Matterhorn Bobsleds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Matterhorn Bobsleds |
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The Matterhorn in 2016
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| Disneyland | |||
| Park section | Fantasyland | ||
| Coordinates | 33°48′47″N 117°55′04″W / 33.813184°N 117.917856°W | ||
| Status | {{{status}}} | ||
| Opening date | June 14, 1959 | ||
| General Statistics | |||
| Type | Steel | ||
| Manufacturer | Arrow Development | ||
| Designer | WED Enterprises | ||
| Model | Special Coaster Systems | ||
| Track layout | Dual-tracked | ||
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill | ||
| Fantasyland Track | Tomorrowland Track | ||
| Height | 80 ft (24.4 m) | 80 ft (24.4 m) | |
| Length | 2,037 ft (620.9 m) | 2,134 ft (650.4 m) | |
| Speed | 27 mph (43.5 km/h) | 27 mph (43.5 km/h) | |
| Inversions | 0 | 0 | |
| Duration | 2:07 | 2:26 | |
| Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) | ||
| Trains | 20 trains with 2 cars. Riders are arranged 1 across in 3 rows for a total of 6 riders per train. | ||
| Theme | Swiss mountain | ||
 Disney's Fastpass available |
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 Single rider line available |
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 Must transfer from wheelchair |
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| Matterhorn Bobsleds at RCDB Pictures of Matterhorn Bobsleds at RCDB |
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The Matterhorn Bobsleds are two exciting steel roller coasters at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. This famous ride looks like the real Matterhorn mountain. The Matterhorn is a huge mountain in the Alps, right between Switzerland and Italy.
This ride was the very first roller coaster ever made with a special kind of continuous steel track. It's located between the Tomorrowland and Fantasyland areas of the park. Disney designers used a trick called forced perspective to make the mountain look even taller than it is!
Contents
History of the Matterhorn Bobsleds
Building the Mountain (1956–1970)
When Disneyland was being built, workers piled up dirt from digging the Sleeping Beauty Castle's moat. This pile of dirt became a hill. At first, it was a picnic spot called Holiday Hill.
After the Disneyland Skyway opened in 1956, Walt Disney had a cool idea. He wanted a toboggan ride on the hill, with real snow! But that was too hard to build. The hill then became known as Snow Hill.
Disney executives saw new "wild mouse" roller coasters. They thought this new technology would be perfect for a toboggan-themed ride. This ride would be on an artificial mountain.
The Matterhorn Bobsleds look a lot like an old roller coaster in Denmark. That ride, called Rutschebanen, opened in 1914. It even has an icy scene at the top, just like the Matterhorn Bobsleds.
The Matterhorn mountain was also built to hide a big support tower for the Skyway ride. Walt Disney got the idea for the Matterhorn while on vacation in Switzerland. He was filming a movie called Third Man on the Mountain. He loved the real Matterhorn mountain so much. He sent a postcard of it to his architect, Vic Greene, with a simple message: "Vic. Build This. Walt."
This led to the idea of combining a toboggan ride with a bobsled coaster. The ride would go around and through the mountain. The Matterhorn Bobsleds opened on June 14, 1959. It was one of three big new rides in Tomorrowland that year.
It was built by Arrow Development and WED Imagineering. It was the world's first tubular steel roller coaster! The mountain was made of wood and steel, covered with fake rock. For a while, a spinning star sat on top of the Matterhorn.
The designers used a trick called forced perspective to make the mountain look taller. They made the trees at the top smaller. Waterfalls flowed down the sides, sometimes splashing riders. Inside, the bobsleds zoomed through a big open space. The mountain had holes where the bobsleds went in and out. The Skyway ride also passed right through the middle of the mountain.
Changes in the 1970s
In the early 1970s, the Matterhorn ride officially became part of Fantasyland. In 1973, the spinning star on top was removed.
In 1978, the Matterhorn got a big update. The inside of the mountain was changed. It became many small, icy caves and tunnels. These new areas looked much more realistic. Some of the holes in the mountain's outside were also filled in.
A huge new addition was the Abominable Snowman! Imagineers lovingly named him Harold. There are three large robot figures of Harold. They roar at the bobsleds as they pass by. You can see the first one from both tracks. The other two are only seen from their own tracks. Each track also has glowing red eyes that appear in the dark. You can hear Harold's roars from the ground too!
The bobsled cars also changed in 1978. They went from flat, two-seater cars to rounder, white cars with orange and red stripes. The cars were also linked together to form a "train."
Updates from the 1990s to Today
The Skyway used to travel through the mountain. Its path was covered in ice caves. When the Skyway closed in 1994, the holes it used were partly filled in. A sparkling crystal cave was added near the Tomorrowland side. An old crate labeled "Wells Expedition" was also added. This was a tribute to Frank Wells, a Disney executive who loved climbing mountains.
The Matterhorn closed on January 9, 2012, for a six-month update. The mountain was repainted on the outside. Inside, some repairs were made. The bobsled seats were changed too. Now, each seat holds one person. This means three people per car, with two cars linked together. The new bobsleds are red, blue, and green. The ride reopened on June 15, 2012. Because of the new cars, riders now need to be at least 42 inches tall.
The mountain's outside got a fresh new look. It was painted to look more like the real Matterhorn. This meant more "snow" on the north side and less on the south. Glass beads were mixed into the paint. This makes the "snow" sparkle like real snow in the sunlight. Mountain climbers also returned to the Matterhorn after this update.
On January 5, 2015, the ride closed again for more updates. This was to get ready for Disneyland's 60th anniversary. It reopened on May 22, 2015. New special effects and updated Abominable Snowman robots were added. On the lift hills, you can see a projected image of the Snowman through ice. A new robot Snowman appears at the top. Improved sounds make it seem like he's chasing you down the mountain!
The FastPass system was added to the ride in April 2017. This lets guests get a return time to ride later. The Matterhorn closed again on July 30, 2018, to redesign the waiting line area. It reopened on November 16, 2018, with a new, larger queue.
Timeline of Matterhorn Bobsleds
- 1956: Walt Disney first thinks of a toboggan-style roller coaster inside a mountain.
- 1958: Construction begins on the Matterhorn.
- June 14, 1959: The Matterhorn Bobsleds open. It's the world's first tubular steel roller coaster. It opened with the Disneyland Monorail and Submarine Voyage.
- Early 1970s: The Matterhorn Bobsleds officially become part of Fantasyland.
- 1978: The Matterhorn gets a big update. New caves and tunnels are added inside. The ride also gets new trains. The famous Abominable Snowman is added, roaring at riders.
- 1994: The Skyway closes. The Matterhorn openings are partly filled in. Sparkling crystals and the "Wells Expedition" crate are added.
- January 9, 2012: The Matterhorn closes for a six-month update. It gets a new outside look and new trains with different seats.
- June 15, 2012: The Matterhorn Bobsleds reopen.
- January 5, 2015: The Matterhorn closes for another update. This includes new effects for the Abominable Snowman.
- May 22, 2015: The Matterhorn Bobsleds reopen for Disneyland's 60th anniversary.
- April 28, 2017: FastPass is added to the Matterhorn Bobsleds.
- July 30, 2018: The Matterhorn Bobsleds close for another update.
- November 16, 2018: The Matterhorn Bobsleds reopen with a new waiting area.
About the Ride Experience
The Matterhorn Bobsleds ride has two separate tracks. They run next to each other for most of the ride. They are called the Fantasyland track and Tomorrowland track. These names come from where their loading lines start.
The ride vehicles used to hold four people in a single line. After the 1978 update, two cars were joined together. This made a "train" that could hold eight people. In 2012, new vehicles were added. Now, each bobsled has two cars linked together. Each car has three single seats. So, six guests ride in each bobsled train. Riders are kept safe with a seat belt.
Each track has one lift hill. The bobsleds go up this hill at the start of the ride. They pass walls that look like snow. The top of this hill is the highest point of the ride. After the lift hill, the bobsleds mostly glide through the mountain's caves and tunnels.
The splash-down pools at the end of each track do two things. They cool down the brakes on the bobsleds. Also, hitting the water helps slow the bobsleds down. The bobsleds are made of fiberglass and are waxed often because they are always in water.
For many years, there was a small basketball court inside the mountain! It was near the top. The mountain climbers who work there could play between climbs. It's said that the court is still there today.
At the end of the ride, you hear a famous safety announcement. It says, "Remain seated please; Permanecer sentados por favor." This recording is by Jack Wagner, who was the "Voice of Disneyland" for a long time. The message was updated in 2005 to say, "Remain seated with your seat belt fastened; Permanecer sentados por favor."
After the safety message, riders enter a cave and climb the lift hill. You can see the shadow of the Abominable Snowman. Once the bobsled leaves the chain, it goes into a dark tunnel. The glowing red eyes of the Abominable Snowman appear, and you hear his roar! The trains then go into a cave with broken bobsleds and sleighs. You might also see a crate marked "Wells Expedition."
Both tracks turn left, then split apart before reaching the first Snowman robot. The cars zoom around the mountain, going through tunnels and past waterfalls. Each track then passes another Abominable Snowman. Soon after, riders splash into an alpine lake and return to the station.
Matterhorn Bobsleds and Other Disney Parks
Disneyland in California is the only Disney park with a Matterhorn Bobsleds ride. However, the tracks for Space Mountain at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom were inspired by the Matterhorn's design. The Matterhorn's newer bobsleds, added in 1978, were based on Space Mountain's rockets.
There were ideas to build a Matterhorn ride at Walt Disney World. One idea was for it to be the main ride in a Switzerland area at Epcot's World Showcase. But this plan never happened.
Disney's Animal Kingdom has a roller coaster with a similar theme called Expedition Everest. It's a train adventure to the top of a mountain. There, riders meet another mountain beast, the Yeti.
Other Fun Facts and Changes
In the 1980s, the Matterhorn Ski Club, made up of ride operators, started helping seeing eye dogs. They used unclaimed coins and knives found on the ride to buy dogs for Guide Dogs of the Desert. This grew to collecting cans from all employee break areas. At one point, the bottom floor of the Matterhorn was full of bags of aluminum cans!
After the original Abominable Snowman figures were removed in 2015, one was moved. It's now in the waiting area for the Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! ride at Disney California Adventure. This Snowman is shown as one of the Collector's many cool items on display.
Gallery
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The Matterhorn and the Skyway in 1979
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The original bobsled design (1959–1978)
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Updated bobsled design (1978–2012)
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Alternate view of the updated design (1978–2012)
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Current bobsled design (2012–Present)
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One of the old Abominable Snowman figures (1978–2015)
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Matterhorn view from Tomorrowland
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Climbers on the Matterhorn in 2005
