Expedition Everest is the fast power ride of Animal Kingdom that brings an ancient legend to life!
Story
The Expedition Everest storyline takes travelers to a Tibetan village named, Serka Zong, seeking passage to Mount Everest. But beware, the only way is through the Forbidden Mountain! Entrepreneurs, Norbu and Bob, are happy to take travelers through the mountain on their steam train; however, the locals are scared of the sacred mountain and the Yeti who is said to protect it. Are travelers willing to risk the wrath of the mythical Yeti? There is only one way to find out…
Imagineers are storytellers. Instead of paper and ink, they use physical props and actions to tell their story. Once they create a story for an attraction, they stick to it! Initially crafted with clay, their model was so big, that they had to scale it down. In the end, it took 24 clay models before they could come up with their final design. That model was then scanned, digitalized and the construction began…
Construction Fast Facts
Expedition Everest is Disney’s 18th mountain!
A crew of 500 craftsmen and artist worked on the project.
The complex coaster took six years to build and cost an estimated $100 million!
It took 20 million lbs of concrete, 5 tons of structural steel and 38 miles of rebar to create
The attraction is compromised of three structures: one for the building, one for the ride system, and one for the yeti. Each are separate, never touching one another, and reach all the way to the ground.
The mountain peak is 199 and a half feet tall, making it the tallest “mountain” in Florida.
The ride vehicles were painstakingly designed to resemble old and rusty “steam” trains. To give the illusion of steam, Imagineers placed vents under the station’s loading platform, releasing steam whenever a train enters the station.
The 3 min coaster rises 100 ft only to plunge 80 ft at a speed of 50 mph. While most coasters spiral down out of a structure, at one point this one spirals the train up into the mountain at a 60 degree angle.
At one pivotal moment, travelers discover that the track has been ripped apart. It is during this time that the ride computer gives a signal that unlocks the locking devices, causing the track tp rotate and the locking devices are relocked. This process takes a total of six seconds! The train then plummets backwards into the path of…
The Yeti
While the “village” where the story takes place is fictional, that animals found around Expedition Everest are very real. Imagineers wanted to create a Yeti that did not fit the cartoon world of Mickey and his pals. They wanted it to be as authentic looking as one could imagine.
When traveling in Southern Asia, Imagineers discovered that many people believe the Yeti to be a real creature. Yeti’s are seen as protectors of the forest and it is believed to be good if you are able to see one. The Yeti of this story appears a bit more sinister. As the protector, he is justifiably angry, driving the railroad system out of the mountain.
Imagineers based the design of the Yeti off of descriptions passed down by families from Nepal, India, Tibet, and other areas of Southwestern Asia. The Design Team used various animals of the area; gibbons, orangutans, and mandrill baboons, to create a believable creature.
At 25 ft tall and 8,000 lbs, the Yeti is the largest audio-animatronic® that Disney has created. Moving 5 feet forward, his fluid movement was controlled by 19 actuators (components used to control a mechanism)
Unfortunately, he has been out of commission since 2006. A few months after his debut, Imagineers had to shut him off as his movement had become too dangerous for the coaster’s structure.
For the past 15 years, the great Yeti has stood still. Imagineers placed strobing lights on him, giving him the effect of movement and earning him the nickname, “Disco Yeti”. Disney made a recent announcement with plans to close the ride for refurbishment. Hopefully they can return the Yeti to his former glory!
