Not sure how he viper is, but if it' s like my Summit Revolution (I' m sure it is) it' s a great an easy stand to climb in. For the most part....it' s all about the tree you climb. A nice straight tree with no branches, and very few large nots is easy as pie. I' ve found the hardestpart of mine is actually getting in it. Not sure about the viper, but the revolution has a large foot rest that comes up. Sometimes it' s tough to get under it, and on the stand quietly. It' s also tough to get in it if the base of the tree is really big, and you have to set the stand up a little higher up. It can be trickky to doit and be quiet, ya know.

Overall, I love the stand. They are very quiet while climbing, and pretty comfortable. Comfort is great on the revolution, not as good as my old tree lounge, but the lounge was VERY noisy to set up and climb.

As for the distance you move with each stand up motion is up to you. Go at your own pace. You can go as little or as much as you want. IF you get one....you deffinately should practice before you go out in the field. I had a buddy last year that came out with me. He brought his climber he got on e-bay, and he never used it before. So, he was setting it up for the first time in the dark. Forgot a rope to bring his bow up with him. Then he had never climbed before. It looked easy enough, but it can be a little cumbersom especially when you do it for the first time, and your trying to be quiet. Practice practice. I suggest going to a shop that carries summit and ask if you can give one a shot. Hope this helps.