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Expedition Everest
Expedition Everest
Disney's Animal Kingdom
LocationDisney's Animal Kingdom
Park sectionAsia
Coordinates28°21′29″N 81°35′11″W / 28.358165°N 81.586298°W / 28.358165; -81.586298
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateJanuary 26, 2006[1]
Opening dateApril 7, 2006 (2006-04-07)
CostUS$100,000,000
General statistics
TypeSteel
ManufacturerVekoma
DesignerWalt Disney Imagineering
ModelOther
Track layoutCustom
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height112 ft (34 m)
Drop80 ft (24 m)
Length4,424 ft (1,348 m)
Speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration2:50
Capacity2050 riders per hour
Trains6 (max. 5 in operation) trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 3 rows for a total of 36 riders per train.
RestraintsLap-bar
Fastpass available
Single rider line available
Disabled access Wheelchair accessible
Expedition Everest at RCDB

Expedition Everest is a steel roller coaster built by Vekoma at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The ride is themed around the Yeti hiding in Mount Everest. It is listed in the 2011 book of Guinness World Records as the most expensive roller coaster in the world. Including sets and extras, its total cost was reported to be US$100 million, following 6 years of planning and construction.[2] It is the tallest of the artificial mountains at Walt Disney World, as well as the tallest mountain in Florida (albeit an artificial one).[3] It is Disney's 18th mountain-themed attraction.[4]

History

Expedition Everest under construction in 2005.

The attraction first was announced publicly on April 22, 2003, during an event to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Disney's Animal Kingdom.[5] It took three years and more than 38 miles of rebar, 5,000 tons of structural steel, and 10,000 tons of concrete to build the mountain.[3] Expedition Everest first opened for previews on January 26, 2006,[1] and had its grand opening on April 7, 2006,[6] in ceremonies led by Disney CEO Bob Iger and theme parks chairman Jay Rasulo.

Ride experience

Queue

The attraction features a stand-by, Fastpass, and a single rider line.[1] The queue starts at the office of the fictional "Himalayan Escapes" travel agency, progressing to a replica temple with little holy figures. Visitors next enter a tea garden, followed by a room with equipment from a successful expedition, and then the "Yeti Museum", which contains information on the Yeti and a moulding of a Yeti footprint.[7] There are also about 8,000 artifacts brought from the Nepal trip in the museum.[8][9] The single rider line skips all of the exhibits.

Ride

The riders board the roller coaster in the model village of Serka Zong, to begin a speedy route through the Himalayas to the base of Mount Everest.[7][4]

Office in queue

The train departs the station to the right and climbs a small lift leading to a short drop, then circles around to the 112-foot (34 m) lift hill, carrying the riders into the 200-foot-high (61 m) mountain. On the way up it passes through a ransacked temple with murals of the yeti, warning the riders that the mountain is his territory. At top of the mountain the train curves around the main peak and goes through a cave. When it emerges, it draws to a halt in front of track that has been torn apart, presumably by the yeti. During this brief stop, one can hear the hissing of the brakes as a switch behind the train is thrown. The train then rolls backwards along a new route that spirals down through the mountain, coming to a halt in a large cave, where riders see the yeti's shadow on the wall as he tears up more track. As the shadow moves away, the train rolls forward out of the mountain and down the main 80-foot (24 m) drop. It enters a 360° helix and speeds back up through another cave in the mountain, where the roars of the yeti are heard once more. The train exits from the rear of the mountain and enters a large helix before being lifted back into the mountain a final time. The train drops through a cave, where a large yeti is reaching down toward it. On reaching the bottom of this drop, riders return to the unloading dock and depart into a gift shop. One ride takes about 2 minutes and 50 seconds.[7][10][11][12]

Trains

Expedition Everest has six steam-like trains, each with six cars that together provide 17 rows seating two abreast, for a total of 34 riders per train. The trains are themed as the "Anandapur Rail Service" and are made to look old and rusty.[7][4] Riders must be at least 44 inches (110 cm) tall and are secured by a lap bar.[12][4] Up to five trains usually operate at once, but less can be used due to low guest demand.[1] To create the illusion of a "steam powered" train, engineers placed vents under the station. When a train comes into the station, steam comes up through the vents and enters the loading platform.[3]

Track

The steel track is 4,424 feet (1,348 m) long and the lift is approximately 112 feet (34 m) high. Expedition Everest is the first ride to use Vekoma's newest track system, in which the rails are on the outside of the ties rather than on the inside. This was the first large-scale installation of such a system.[11]

Facts

A close up of one of the trains on the main drop

Although moderate in height and length by contemporary standards, Expedition Everest is unique in having its trains travel both forward and backward. This is accomplished through two sets of track switches, one before the rear segment and one after. This was the second Disney roller coaster to run backwards, the first being Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril: Backwards! at Disneyland Resort Paris (2000–2004).[13] Expedition Everest, however, was the first roller coaster to switch between forward and backward sections during a single ride.[14]

Mountain

Expedition Everest is often compared to the 1959 Matterhorn Bobsleds roller coaster at Disneyland, which also features a snowy mountain setting and an "abominable snowman" figure throughout the ride.[15] Expedition Everest's mountain is made from 1,800 tons of steel and painted with 2,000 gallons of paint.[4][12] It is not only the tallest artificial mountain at Walt Disney World, but also the tallest mountain in Florida.[3] It is Disney's 18th mountain-themed attraction.[4] As of 2012, there are 20 mountain-themed attractions.

The artificial mountain is a model, not of Mount Everest, but of the fictional "forbidden mountain" guarded by the yeti in the story created by Walt Disney Imagineering for the attraction. Everest is represented by the barren background peak on the far right, which is made to seem far in the distance (an example of forced perspective).[12]

Yeti technical details

The yeti is the largest audio-animatronic device built by Disney, and one of the most complex.[7][3] It is 22 feet (6.7 m) tall. Its "skin" measures 1,000 square feet (93 m2), and is held in place by 1,000 snaps and 250 zippers. Its movement is controlled by 19 actuators (when functioning in "A-mode", its full mode of operation). It can move 5 ft (1.5 m) horizontally and 2 ft (0.61 m) vertically when functioning in "A-mode".

The yeti has not been in full "A-mode" operation since a few months after the ride's opening, when its framing split, causing significant risk of catastrophic malfunction if it were operated. It currently only operates in the alternative "B-mode", which is limited to a strobe-light effect designed to give the appearance of movement, earning it the nickname "Disco Yeti". The problem was caused by damage to the yeti's concrete base structure, which is unlikely to be repaired until a major refurbishment in the future, because the design limits access to the yeti without major disassembly of the superstructure.[16]

Promotions

Expedition Everest at night

Discovery Networks

In 2005, Disney, Discovery Networks and Conservation International conducted expeditions to Nepal as part of the promotion for Expedition Everest. The purpose was to conduct scientific and cultural research in remote areas of the Himalayas, the location of the yeti legend. Participants included Joe Rohde from Walt Disney Imagineering and scientists from Conservation International and Disney's Animal Kingdom.[9]

The expeditions and the making of the attraction were chronicled in three documentaries broadcast on Discovery's cable television channels in April 2006.[6] The first was Expedition Everest: Journey to Sacred Lands, broadcast on the Travel Channel on April 9 to coincide with the attraction's grand opening.[6] The second, Building A Thrill Ride: Expedition Everest, was aired on April 10[6] and detailed the planning and construction of the ride, along with some of the ideas that made it possible. (During construction, for example, instead of traditional scalfolding the Imagineers used interior poles that poked through the outside of the mountain and were connected by wooden platforms.)[3] This documentary also featured survival tips from Les Stroud. The third, Corwin's Quest: Realm of the Yeti, was broadcast on Animal Planet on April 15 and featured American animal and nature conservationist Jeff Corwin.[6]

Everest in the City

On February 15, 2006, Disney staged an elaborate publicity stunt called "Everest in the City" in Times Square, New York City. They draped large billboards over the sides of several buildings, depicting Everest with a coaster car careening down the mountainside and the yeti looking on from another peak, its eyes glowing red and flashing when the text message "4YETI" was sent to a phone number provided by Disney.[17]

Incidents

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On December 18, 2007, a 44-year-old guest was found unconscious after the train returned to the station. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A preliminary autopsy by the Orange County medical examiner's office concluded that the victim had died of dilated cardiomyopathy.[18]

Awards and records

Expedition Everest under construction in 2004.

Expedition Everest is listed in the 2011 book of Guinness World Records as the most expensive roller coaster in the world. Including sets and extras, the total cost of the ride was reported to be US$100 million following 6 years of planning and construction.[2]

Expedition Everest won the 2006 Theme Park Insider Award for the "World's Best New Theme Park Attraction".[19] It has also been ranked in the Golden Ticket Awards and the Best Roller Coaster Poll. It was ranked 2nd for "Best New Ride For 2006" in the Golden Ticket Awards.[20]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top Steel Roller Coasters
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Ranking
--
32 (tie)[21]
35[22]
36[23]
36[24]
47[25]
--
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Steel-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Ranking
44[26]
82[26]
60[26]
76[26]
91[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Expedition Everest Mouse Planet". Mouse Planet. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Disney's gets new Himalayan flavour". Orlando, Florida. May 3, 2006. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Mraz, Stephen (August 10, 2006). "Engineering Expedition Everest, complete with a yeti". Machine Design. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Expedition Everest All Ears". AllEars.net. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  5. ^ Johnson, Robert (3 May 2003). "Disney Promises Adventure At Every Turn". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e Boedeker, Hal (April 7, 2006). "Disney Aims For New Heights". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Expedition Everest queue and ride". Lifthill.net. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  8. ^ "Expedition Everest". Orlando Fun Tickets. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Himalayan Village an Architectural Wonder That Welcomes Expedition Everest Adventurers". Walt Disney World News. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  10. ^ "Expedition Everest POV". Todd V. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Expedition Everest  (Disney's Animal Kingom)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c d "Expedition Everest WDW Magic". WDW Magic. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  13. ^ Marden, Duane. "Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril  (Disneyland (Paris))". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved October 7, 2012, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  14. ^ Jenkins, Robert (December 11, 2005). "A new peak for Disney". Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  15. ^ "Matterhorn Bobsleds, All Ears". AllEars.net. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  16. ^ Garcia, Jason (July 31, 2010). "Disney fans dismayed with 'Disco Yeti'". The Daily Disney. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  17. ^ "New York's Times Square Transformed Into Mount Everest". Ultimate Roller Coaster. February 15, 2006. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  18. ^ "Man who died after ride had heart condition". Associated Press. December 20, 2007. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  19. ^ "The Theme Park Insider Awards". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  20. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2006" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2006. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  21. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2007" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 30, 2008. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  22. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2008" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2012. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; September 11, 2008 suggested (help)
  23. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2009" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  24. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2010" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2012. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; July 24, 2011 suggested (help)
  25. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2011" (PDF). Amusement Today. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  26. ^ a b c d e "Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll 11 year results table". BestRollerCoasterPoll.com. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
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