Los Angeles (Asinine Peoples) -- Roller coaster tragedies don't happen regularly; however, like plane crases, those rare but deadly accidents scare off many many potential passengers. Getting stuck at the top of a coaster's initial climb is hardly a tragedy though; it was more of a time for reflection with a spectacular view of Southern California. After six thrilling but exhausting hours, we rounded the park pathway's last bend of rides. A steep bank with heavy bamboo covered the last roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain- the Viper. In the early nineties, this ride was the tallest steel coaster in the world, but bigger and better four-seaters have sinced diminshed its grand significance. To coaster junkies like us though, icons like the Viper still hold a great majesty in our hearts, but this one no longer holds our lives in its hands- or seats. The nerve-wracking click-clack of the chain that pulls the car up the first climb is usually accompanied by silence...then the fall. Just like calm before the storm. To me, all of the adrenaline rush of a ride comes from that brief moment of silent anticipation before it even begins. Just imagine that moment extended. We sat in the front car of the train, still facing slightly upward, when "click": the train stopped moving. The thoughts that went through our minds were so vast that we won't go into detail there, but the relief we felt when the ride got power twenty mintues later was immense.