Want to know more about Expedition Everest? We’ve got some fun about Disney’s resident Abominable Snowman that you may like!
There’s nothing better than starting your day off with a face to face encounter with the Yeti!
If you’re ever spent time around the Asia part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the screams are constant. Seeing the trains climb the Forbidden Mountain…just to have a them careen down at an awesome speed is a spectator sport that anyone would enjoy!
GENERAL STATS
Area – Asia
Opening Date – April 7th, 2006
Attraction – Steel roller coaster
Vehicle Type – Train
Duration – 2:50
Drop – 80 feet (24 m)
Speed – 50 mph (80 km/h)
Genie+ & Single Rider Available
NOT ACTUALLY EVEREST
Expedition Everest actually doesn’t take you to Mount Everest. The Imagineers have designed the attraction to bring guests to the “Forbidden Mountain”, a fictional location which is found in the same mountain range as Everest.
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BACKWARDS
Although Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril in Disneyland Paris was the first attraction to run backwards, Everest was the first coaster that Disney produced that has the ability to switch between forward and backward motions during a single ride. The track-switches weigh in at over 100 tons each and roll & lock in just under 6 seconds.
Related Article – Attractions that go Backwards at Disney
THE YETI’S VOICE
When you come face to face with the legendary Yeti, he’s definitely not in a good mood! The man behind the myth is actually work-horse voice actor Fred Tatasciore!
Fred’s also known for his additional theme park roles, including the safety narrator at Space Mountain and Baby Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!
NOT CHEAP
Expedition Everest is listed in the 2011 book of Guinness World Records as the most expensive roller coaster in the world. As most costs with Disney include more than just a simple fabrication and installation, the total amount is reported to be US$100 Million over the six years of planning and construction.
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THE YETI PROBLEM
The unofficial nickname of the yeti audio-animatronic on the attraction is “Disco Yeti”, as for a number of years the creature has been in B-Mode (aka doesn’t move). Although not completely broken, there are necessary repairs which would allow the figure to return to it’s swooping glory but that requires a huge amount of effort and downtown. This is because the original figure was built simultaneously with the structure of the coaster and the structure of the mountain…so there’s no easy way to fix it!
The Imagineers now always plan for this issue when they are building a new attraction that involves an audio-animatronic!
NATURAL (KINDA)
The final shape of the mountain was originally constructed out of clay. After the model was approved, it was carved into foam and had additional details added before being scanned into a digital copy. Those scans were used to size and shape the 25,000+ pieces of steel used for the mountain.
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GREENERY
When you’re on the attraction, you may notice that you’re surrounded by a completely different landscape than that of the rest of the park. That’s because the horticulture department was incredibly busy! 910 bamboo trees of four species were planted, along with 250 specimens of 10 other trees, and 88,141 shrubs – 114 species in total!
There are so many amazing facts and stories surrounding Expedition Everest and it’s rich history of how it was brought from a basic concept into the attraction that we see today.
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