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The Matterhorn Bobsleds is an attraction made up of two intertwining steel roller coasters at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It is based on the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Swiss Alps of over 14,000 feet, which has been understandably scaled back to fit in with the rest of Disneyland. Located on the borderline between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland (see below), it employs forced perspective to seem more impressively large. Throughout the day, Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse and Goofy, aided by two non-costumed climbers, may be seen scaling the supposedly arduous peak.
History
The ride was opened in 1959 as one of six new major attractions for Tomorrowland. In the 1970s, it was officially made a Fantasyland attraction. It is recognized as the first tubular steel roller coaster in the world, and was built by coaster builder Arrow Dynamics and WED Imagineering.
In 1978, the Matterhorn received a major refurbishment. Upgrades included Audio-Animatronic yetis, or Abominable Snowmen, which have been nicknamed Harold; an ice crystal cavern at the top of the lift hill; the caves at the beginning of the downhill run were given an icy, crystal blue look; the bobsleds were completely changed and instead of being 1 car were now 2 cars joined, which basically doubled the attraction's capacity.
The track design of the attraction appears very similar to that of the Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain. However, the track designs are quite different from each other even though both attractions feature bobsled like trains. When Space Mountain appeared at Disneyland, it was built with just one track and with a completely different design, to fit the smaller confines of the Californian Tomorrowland.
The Attraction
In the attraction there is a display metal box stamped with the words "Wells Expedition." This is a tribute to former Disney president Frank Wells, who climbed mountains as a hobby, and was tragically killed in a helicopter accident in 1994.
There is a basketball half-court inside the structure above the coaster, near the top of the Matterhorn mountain. This court is really just a break room with a wooden floor where the mountain climbers can play basketball in between climbing sessions. It is not accessible to anyone else, as internal access to the mountain is locked for safety reasons. There is another cast member break room inside the mountain at the base.
At the end of the attraction, guests hear the now-famous "Remain seated please; Permanecer sentados por favor" safety spiel: one of many recordings by the former Voice of Disneyland, Jack Wagner. The recording was recently changed in 2005 to say "Remain seated with your seatbelt fastened; Permanecer sentados por favor" but the changed English segment still appears to have been recorded by Wagner. This recording also ends the Fantasyland segment and introduces the Tomorrowland segment of the Remember... Dreams Come True fireworks show.
Attraction facts
- Grand Opening: June 14, 1959
- Designers: WED Enterprises, Arrow Dynamics
- Mountain Height: 147'
- Track Height: 80'
- Length: A) 2,037 feet (620.8 m) B) 2,134 feet (650.4 )
- Scale to real Matterhorn: 1/100th
- Time: A) 2:07 B) 2:26
- Top Speed: 18 miles per hour (29 km/h); 16 feet per second (4.88 metres per second)
- Height Requirement: 35 inches (89 cm)
- Required Ticket: "E"
- Ride System: Roller Coaster
Gallery
External links
- RollerCoaster Database Images and stats
- Disney Mountain Rides - Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Subsonic Radio Disney Theme Park and Audio
Disney parks and attractions | Disneyland Resort | Steel roller coasters
"Matterhorn Bobsleds"