice surprise! Fun Headbanging Discomfort

This one was a tale of two halves. I thought the first half was so entertaining and fun with as many inversions and loops as it gave right off the start. They were smooth and fast-paced. Then came the second half with the corkscrews and that's where the headbanging came in. I knew to anticipate the headbanging right before corkscrews but I still ran into very rough sharp turns that I was not expecting and it resulted in banging my jaw on the restraint. If they cut the ride in half and kept the first part I would have rated it a bit higher. 3.5/5 stars

Inversions Intensity Headbanging Discomfort

Honestly extremely underrated. It hits a pretty solid speed, and goes through 7 amazing inversions. And though it can get rough, especially towards the end, it is still really fun.

Inversions Intensity Headbanging

I used to hate this ride because of the headbanging, but I've found a way to ease the amount of headbanging, which makes this ride good

Inversions Nice surprise! Intensity Discomfort

I LOVE Viper!!! It gets trashed on all the time and I just don't get why. It's extremely intense, has a good layout, and even has a surprise ejector pop before the midcourse. It's still a little rough in some spots, and some people might not like it because they can't clear the bulky restraints, but keep your head forward and enjoy the ride. It's actually my personal number 4 in the park.

Fun Intensity Headbanging

This ride was fun when I first rode it, but my god, the headbanging has gotten more prominent over the years. I always skip this one due to that, even if it's intense.

First Drop Inversions

Absolutely overhated. As a kid I did get headbanging, but now that I am indeed not a child headbanging doesn't happen for me anymore. Great, classic layout. The last of its kind and I hope it gets continued TLC (a new paint job ASAP please).

Inversions Headbanging Tear it down! Pointless

Terrible old arrow looper, decent inversions, but headbanging, pointless, and should be torn down. Also my brother got a concussion on it

Layout Headbanging Harness Discomfort

I very much wish I never rode this. The layout is great, but the loops are super tight, causing my head to get thrown around and get slammed into the restrains. I was just waiting for the ride to end.

Fun Intensity Hangtime Harness Discomfort

It’s an absolutely incredible ride that is way to overheated but I guess that means less of a wait for me!

Layout Discomfort

Another Arrow coaster that makes me wish I hadn't ridden it. The layout is good in theory, but the loops are too compact, creating uncomfortable stress on the neck and back. Glad when the ride ended. It's hours later, and my neck is still stiff from one go-around on Viper.

First Drop Intensity Duration Headbanging Discomfort

This ride actually surprised me. The intensity of this ride is pretty high and I loved it. The first drop was pretty forceful in the back and I greyed out for half of the ride. Really loved it. Unfortunately it is a bit rough, but it isn’t as bad as others make it out to be. Definitely really fun though. Would be 5 star if it was smooth.

Inversions Intensity Rattle Headbanging

Monster Arrow looper that is likely on its last legs. I remember marathoning Viper as a kid in the mid-2000’s when it was running great. Nowadays as an adult it’s gotten quite rough, but always worth a ride to experience a classic Arrow.

Intensity

It was surprisingly not terrible and quite intense.

Inversions Intensity Headbanging Discomfort

I haven't ridden this in years but I've noticed that it's had a resurgence in popularity in the coaster community and I'll certainly be sad when this thing gets scrapped. As the last of the Arrow mega-loopers that's still standing, it represents an era of coaster design that we'll never get to experience again, where you could get away with not heartlining your track on a nearly 200-foot-tall looping coaster. Most of what I remember about this coaster is the roughness but I'm will try to ride it again this summer with a fresh point of view and a newfound appreciation for what it means to the community and rollercoaster history.

Headbanging Discomfort Tear it down!

My son came off of this ride with bright red ears from getting banged around so much. He said it was awful and he felt like he got a concussion. Reading the reviews here I can see he is not alone on feeling this way. I hate you Magic Mountain for having such a dangerous ride.

Inversions Intensity Duration Headbanging Theming Discomfort

Overall my number 1 rollercoaster. This ride is unbelievably intense, and is often criticised because of its roughness. I used to hate it. Now i love it. First off, before the refurbishment, it was significantly rougher, now, glossy smooth, and all you have to do is keep your head forward on every moment but the first 3 vertical loops. Overall one of the most underrated rollercoasters in america.

Inversions Rattle Discomfort

I didn't know much about this one on first ride, because it's definitely not one of the best known coasters at the park, and I wasn't expecting 7 straight inversions! It all rattles quite a bit, which ruins what should be a pretty crazy layout, but I get it - this thing is over 30 years old now. I won't be riding this one a lot, but I can't really hate it as a lot of others seem to.

Capacity Headbanging Tear it down!

This ride is great if you're a fan of concussions

Fun

I remember this ride being very unpopular on the day I visited. I had Bronze flash pass, and I was able to get on this ride three or four times before my queue for the flash pass (for X2) finished. I honestly don't remember this ride much, but it's definitely a great filler coaster and was super fun. I am used to my rattly vekoma's here in the Netherlands so I don't quite think of rattles when thinking of this coaster. It was just fun in it's own perspective and I would definitely recommend to ride it if you have a bronze flash pass and need some time to kill.

Layout Duration

Very big looper with a solid selection of elements and a good length. Overall was smooth but had a few moments that were definitely janky. Good ride overall but still had some discomfort.

First Drop Headbanging Discomfort Tear it down!

I’m sure this ride used to be good back then, but today it’s something that just needs to go. Not only do my ears scream in pain from the head banging against the over-head restraints, but my neck feels like it will pop out of my spine during each loop and inversion. While I like how the layout looks from afar, those loops are too small at the top and jolt your body around excessively. If you decide to ride this, bring Tylenol and make it your last ride of the day. If you don’t, you won’t want to do anything else for the remainder of your time there. Tear Viper down!

I've only ridden it once and while it was rough I still loved it. It feels quite unique these days.

Headbanging Discomfort Tear it down!

The whole time I was on this ride I was yelling in pain. It was not enjoyable and I had to go to take tylenol afterwards. My neck was forced downward a few times during the ride and I felt like my spine was at risk. This coaster was not smooth at all and resulted in my head banging back and forth between the harness.The results do not get any better... I have been stuck in bed most of the day and the cartilage on my right ear is bruised, which I didn't know was possible until the Viper!! Do not recommend and does not seem safe for smaller children.

Layout Rattle Headbanging

I'm sure this was a great ride back in 1990, but it's not the best now. There are some good aspects to this ride, such as the height and interesting layout. The first drop is pretty good and the best of any arrow looper I've ridden. The first section with the vertical loops is pretty intense and not too rattly, but then the second half is worse. The batwing is quite uncomfortable, as well as the transitions in and out of the corkscrews. I would not be sad if they replaced this with a new large-scale coaster.

Inversions Layout Duration Dead spots

The coaster might have some rough transitions and 2 dead spots (strong mid course break, straight track near the end) but its one hell lot of fun to ride. It has a weird, unique layout and some cool intense inversions, like the batwing. The ride is also pretty long and smooth for an old Arrow. The seating was ok, not too uncomfortable. Thrill: 3.75/5

Inversions Fun Layout Headbanging

Viper is one of my favorite Arrows. Though a bit rough, it has a long layout, a good location, and fun inversions, and a helix at the end. I remember being pleasantly surprised.

Inversions Nice surprise! Hangtime Dead spots

Viper is a fantastic coaster. Every single inversion is amazing. I had no headbanging whatsoever. I found it, while not perfectly smooth, to be running far smoother than most other Arrow coasters I've ridden. Viper was the surprise standout of my trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Absolutely criminally underrated ride.

Headbanging Harness Discomfort

幼少期に乗ったのですが、常に耳にハーネスが当たり続けました。脳に深刻なダメージが残り、ダメな大人になりました。両親は訴訟を検討しています。

Inversions Duration Headbanging Discomfort

I'm sure that this coaster was amazing for it's time, but this one just ain't it chief. It beat the ever living soul out of me.

Inversions Fun Intensity Headbanging

Yea, this ride can beat the shit out of you if you're not braced for it; but the sheer intensity and adrenaline pumping experience this ride provides cannot be overstated. Add the fact that there's almost never a line for this thing because of its reputation and somewhat secluded location, and you have the potential for some truly crazy ride counts even when the other rides may be swamped. Respect the ride, and it shall provide.

First Drop Inversions Layout

I love the Viper roller coaster and it’s the best roller coaster I went on. It’s a lot of fun and I like the roller coaster trains. Viper roller coaster is my number one favorite roller coaster and I look forward riding it again.

Inversions Headbanging Discomfort Tear it down!

These coasters were a big deal when they came out because of their size and long list of inversions. I handle rough rides very well, but this thing made me sick with all the headbanging. SF Great America tore theirs down (Shockwave) and replaced it with Superman: Ultimate Flight. I expect SFMM should and will do the same in the near future.

Location Rattle Headbanging Discomfort

Nice surprise! Location Intensity Capacity Dead spots Reliability

Nice surprise! Harness

Fun Intensity Headbanging Harness

Duration Rattle

First Drop Pace Intensity Rattle Headbanging

Intensity Layout Headbanging Discomfort

Intensity Layout Headbanging Harness Discomfort

Capacity Nice surprise! Intensity Too short

Intensity Headbanging Dead spots

Pointless

Intensity Headbanging Discomfort

Intensity Hangtime Headbanging

First Drop Inversions Intensity Headbanging Discomfort Tear it down!

Nice surprise! Intensity Smoothness Dead spots

Intensity Duration Airtimes Dead spots

Inversions

Headbanging Discomfort Tear it down!

Headbanging Tear it down! Pointless

Layout

First Drop Inversions Rattle Dead spots Layout