Matterhorn Bobsleds
| Matterhorn Bobsleds | |
|---|---|
| Park | Disneyland Park |
| Land / area | Fantasyland |
| Type | Steel roller coaster |
| Opened | June 14, 1959 |
| Designer | WED Enterprises / Arrow Development |
| Height req. | 42 in (107 cm) |
| Status | Operating |
Matterhorn Bobsleds is a steel roller coaster attraction at Disneyland Park in the Disneyland Resort, California, consisting of two intertwined tracks running through a replica of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. Opened on June 14, 1959, it was the first roller coaster in the world built with a tubular steel track, a construction method that made smooth, tightly curved layouts possible and shaped the design of modern coasters. The mountain stands 147 feet (45 m) tall, approximately one-hundredth the height of the real peak.
Origins
Walt Disney conceived the attraction after visiting Zermatt, Switzerland, during the filming of Third Man on the Mountain (1959). He sent Imagineer Vic Greene a postcard of the Matterhorn with a brief instruction to build it. The site chosen was a mound of excavated earth, sometimes called Holiday Hill, left over from construction of the Sleeping Beauty Castle moat, on the border between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. WED Enterprises designed the mountain and its setting, while Arrow Development engineered the ride system, replacing the flat steel rails of earlier coasters with paired hollow tubes that the bobsleds' wheels could grip from several angles.
The Matterhorn opened alongside the Disneyland Monorail and the original Submarine Voyage as the centrepieces of Disneyland's first major expansion, and the three were among the first attractions to require the top-tier E ticket. At opening, the mountain was the tallest structure in Orange County.
Ride system
Two separate tracks, one loading on the Fantasyland side and one on the Tomorrowland side, weave through and around the mountain without ever sharing rails. Bobsleds climb a lift hill inside the peak, then descend through ice caverns, past waterfalls and out over the Submarine Voyage lagoon, reaching about 27 mph (43 km/h). Because the tubular track permitted more than one vehicle to circulate safely under block control, the Matterhorn was also an early example of a coaster running multiple trains with an electronic dispatch system.
Changes over time
The mountain originally stood mostly hollow and plainly finished inside. A major refurbishment in 1978 filled the interior with ice caverns, glowing crystals and figures of the Abominable Snowman, and replaced the original single-rider sleds with tandem two-passenger bobsleds. The Disneyland Skyway passed through the mountain from 1956's successor route until its closure in 1994. In 2012 the sleds were replaced again with a three-car configuration and individual lap restraints, and in 2015 new, more detailed snowman figures were installed. Although the attraction opened as part of Tomorrowland, it was reassigned to Fantasyland in the 1970s, reflecting its storybook alpine setting. The famous safety spiel recorded for the attraction, ending with the Spanish instruction to remain seated, has become one of the park's most quoted pieces of audio.
Recognition
The American Coaster Enthusiasts have designated the Matterhorn Bobsleds a Coaster Landmark, recognising its place as the first tubular steel coaster. No other Disney park has a Matterhorn ride; Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom is a separate, later mountain coaster with a different theme and layout.