Negative-G - Six Flags Great America 2024

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The Viper Roller Coaster at Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Illinois

Like the Cyclone, Viper is an amazing ride that is filled with speed, airtime, laterals, and a ton of wooden structure whizzing on by as trains work their way deeper into the rides structure.

Over the years Six Flags built four replicas of the Coney Island Cyclone. Houston's Six Flags Astroworld started the trend in 1976 when they built the Texas Cyclone to rave reviews. In 1990 Six Flags Over Georgia opened the Georgia Cyclone. The following year Psyclone opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain. In 1995 Viper rose over Six Flags Great America being designed and built by the park themselves.

Sadly the Texas Giant met with a wrecking ball after Astorworld closed in 2005. In 2006 Psyclone at Six Flags Magic Mountain met the same fate. In 2017 the Georgia Cyclone spend around the track one final time before being turned into the steel Twisted Cyclone by Rocky Mountain Construction. That leaves Viper as the only remaining "Cy-clones" still in operation.

During my time as an enthusiast I have experienced all of them with the exception of Psyclone at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The Georgia Cyclone was ok but it didn't have the intensity of the original Coney Island coaster. The Texas Cyclone took the original's intensity and cranked it up a few notches. That rides shortcoming was in the fiberglass "coffin car" trains from Morgan Manufacturing that rode horribly making a ride anywhere but the front row a exceedingly rough experience. Viper though with comfortable three bench trains from PTC and track that was built by the wood coaster maintenance staff at Six Flags Great America keeps the intensity and adds a really comfortable ride that it is super easy riding over and over.

While I hate to see coasters being destroyed it is good that the best of the Cy-clones is still here with us.

In the end it was a great but kind of disappointing day at Six Flags Great America. It was sad to see so many things shuttered including a brand new ride that opened weeks before. With quality corporate management taking over, which is some thing that Six Flags has never had, I can't see this experience becoming the norm for future visits. What was great is that I got a ton of rides on so many coasters that are near and dear to my heart like Viper, Raging Bull, The American Eagle, X-Flight, The Demon, Maxx Force, Batman The Ride, and of course The Whizzer.

With the merger I'm hopeful for the future of Six Flags Great America and the rest of the chain. Change isn't going to come overnight or next year to the chain as it will take a while for both companies to properly merge but I'm really looking forward to being able to compare the Six Flags of 2024 with the 2026.