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I'm a little envious of you guys on the west coast with regards to LL:DOD. I'm sure the swaying tower from Superman running simultaneously adds such an awesome element to the ride those here with Zumanjaro probably won't ever get to experience.

Ive never experienced or seen in person a simultaneous drop, but I've had a superman car fly up the track when my DoD gondola was like 60% up and the whole thing started swaying as we were still climbing..very cool and my friends were absolutely freaking out. It doesn't happen very often anymore, I'm not sure if they're intentionally avoiding it or whether its just a coincidence. Superman tends to be one of the slowest dispatches in the park and I've had instances when Superman was actively operating where I boarded a DoD gondola, climbed, dropped, and exited the DoD station without a Superman train being dispatched.

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I will agree that the swaying tower thanks to Superman launching during the ride on the Drop of Doom is pretty out of the norm, and in short, pretty terrifying.

 

Your ass actually moves left to right in the seat, while you're crawling to the top, or while you're waiting for it to drop.

 

But as a veteran rider, I know it's safe, so it just adds to the thrill for me.

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I'm with you. My first time [on drop of doom] was actually legitimately scary. The swaying from Superman's cars, and the drop that seemed to never end...

 

It's actually very relaxing if you learn to relax and just surrender instead of fighting it. Put your hands up, look at the horizon, and try to enjoy the fall. Act like you WANT to drop. The more you relax, the more fun it is. Clutching the metal restraints actually makes the drop more stressful. Just put your hands up, and relax every muscle in your body.

 

Many infantry soldiers deal with combat stress by pretending that they are already dead. If you accept the fact that you are already dead, it is much easier to deal with combat. Same goes for Drop of Doom. Just pretend you are already dead and that you are just floating gently to the ground. Sounds very weird but it works.

 

Once you master this technique, the best part will be watching the people next to you freak out. I regularly witness grown men scream like babies.

 

This works like a charm, hands up and all and witnessing grown men scream like babies is very entertaining.

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I love when a Superman train launches while I'm on LL:DOD. I got very lucky during WCB 2013. My friends and I were about halfway up the tower when a Superman train launched. Then, the holy grail of swaying, a second train launched when we just about reached the top. The swaying was very pronounced, and definitely upped the thrill factor. That's my gold standard now, and one that isn't met often it would seem. Still, even without the swaying, it's a fun ride. I found the ascent to be much more nerve-wracking than the drop.

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So if a renovation of an old ride like Colossus was very successful...and it is known that Chance can do renovations of Arrow mega loopers (Phantoms Revenge as an example)...how possible is it that Viper could also get a Chance renovation?

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^I thought S&S had the Arrow contract and supplied stuff for them. I would love to see Viper get a makeover. It holds a lot of nostalgia for me.

 

Totally agree with you on Viper, I still enjoy it and would love to see it get a makeover. I have a lot of memories riding Viper as it was the "premier" coaster at the park for my teenage years (at least until Batman came along in 94). I love the combination of elements and inversions on the ride and would hate to see it destroyed, especially since its sister coasters Shockwave and Scream Machine have bit the dust.

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I don't really get it, what's wrong with Viper to where it needs a makeover? Maybe except the theming which hasn't been taken care of very well, every time I ride it gives me the exact same experience it gave me the first time I rode it back in the mid 90's. ALWAYS ride in the back!

 

Pretty intense first drop, good speed through the loops, definitely a little rough and slight headbanging because it was built by Arrow. Basically a 70 MPH 7 looper on updated Gold Rusher track. I still love riding Viper the way it is!

 

Here's the view pulling up to the park that I got to know for about a decade before X, and boy what an intimidating one at that!

 

viper3.jpg

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Took a quick drive up to the mountain this morning. I figured since not all schools are out and it was slated to rain that it'd be somewhat quiet. It was actually pretty busy. I only planned on staying a couple of hours to ride Colossus two or three times then bail, but I ended up just riding once and then leaving right after.

 

The park was struggling to handle the size of the crowd at the entrance, and the pass member line was moving really kind of slow despite being fully staffed. By the time I got to the gate, the regular gates had opened. When I left around 11:30, the entrance plaza was an absolute zoo.

 

As soon as I got in, I hoofed it over to TC which already had a long line before the station itself opened. They didn't start cycling empty trains until 10:45 and the first passengers rode around 11:10. Lots of staff present and three train-operation, but they were really struggling to keep things moving. All kinds of mechanical dispatch delays, meandering guests, guests who brought elaborate baggage, strollers etc. They were also experiencing problems with the trains themselves — having to move people in and out of different seats and running trains half empty because of what appeared to be problems with the restraints. I planned on using the single rider line, but the guy running it said it would be about the same wait as the regular line, if not longer. There were about 50 people in the single rider pen, and yet trains were leaving the station with plenty of empty seats. It seems to me that the station is poorly designed in that guests can jump from one gate to another too easily, they get confused about where they're supposed to be standing, and the single rider pen is too far away from the person who allocates gates. Employees seemed to be struggling to communicate with one another, and at one point, they cleared the train for dispatch only to find that it wouldn't move because a woman's restraint was left fully open. No racing that I saw, stacking three trains with 3-4 minute dispatches. I was only there for an hour, but hopefully they were able to get a groove going after I left.

 

It's still a fun ride although it's not my personal favorite in the park, but the combination of a messy loading, lobotomized and barely functioning guests, and a general lack of efficient organization is going to be a nightmare for that thing when the place gets really busy. Mandatory lockers, and perhaps a prerecorded schpiel over the station music about getting on and off fast seems like it might help. The employees were fine, but the system itself seemed much messier than when I was there for the gold pass preview.

 

I ended up leaving after that one ride due to how long the single rider line was, and Yolo's line (my favorite ride there), had spilled well out into the plaza. Being a pass holder and going off-season kind of spoils you as I rarely wait more than 20 mins for anything there!

 

I'm wondering if late evenings might be a better time to swoop through during the busy season? If not, I'll just sit the summer out and head back around October-ish.

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I'm wondering if late evenings might be a better time to swoop through during the busy season? If not, I'll just sit the summer out and head back around October-ish.

 

Late August should be an excellent time to go. Very few kids go to amusement parks during the first week of school.

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I don't really get it, what's wrong with Viper to where it needs a makeover? Maybe except the theming which hasn't been taken care of very well, every time I ride it gives me the exact same experience it gave me the first time I rode it back in the mid 90's. ALWAYS ride in the back!

 

Pretty intense first drop, good speed through the loops, definitely a little rough and slight headbanging because it was built by Arrow. Basically a 70 MPH 7 looper on updated Gold Rusher track. I still love riding Viper the way it is!

 

Here's the view pulling up to the park that I got to know for about a decade before X, and boy what an intimidating one at that!

Yeah its just a bit rough. It's nowhere near as bad as Revolution, but redesigned trains and/or even just some new more comfortable restraints would make a huge difference. I'm not kidding anyone though, I don't expect any of that..if they can't do it for Revolution they aren't going to do it for Viper.

 

I agree that Viper is still a great coaster though. Yes it's rough, but if you're just considering elements and intensity, in my book it still stands up to any looping coaster today. The theming is great, it's probably the best, maybe behind only Goliath.

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I'd love to see MM do a Phantom's Revenge makeover on Viper. Remove all the inversions and turn them into airtime hills.

 

Viper is such an iconic ride to people like me who grew up in the 90's. It was big, it was bad, and it was intimidating because it sits on a hill and appears about 30ft taller than it actually is. That being said, I havent ridden the ride in about 3 years, its gotten rough and somewhat slow with all trim brakes.

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I planned on using the single rider line, but the guy running it said it would be about the same wait as the regular line, if not longer. There were about 50 people in the single rider pen, and yet trains were leaving the station with plenty of empty seats. It seems to me that the station is poorly designed in that guests can jump from one gate to another too easily, they get confused about where they're supposed to be standing, and the single rider pen is too far away from the person who allocates gates.

 

the way they designed it is a total fail, imo. the normal entrance into the rows on one side, and the single rider on the opposite end. they should be next to each other so when a group of three comes in, they just simply pull one from the single rider. depending on the grouper, the single rider can go at a decent pace, or almost hardly move. the only time i used it on my last visit, i shouldn't have beat my friend who went in the regular line except that they just pulled 4 of us out and assigned rows to us without anyone from the regular line. i even got the front. lol

 

but out of 5 rides that day, the regular line beat the single rider every time. single rider had roughly 20 people max and regular line was just at the entrance under the sign.

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I'd love to see MM do a Phantom's Revenge makeover on Viper. Remove all the inversions and turn them into airtime hills.

 

Viper is such an iconic ride to people like me who grew up in the 90's. It was big, it was bad, and it was intimidating because it sits on a hill and appears about 30ft taller than it actually is. That being said, I havent ridden the ride in about 3 years, its gotten rough and somewhat slow with all trim brakes.

 

 

I considered a Phantom's Revenge-esque makeover too at first. Initially, I thought no, but since Six Flags does like to cut corners with budget where they can, it's plausible, as it'd be less expensive than fabricating an entire new coaster. I still think it's highly unlikely though.

 

I rode Viper in December and it was probably one of the smoothest rides I ever had on it. The trims after the first loop were not active and the coaster just sped through the course. It really made me appreciate it more.

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Took a quick drive up to the mountain this morning. I figured since not all schools are out and it was slated to rain that it'd be somewhat quiet. It was actually pretty busy. I only planned on staying a couple of hours to ride Colossus two or three times then bail, but I ended up just riding once and then leaving right after.

 

The park was struggling to handle the size of the crowd at the entrance, and the pass member line was moving really kind of slow despite being fully staffed. By the time I got to the gate, the regular gates had opened. When I left around 11:30, the entrance plaza was an absolute zoo.

 

As soon as I got in, I hoofed it over to TC which already had a long line before the station itself opened. They didn't start cycling empty trains until 10:45 and the first passengers rode around 11:10. Lots of staff present and three train-operation, but they were really struggling to keep things moving. All kinds of mechanical dispatch delays, meandering guests, guests who brought elaborate baggage, strollers etc. They were also experiencing problems with the trains themselves — having to move people in and out of different seats and running trains half empty because of what appeared to be problems with the restraints. I planned on using the single rider line, but the guy running it said it would be about the same wait as the regular line, if not longer. There were about 50 people in the single rider pen, and yet trains were leaving the station with plenty of empty seats. It seems to me that the station is poorly designed in that guests can jump from one gate to another too easily, they get confused about where they're supposed to be standing, and the single rider pen is too far away from the person who allocates gates. Employees seemed to be struggling to communicate with one another, and at one point, they cleared the train for dispatch only to find that it wouldn't move because a woman's restraint was left fully open. No racing that I saw, stacking three trains with 3-4 minute dispatches. I was only there for an hour, but hopefully they were able to get a groove going after I left.

 

It's still a fun ride although it's not my personal favorite in the park, but the combination of a messy loading, lobotomized and barely functioning guests, and a general lack of efficient organization is going to be a nightmare for that thing when the place gets really busy. Mandatory fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo, and perhaps a prerecorded schpiel over the station music about getting on and off fast seems like it might help. The employees were fine, but the system itself seemed much messier than when I was there for the gold pass preview.

 

I ended up leaving after that one ride due to how long the single rider line was, and Yolo's line (my favorite ride there), had spilled well out into the plaza. Being a pass holder and going off-season kind of spoils you as I rarely wait more than 20 mins for anything there!

 

I'm wondering if late evenings might be a better time to swoop through during the busy season? If not, I'll just sit the summer out and head back around October-ish.

 

I always go mid to late August and only Monday through Thursday.

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I don't really get it, what's wrong with Viper to where it needs a makeover? Maybe except the theming which hasn't been taken care of very well, every time I ride it gives me the exact same experience it gave me the first time I rode it back in the mid 90's. ALWAYS ride in the back!

 

The problem I have with the ride, at least, is those darn trains. As someone 6' tall and with a long(ish) torso, those Arrow trains are the only things I've ever ridden that give me discomfort. The restraint cannot close all the way and it really just puts way too much force on my shoulders. New trains like those Vekoma ones would make this ride really amazing for me. For right now, though, I can't really enjoy it.

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I don't really get it, what's wrong with Viper to where it needs a makeover? Maybe except the theming which hasn't been taken care of very well, every time I ride it gives me the exact same experience it gave me the first time I rode it back in the mid 90's. ALWAYS ride in the back!

 

The problem I have with the ride, at least, is those darn trains. As someone 6' tall and with a long(ish) torso, those Arrow trains are the only things I've ever ridden that give me discomfort. The restraint cannot close all the way and it really just puts way too much force on my shoulders. New trains like those Vekoma ones would make this ride really amazing for me. For right now, though, I can't really enjoy it.

 

I feel you on the torso vs harness struggle, but I hated Viper LONG before I hit 6 ft tall. I've refused to ride it for 10+ years.

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I rather enjoy Viper except for the cramped trains (6'3", and it takes some massive contortion to wedge myself into the damn thing, plus the headbanging and jerkiness don't bode well in such a position). Should Magic Mountain ever take the opportunity to do an update, I'd be for it.

 

I love Viper. But it sits on such prime land, that I can't imagine the park hasn't at least considered either removing it or transforming it.

.

I think it'll be going soon enough, since GASM and Shockwave are long gone. Definitely prime land, and there's been some crazy compact coasters coming out that could fit nicely there. When they do get rid of it, my bet would probably be on another multi-looping coaster with a somewhat compact footprint (Intamin multi-looper, Gerstlauer Infinity, something along those lines), but I'd be happy with almost anything in that spot as long as it's a good ride.

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