Attraction Cobra: Stand-Up Coaster

[Shane]

ScreamScape reported in December that Le Cobra was to be removed from the park:

(12/24/16) Is La Ronde preparing to remove Cobra, the park's old Intamin Stand-Up coaster? Cobra was added to La Ronde in 1995, purchased from Skara Sommarland in Sweden where it was first ran from 1988 to 1994 and was built as a near-clone to Intamin's first stand-up coaster, Shockwave that opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 1986. Currently Cobra has now been removed entirely from the list of rides on the La Ronde website, and is only seen on their park map, which is still listed as the 2016 edition. It is possible it could be time to retire the old ride, and a conversion to Floorless isn't likely as this is isn't a B&M product.

ScreamScape is reporting today that the ride has been removed from the 2017 park map:

Cobra (Intamin Stand-Up Coaster) from the park's website a few months ago and now they've removed it from the updated park map on the website as well. According to what I'm been told, employees were told that it would not run again at the park.

Cobra was one of three Intamin Standup Coasters which from the naked eye look identical to B&M's early standup coasters as these rides were sub-contracted by Intamin to Giovanola. This leaves one Intamin Standup coaster left in operation as the original Batman: Dark Knight is in storage at Darian Lake (I confirmed this a year ago by contacting CNL Lifestyle Properties directly. And they are willing to sell it if anyone cares to buy it) Cobra is now closed leaving Shockwave at Drayton Manor as the only operating ride of this model.

Unlike ScreamScape I don't see a conversion to a floorless/sitting coaster impossible (although unlikely) as B&M has had to make major modifications on these conversions regardless and could do the same to these. The differences between the Intamin and B&M models are negligible, but I still think the chances are low. Looks like the UK will have the last of these for now. It will be interesting to see if SixFlags scraps or sells Cobra.

 

[John]

I hope I'm not an outlier when I express how happy I am that stand-ups are finally being phased out across the industry.

It was a good run stand-ups, but I think I speak for a majority of male park goers when I say thank god the decades of assaults to our bodies are finally almost over.

 

[Nicole]

I'm female, and I won't miss a single one of them either. Mantis, in particular, deserves no nostalgia or defense, in my opinion. It was the single most painful ride I've ever experienced. And the outpouring of love for Shockwave, when it was removed seemed bizarre to me, as well. The other stand ups I've ridden were meh at best; certainly none of them are worth the space they are using.

 

[Zimmy]

no it was a waste of a great deal of parking lot space.

 

[Shane]

To be fair to Green Lantern, the space it sits on was originally "reclaimed" from the parking lot by the addition of "Great American Scream Machine." Green Lantern just uses the same space after GASM was removed. Though knowing you Zimmy and your love of all things Arrow that fact is Green Lantern's bigger offense it's use of any type of former parking lot.

My issue with it isn't that it is a stand-up, or that it sits on the site of a lost Arrow or even former parking space, but that it was stolen from a park in a desperate asset grab during SixFlags' bankruptcy. But I digress, none of this really has anything to do with Le Cobra.

 

[UncleDuncan]

As a victim/survivor of both Shockwaves, of which Le Cobra is a clone of the SFMM installation from my understanding, the only tears I shed are tears of joy.

 

[Shane]

My understanding was that despite the identical name, Shockwave at Drayton Manor was a unique and custom layout unlike Le Cobra and Dark Knight(Originally named Shockwave.)

 

[Shane]

After closing Le Cobra last year, LaRonde is finally removing this pre-B&M Intamin Stand-up coaster. As you can see at ScreamScape.com the park is not saving the ride and it's going to the scrap yards.

 

[Nicole]

All stand-ups should be summarily scrapped.