Expedition Everest - Take on the treacherous terrain of
the towering Forbidden Mountain in this high-altitude, high-speed train
adventure! Nail-biting hairpin turns hurl you forward toward the peak and then,
just when you think it couldn't get more thrilling ” backward! the mountain's
full of surprises: Beware the snarling beast who watches over his domain¦ the
Yeti!
Disney's Animal Kingdom, the zoo/theme park hybrid at Florida's Walt Disney
World features incredible opportunities to view wildlife amid a lush, immersive
environment. But with a scant eight rides, it comes up somewhat short in the
attraction department. That will change for the better in 2006 when the park
introduces a high-profile, E-Ticket attraction, Expedition Everest.
Announced at the Animal Kingdom's fifth-anniversary celebration, the ride will
feature a "high-speed train adventure" (that's Disney-speak for a roller
coaster) through the Himalayan Mountains. What will this have to do with
animals? Riders that brave the expedition, it seems, will be in pursuit of the
elusive yeti, a.k.a. the abominable snowman. When the Animal Kingdom first
opened, Disney said that the park would celebrate animals that are living,
extinct, and creations of the imagination.
the main lift hill leaving the fortress on the left, and heading into the
mountain
By exploring the folklore of the yeti, Expedition Everest will be
Disney's first Animal Kingdom attraction to focus on creatures of the imaginary
kind.
the coaster will climb 120 feet high, include an 80-foot drop, and reach speeds
of 50 mph. That's fairly aggressive by Disney's standards (Space Mountain, for
example, ascends 90 feet and maxes out at 29 mph), but falls squarely in the
"family coaster" category. "Thrill rides are not our business," asserts Marty
Sklar, principal creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering (the group that
designs and builds Disney attractions). At 44 inches, the height restrictions
for Expedition Everest will be lower than the Tower of Terror. "A five-year-old
will be able to enjoy this ride," he adds. "This harks back to the seed for
Disneyland. Walt wanted to build a park that families could enjoy together."
