A perilous journey aboard a runaway train through the Himalayan
mountains. Adventurous riders push deep into the lair of the
feared yeti, guardian of the forbidden mountain. En route, they
encounter torn tracks, spiral backwards through the fog into
an ice cavern and dart into and out of the mountain in a high-speed
adventure.
Mountain peak: At just under 200 feet, one of 18 mountains
created by Disney Imagineers at Disney parks worldwide.
Chilling thrills: A careening adventure including an 80-foot
drop, plus frightening encounters with the mystical yeti.
Length: Nearly a mile of track as riders encounter harrowing
twists, tight turns and drops.
Ride vehicle: Modeled after an aging, steam-engine tea train;
34 passengers per train.
Yeti, Guardian of the Mountain: The mammoth-sized Audio-Animatronics
yeti has a potential thrust, in all of its hydraulic cylinders
combined, of slightly over 259,000 pounds force -- potentially
more instantaneous power than a 747-400 airliner.
Forced perspective: To create the sense of an enormous mountain
range, Imagineers painted a "mural" of shadows across the face
of the mountains. The range, glaciers and valleys is a canvas
of rockwork, carvings and painting creating a forced perspective
where closer-in objects have a massive look while appliqués
trick the eye into perceiving far off objects.
Bringing the Himalayan environment to Florida: More than 900
bamboo plants, 10 species of trees and 110 species of shrubs
are being nurtured and planted to re-create the lowlands surrounding
Mount Everest.
Steelwork: 1,800 tons of steel were used in the mountain structure.
That is about six times the amount of steel used in a traditional
office building of this size.
Mountain make-up: The mountain is crafted with more than 3,000
pre-fabricated "chips" created from 25,000 individually computer-molded
pieces of steel.
Color palette: 2,000 gallons of stain and paint were used on
the rockwork and throughout the village. The color scheme has
ritual meaning to the Himalayan culture.
In the Himalayan regions, villagers commonly preserve yak dung
and dry it out on village walls. They later use the hardened
material as fuel in their homes. Disney Imagineers recreated
the look of these walls in the Serka Zong village area.
Artisans at work: Artists from Imagineering used hammers, chainsaws
and blowtorches to "age" wood and buildings in the village, giving
them the appearance of being longstanding parts of the landscape.
Hillary step: The 1953 famous final ascent of Sir Edmund Hillary
is represented in Disney's man-made mountain. The coloring of
Mount Everest differs from the rest of the mountain range because
at more than 29,000 feet elevation, hurricane-force winds often
blow the snow off its peak, revealing a raw sheet of rock.
Authentic detail: Some 2,000 handcrafted items from Asia are
evident in the props, cabinetry and architectural ornamentation.
Height restriction: 44 inches.
Seating: 17 rows of seating two abreast.
Restraint: Lap bar.
Disney's FASTPASS: Expedition Everest features Disney's FASTPASS,
the innovative system which allows guests, at no additional charge,
to avoid lengthy waiting in line.
