Viper Review, Six Flags Darien Lake Arrow Looping Coaster | Is it Still a Quality Coaster?
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- čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
- Viper is an Arrow Dynamics multi-looper at Six Flags Darien Lake. This is a historic ride that opened as the world's first coaster to invert five times. But is it still an enjoyable coaster?
Video Credits
Viper Off-Ride, Dispatch (WNY Coasters)- • Viper Off-Ride Footage...
Viper Off-Ride, Old (psyclonesteve)- • Viper, Darien Lake 200...
Viper POV (Six Flags Darien Lake)- • Official Viper POV
Background Music
Epic Action Cinematic by Infraction [No Copyright Music] / Heroes- • Epic Action Cinematic ...
I used to ride this all the time because darien lake was my home park until last year, post Covid it has ran insane, great burst of ejector on the first drop, insane whip on the batwing and positives in places I’ve never felt before, all while the park has kept this coaster butter smooth, when I came back to the park the first time after the pandemic I was shocked watching how much this thing hauled, and with the way ride of steel has been running recently this has become my favorite coaster at the park and it’s my favorite one of the classic arrow loopers
I much prefer Ride of Steel, but you could make an argument this ride's first half is more intense.
@@CanobieCoaster the problem is that post Covid ride of steel has barely given airtime and just felt slow, when it used to give great ejector I much preferred it to viper
I have got to get back there. That sounds awesome! I rode it in 2019 and loved it then, and I'm a sucker for these Arrows.
@@CanobieCoaster One day in 2003, when I was 13 years old, my one friend and I rode the Viper 14 times in a single day. Now, anyone who knows how far it is to walk through the entrance to the ride will wonder how we managed to ride it 14 times in one day when they hear the fact that we also rode the Mind Eraser 12 times, the Predator 10 times, and the Superman twice (Superman still took almost 2 hours to ride a single time at this point) all in the same day.
We were both top athletes so we ran like hell through the entrance to the Viper as much as possible. And I mean, we would full-on sprint through the whole thing. We would also sprint from one coaster to the other, starting from as soon as we'd get off one.
The Viper had green tracks and was bockety AF. But, it was the most fun. When you know exactly where every spot that throws you around is and you move in anticipation of each one, the Viper is the most unbelievable coaster of them all, at Darien Lake, that is. It can be a bit jerky and some people hate that. So, if you're ever disliking a coaster because of that, try riding it til you know every spot and you can move in anticipation. It'll change everything for you
I think it's definitely in the upper half in terms of the existing Arrow loopers. For its age, it still runs fairly well. I just hope to God Darien Lake will at least try to run two trains this year.
Already went, it seems the may have used parts from the blue train to fix the red train, one car is blue the rest red. Unlikely they will ever run more than one train. Even tantrum was only running one train on opening weekend this year
I doubt they will sadly.
DL is in the business of cannibalizing their coaster trains for parts rather than properly maintaining them or purchasing new parts/trains. The reason for 1 train ops on everything is because they only have one train for most of the rides that's still in one piece. Just look at the frankentrain on Mind Eraser...
I love classic Arrows! Can't wait to ride this.
It's a solid one.
Long walks on queue lines are nice when taking videos of roller coaster
True!
It use to have a mini golf course in the middle of the ride. I got a chance to operate it when I worked there.
Interesting! Is the current queue the one it always had then?
@Canobie Coaster Yes it was the same way when I was working there. They would have you exit by the old batman stunt show building when they closed the back of the park for Frightfest
@@godisg1I miss the mini golf, and ranger, and grizzly run, now there’s not much over there at vipers exit
@empyre95 I use to work that area Grizzly Run was my home ride and I was one of the only ones that that liked to operate the ranger. I also ran Mind Eraser, Thunder Rapids, and the UFO, and all the other flat rides
@@empyre9534 Did they end up remove Heave Ho this year?
This park needs more love from Six Flags
I think it would if Six Flags actually owned it instead of just operated it. Why dump a bunch of CapEx into a property that you don't own? Although I do agree, this park could really be something special with some love and investment.
Seriously! It has so much potential!!!
I wish it got better operations most of all.
It’s got a hotel and campground and does hella concerts this should be better than cedar point and carrowinds but instead it’s worse than six flags America
I did enjoy this ride. I rode it in 2022 and it made me sad that my home park, Kings Island, removed Vortex.
I'm interested what they do with that plot.
It may be a bit outdated, but I have a soft spot for all these Arrow loopers. I love the sound of the lift hills, the airtime on many of the drops, the forces in those tight loops, slow corkscrews, & I'm a sucker for batwings. I'm at the perfect height to manage those restraints. I only got 3 rides on Viper on my half-day (including 2 in a row), but it seemed to be running quite well. The worst part of the ride is what you mentioned--that obnoxiously long walk to the station, then having to exit on the other side of the planet.
They're classics for sure. I prefer more refined loopers, but they're still nice additions at their parks.
My home park, growing up coming here was everything but sadly they choose not to make this a great park rather than neglect it.
I wish it got some more love.
Solid takes. This is one of my two home parks and the jackhammering on the straightaways takes away a lot from this ride. I'd still argue it's one of the better remaining Arrow loopers tho
I'm glad it's still kicking.
I haven't been to Darien Lake since 2013, but I remember Viper being pretty damned smooth, and a month before, I had my first ride on Tennessee Ternader. Viper had, then, some mild jack hammering in the entry of the batwing, but nothing that took away from the ride.
I want to go back, for sure, and see if I still love it.
It's a solid ride.
Nice review I enjoyed it 👍
Thanks!
With Darien Lake as my home park, and having ridden this ride for 20 years, You nailed the experience. It was a very happy day when I grew tall enough to clear the restraints for no head banging 😂 Great review!
Thanks! I was glad when that day happened for me with Arrows.
Fun fact they can't put new vecoma trains with vest restraints on these arrow loopers because the loops on these old arrow coasters you can reach out and touch the supports it'll you tried hard enough. They made the supports to restrict your ability to do that to fix the problem
Can't they put bars on the side to prevent that?
This was my first coaster and I used to love it. Despite being fairly short overall I have a very long torso (5'6" standing but taller than my 6'+ friends when we're in chairs) and the over-shoulder restraints aren't tall enough to properly accommodate me any more. I'm forced into a slouching position to get the restraints to close, which turned a coaster that I have a lot of nostalgia for into a positively brutal, lower-back-destroying experience.
This is an ambitious first coaster!
Hah, it definitely is! I was a little kid visiting the park with my dad many years ago, and I tended to not want to leave my comfort zone. I was big on spinning flat rides like round-up and tilt-a-whirl. He pushed me to ride it since I cleared the height requirement, even though I was terrified of it. Joke's on him, though, because I wanted to go again. I think we rode it 6 times back to back. We eventually stopped when he was tired of the beating the ride was giving him. Being a child and generally made of elastic like most children, I didn't really notice. As an adult though, especially one that doesn't fit in the restraints properly, man it's a rough experience.
The batwing looks BRUTAL!!!
It's forceful.
@@CanobieCoaster Also, I made this using your Apollo's Chariot POV: czcams.com/video/c9aSDvbmadI/video.html
I think there is a Vekoma looping coaster that Canobie Coaster would say:
This ride is better than a lot of Arrow loopers in the USA. It is intense, it has far better pacing, more oomph, and honestly...
A) it tracks smoothly.
B) it tracks similarly.
C) it tracks poorly.
B
Viper is the only one I make an effort to ride.
This is what Canobie Coaster said:
So if I ask you, why, because the park's other looping coasters, Boomerang and Mind Eraser...
They are clones. Mind Eraser hurts too.
Would you like to ride Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake again?
Yes
I thought this was glass smooth for an arrow looper. A lot of arrows are actually smooth, they just have bad transitions
It's pretty typical for me.
This was the first coaster to feature 5 inversions.
Yes
Would you like to go again to Six Flags Darien Lake and ride Viper?
Yes
Ok, maybe it still retains a bit of forcefulness through the inverts, but just like Kumba(♥) at BGT, that first "drop" is very underwhelming, which seems pretty stock on most Arrow Loopers..To be fair, I haven't been on Viper-or at Darien Lake-since Predator's 1990 debut thirty-three years ago .All the same, good breakdown Canobie. Your review style makes you one of my top favorites...Keep on uploading, and I'll keep on watching brother...
Cheers!
Thanks!
In 1997, when Mind Eraser, the Vekoma SLC, was built and opened at Darien Lake, did most people and enthusiasts like Mind Eraser or Viper, what do you think?
Disliked it
Both were pretty popular among the GP in the past. Viper is still well regarded (although obviously doesn't draw 2+ hour crowds anymore), while Mind Eraser has just about reached its expiration date unless the park does something to refurb it. At the very least they need one brand new train, because their current one is a Frankenstein creation made of parts of their previous whole trains. Could definitely do with a retracking as well, but it'll be dismantled before that ever happens.
Arrow? To Darien lake I go!!
Enjoy!
Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake:
What's your favorite part of the ride? Why?
The first half is the best part.
See in RCDB:
Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake
Boomerang at Six Flags Darien Lake
Mind Eraser at Six Flags Darien Lake
Those three coasters are located at the same park, so imagine riding them again. What do you think?
Viper is the only one I make an effort to ride.
What would you rate Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake?
What would you rate Viper at Six Flags Great America?
What would you rate Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain?
I want to see the numbers here.
I have reviews for two of those.
I think it would be great if this coaster (and all Arrow loopers for that matter) had their trains replaced by SunKid GmbH lap-bar-only SCT1200 trains.
I would prefer the Vekoma vest trains. Not a fan of the unpadded metal lap bars on the trains you described.
This was my first coaster back the year it opened. I was 9 yrs old.
What a first coaster!
I found viper quite smooth personally. I liked it more then Ride Of Steel at the same park. Im also the guy who enjoys SLC’s though…
I much prefer Ride of Steel.
Darien Lake, did most guests and enthusiasts love, like, not like, dislike or hate, Viper, the Arrow looper, or Mind Eraser, the Vekoma SLC? What do you think?
Viper is liked, but not Mind Eraser.
Throwing a party in the comment section now that the long-awaited Viper review is out
A very fair review, as someone with Anaconda in my profile picture I definitely lean more positive on these rides but I can understand where you are coming from. I'm just really glad you gave it coverage. It seems like NOBODY talks about this ride, and it's a piece of history, it deserves to be talked about.
Enjoy!
The station reminds me of the double loops station at geauga lake
Never rode that one.
It’s wild to me that it cost that much to build. $20 million adjusted for inflation is insane
Makes sense for the scale of it.
So what would you rate Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake?
See this review.
What does "jackhammering" mean?
What do you think about the jackhammering on Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake and the jackhammering on Coaster Express at Parque Warner Madrid?
Bouncing. It was far worse on Coaster Express.
Did most people and enthusiasts find Mind Eraser and Viper, both coasters at Darien Lake, as tolerable? What do you think?
Both coasters with over the shoulder restraints?
Enthusiasts hate Mind Eraser, but Viper is fine.
In the year you first went to Darien Lake, when?
A) 2008
B) 2009
C) 2010
D) 2011
E) 2012
What do you think about Predator, Viper, and Boomerang?
C. I will ride all 3 of those. I like Predator best though.
At Darien Lake, did most enthusiasts like Viper and Mind Eraser?
Most do not like Mind Eraser.
Which Viper coaster do you like more, Viper at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake, or Viper at Six Flags Great America?
Magic Mountain
Of the old school Arrow and Vekoma looping coasters built in the 1980s and 1990s, is Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake your favorite one?
No
And imagine going to ride again Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake and Coaster Express at Parque Warner Madrid, how would you compare Viper to Coaster Express in jackhammering? What do you think?
Coaster Express is far worse.
If your head is above the over the shoulder restraints on Viper, how would you compare Viper, the Arrow looping coaster, and Mind Eraser, the Vekoma suspended looping coaster, both at Darien Lake? Were the two coasters tolerable for you? What do you think?
Canobie Coaster would say:
Mind Eraser...
Viper...
Viper is tolerable. Mind Eraser is not.
What do you think about Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake in jackhammering, which is a type of roller coaster roughness?
It has some shaky spots.
What do you think about Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake in jackhammering?
It does that at points, but it's tolerable if you're tall enough like me.
How many coasters in New York did you find to have jackhammering, which is a type of roller coaster roughness?
Examples:
Viper is an example of one.
Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake:
So what would you rate Viper?
See the video.
Canobie Coaster, if I ask you, do you like jackhammering, which is a type of roller coaster roughness?
Canobie Coaster would say: I prefer...
Smoother rides.
At Darien Lake, did most enthusiasts like Viper or Mind Eraser? What do you think?
Most enthusiasts like Viper, but hate Mind Eraser.
Did most people and enthusiasts find both Viper and Mind Eraser to be tolerable rides, what do you think?
Not Mind Eraser.
What do you think about Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake, intolerable or tolerable?
Tolerable
How many coasters at Darien Lake did you find to have jackhammering?
A few
When did you make it out to Darien Lake?
Last August
@@CanobieCoaster nice! Darien Lake looks like a fun park!
Canobie Coaster, what do you think about Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake? Smooth or jackhammering?
It has some jackhammering.
How many Arrow loopers do you know in the world with jackhammering?
Quite a few have some.
And would you ride it in all rows, front and back, Canobie Coaster? What do you think?
I like it best in the back car.
How does this park perform against it's competition? I know there's not a lot of competition out there where they are but, Tantrum was a mid-tier investment but, they haven't received anything on a large scale in quite some time.
Canada's Wonderland gets a much bigger crowd, but it's kind of hard to compare the two since it's across the border. Seabreeze gets families while this park caters more towards thrill seekers.
The closest competition is Canada's Wonderland (not really comparable), Kennywood (bit far), or Cedar Point (quite far). The smaller local parks like Seabreeze, Niagara, or Waldameer cater to different audiences so in theory Darien Lake would have a monopoly on the more adult crowd in the region. Issue is that it's overpriced, getting pretty run down, and they keep removing attractions rather than really adding anything of value.
It's sad because this could be a fantastic park with proper investment.
@@chrismdb5686 I know they've changed owner a couple of times but, I'm truly surprised that Six Flags doesn't put more into this park! I do like that they're trying to bring Predator back to life. I do like that layout and if the entire course is re-tracked like Ghostrider, I think it would be big hit.
@@quintinrice2733 The owner has been the same for about a decade now if memory serves me right, the operators keep changing and the owners reportedly refuse to sell without a list of ridiculous conditions attached.
The main reason I'd say Six Flags isn't investing meaningfully is probably a mix of Selim's policies and the fact they don't own the park.
I thought Viper was the second best coaster at the park.
I prefer a few to it myself.
Gotta run a whole 5k just to get a reride smh
Pretty much.
Anybody here live in ohio and want to go to cedar point with me 🤣
Wish I was closer to that park.
I give it a 2/10 this ride sucks.. still not as bad as Darien lakes mind eraser or especially the awful boomerang there
I much prefer Viper to those 2 rides.
It's not a 'bat wing', it's a 'pretzel curve' and has been since day one, I was one of the first thousand people to ever ride the Viper. Still my favorite coaster of all time, much of that being the sentimentality of it but the ride is still awesome.
no one ever called it that, arrow used to call it either a boomerang or kamikaze curve
I always have called it a Batwing.
@@CanobieCoaster I had the original park map when it was still Darien Lake Fun Country back when Paul Snyder owned it before selling to Premiere Parks. The description called it the 'pretzel curve' as did everyone else. But like anything the wording probably morphed into something else (everything gets renamed by the new generation, I'm 57 so...).
@@WCfanboy yes they did. How old are you? I'm 57, I remember riding this the first week it opened. The original (and subsequent) park maps and brochures referred to it as having 'a vertical loop followed by a pretzel curve and a double corkscrew'...
@@NYVET48TFW maybe the park referred to it as that initially? Arrow called it a kamikaze curve / boomerang, and it’s now called a batwing by most
What do you think about Viper at Six Flags Darien Lake, forceful?
The first half is forceful.