Matterhorn bobsleds

Matterhorn bobsleds

Data
Location	Disneyland ( Anaheim , California , USA )
Type	Steel - seated
Drive type	Chain lift hill
Manufacturer	WED Enterprises , Arrow Dynamics
opening	1959
length	621 m, 650 m
height	45 m
Max. speed	44 km / h
Inversions	0
Subject area	Fantasyland

Matterhorn Bobsled in Disneyland ( Anaheim , California , USA ) is a double steel roller coaster that opened in 1959. It was the first roller coaster in the world whose rails were made of steel tubing and was manufactured by WED Enterprises in collaboration with Arrow Dynamics . The ropeway was pioneering in the construction of steel roller coasters as we know them today.

The routes lead through an artificial mountain that is intended to recreate the Matterhorn on a 1: 100 scale. The trains drive through a body of water at the end of each of the lanes, which also slows them down, but block brakes are used for the final braking and the block brakes .

In January 2012 Disney announced that it would close the roller coaster until the summer of that year to replace the trains and adjust the routes accordingly. Unlike the previous ones, which offered space for two by two people in two cars, the trains will consist of two cars for three people in a row.

history

background

During the construction of Disneyland, Walt Disney was unable to implement all of his ideas and visions for his park. The reasons for this were a lack of money and time. The excavation of the moat at Sleeping Beauty Castle created a large mound of earth between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, which was called “Holiday Hill”. Since this hill was away from the crowds, it was often visited by lovers whose activities Walt did not want in his park due to the high number of children, so the security patrols in this area were subsequently increased.

With the construction of the Disneyland Skyway in 1956, a large, steel cable car pillar was built on the mound, over which the steel cable of the attraction ran. Shortly after its opening, Walt came up with the idea of turning the entire mound of earth into a functioning toboggan run with real snow. But it quickly became apparent that the production of snow in the required dimensions was not feasible.

In 1958 Walt traveled to Zermatt , Switzerland to watch over the shooting of Third Man on the Mountain . While filming, the idea occurred to him to combine his earlier ideas for a toboggan run with the Matterhorn and its distinctive shape (Zermatt is located at the northeastern foot of the Matterhorn and offers practically unrestricted views of the mountain). He then sent a postcard with the Matterhorn as a motif to his park designer (imagineer) Vic Greene with the words: “ Vic. Build that. Walt. ”(Original text:“ Vic. Build This. Walt ”).

Opening and further development

In 1959 Matterhorn Bobsleds opened its doors together with Submarine Voyage and the Disneyland Monorail. The attraction itself also served as a kind of facade for the support of the cable car , which from then on crossed the mountain. The guests of Disneyland Skyways could see the inner workings of the mountain in this way.

The 1970s were all about major changes for Matterhorn Bobsleds. After opening in 1959, it was listed as part of the Tomorrowlands themed area. In 1972 the attraction was assigned to the neighboring Fantasyland. The first major renovation for the attraction since it opened took place in 1978, during which the entire interior was divided into smaller ice tunnels and new trains were used. In addition, a snowman with the name Harold has now been added, on which the actual story of the attraction is based. From then on, Harold appeared three times during the journey in the form of an animatronic (in the Disney world also audio-animatronic).

Matterhorn Bobsleds experienced the next major change in 1994 when the Disneyland Skyway ceased operations and the large through holes of the gondola lift through the mountain were filled. In addition, the entire mountain was repainted, new trains added and the entrance area redesigned.

The latest renovation took place in 2015. Harold's old animatronics from the 1970s have been replaced with new, livelier ones, and new trains have been added. Moreover, in the area of the elevator Hills attached new digital monitors as walls in the form of ice, which initiate the story about Harold. As a reminder of the former Disneyland Skyway, which passed the mountain, a former Skyway gondola was installed at one point during the journey, along with two original trains or sleds from 1959.