Matterhorn Bobsleds, Steel roller coaster in Disneyland, California.
Matterhorn Bobsleds is a steel roller coaster in Disneyland, California, that runs through a 147-foot artificial mountain. The two independent tracks guide bobsled-style vehicles through caves and alpine slopes inside the structure.
The hill between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland began as Holiday Hill, a picnic area built from dirt dug for Sleeping Beauty Castle's moat. Walt Disney sketched the idea after seeing a postcard of the real Matterhorn while filming Third Man on the Mountain in Switzerland, and sent it to Imagineer Vic Greene. The ride opened on June 14, 1959, built by Arrow Development and WED Imagineering as the first permanently installed tubular steel coaster. A 1978 refurbishment carved icy caves and added the Abominable Snowman, Harold.
The name comes directly from the famous Alpine peak in Switzerland, whose pyramid shape is recreated here. Riders pass through ice caves and artificial snowscapes that evoke a mountain journey.
Visitors must be at least 42 inches (107 centimeters) tall to ride. Boarding areas are located in both Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, with both routes running through the same mountain structure.
An animatronic snow creature appears several times during the ride in the dark passages. The figure is named Harold and seems to inhabit the icy cave sections.
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