Expedition Everest

File:Expedition Everest under construction.jpg

The attraction was announced publicly on April 22, 2003, during an event to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Disney's Animal Kingdom.{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Robert|title=Disney Promises Adventure At Every Turn|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2003/05/03/disney-promises-adventure-at-every-turn/|access-date=October 6, 2012|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel|date=May 3, 2003}} Construction of the new attraction began a month before the announcement in March 2003.{{cite web|url=https://celebrationspress.com/2018/07/29/six-things-you-may-not-know-about-expedition-everest/|title=Six Things You May Not Know About Expedition Everest|date=July 29, 2018}} It took three years and required more than {{convert|38|mi|km}} of rebar; 5,000 tons of structural steel; and 10,000 tons of concrete. Expedition Everest opened for previews on January 26, 2006, and had its grand opening on April 7, 2006, in ceremonies led by Disney CEO Bob Iger and theme parks chairman Jay Rasulo.{{cite news|last=Boedeker|first=Hal|title=Disney Aims For New Heights|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2006/04/07/disney-aims-for-new-heights/|access-date=October 6, 2012|newspaper=Orlando Sentinel|date=April 7, 2006}} At {{convert|199.5|ft|m}}, it is the tallest attraction at Walt Disney World, beating The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios by {{convert|6|in|cm}}. Disney keeps all of its attraction buildings under {{convert|200|ft|m}} because aviation laws require structures of that height and taller to have a blinking red light beacon for low-flying aircraft, which would take away from the theming of their attraction.

File:Expedition Everest queue 01.jpg

The attraction features a stand-by, Lightning Lane, and a single-rider line. 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.{{cite web|title=Expedition Everest queue and ride |url=http://www.lifthill.net/berichte/expeditioneverest_eng.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121085432/http://www.lifthill.net/berichte/expeditioneverest_eng.php |archive-date=November 21, 2008 |publisher=Lifthill.net |access-date=October 6, 2012 |url-status=dead }} There are also about 8,000 artifacts brought from the Nepal trip in the museum.{{cite web|title=Expedition Everest |url=http://www.orlandofuntickets.com/Expedition-Everest-Disneys-Animal-Kingdom.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128132239/http://www.orlandofuntickets.com/Expedition-Everest-Disneys-Animal-Kingdom.php |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |publisher=Orlando Fun Tickets |access-date=November 27, 2012 |url-status=dead }} The single-rider line skips all of the exhibits.

File:Expedition Everest queue 02.jpg

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.

The train blows its whistle and departs the station to the right and climbs a small lift leading to a short drop, then circles around to the {{convert|112|ft|adj=on}} lift hill, carrying the riders into the mountain. On the way up, it passes through a ransacked temple with murals of the yeti, warning the riders that the mountain is its territory. A noise can also be heard during this lift hill, foreshadowing the yeti. At the top of the mountain, the train curves around the main peak and goes through a cave. When it emerges from the other side, the train quickly stops at the top of a hill blocked off by a shredded track. Large footprints are seen in the snow, followed by a loud roar presuming the Yeti tore up the track. To the left of the broken tracks is a secret bird animatronic sitting on a stick.{{cite web|url=https://insidethemagic.net/2021/09/expedition-everest-secret-bird-animatronic-kc1/|title=Expedition Everest Has a Secret Animatronic Only Some Guests Can See|date=September 4, 2021}} The train itself is held in place by a series of rubber tires while an automatic switch rotates the piece of track directly behind the train. The train then rolls backwards along a new route that spirals down through the mountain by track switches. It eventually comes to a stop in a large cave, where riders see the yeti's shadow on the wall as it tears up more track. This effect distracts riders from noticing another automatic track switch in front of them. As the shadow moves away, the train rolls forward out of the mountain, going past the on-ride camera and plunging down the main {{convert|80|ft|adj=on}} drop. It enters a 250° turn 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 an audio animatronic of the 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. The ride lasts 2 minutes and 50 seconds.{{cite web|title=Expedition Everest POV| date=November 12, 2006 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ABgBTSMm8|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/g_ABgBTSMm8 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|publisher=Todd V|access-date=October 6, 2012}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|title=Expedition Everest WDW Magic|url=http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/expedition-everest.htm|publisher=WDW Magic|access-date=October 16, 2012}}

Expedition Everest has six steam-like trains, each with six cars. Each train has 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. Riders must be at least {{convert|44|in|cm}} tall and are secured by a lap bar. The "locomotive" itself is designed to resemble a vertical boiler configuration and is placed at the rear of the train rather than the front, so not to obstruct the riders' view. Up to five trains usually operate at once, but fewer can be used if guest demand is low. 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.

The steel track is {{convert|3884.5|ft|adj=off}} long and the lift is about {{convert|112|ft}} high. Expedition Everest uses a track system by Dutch manufacturer Vekoma, where the rails are mounted on the outer surface of the ties, rather than on the inner surface. This was the first large-scale installation of such a system.{{Cite RCDB|coaster_name=Expedition Everest|location=Disney's Animal Kingdom|rcdb_number=2389|access-date=October 16, 2012}}

File:Ee-train.jpg

File:Expedition Everest Broken Track 1.JPG

Although moderate in height and length by contemporary standards, Expedition Everest was the first ride for Disney to have 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).{{Cite RCDB|coaster_name=Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril|location=Disneyland (Paris)|rcdb_number=957|access-date=October 7, 2012}} Expedition Everest, however, was the first Disney roller coaster to switch between forward and backward sections during the same ride.{{cite news|last=Jenkins|first=Robert|title=A new peak for Disney|url=http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/11/Travel/A_new_peak_for_Disney.shtml|access-date=October 7, 2012|date=December 11, 2005}}

The mountain façade, the Yeti audio-animatronic, and the roller coaster are three independent structures. Each structure reaches the ground-level and does not touch the other two structures. This was achieved via a 4-D scheduling software that provided the exact details on how to construct it.{{cite book|last1=[written|last2=Imagineers|first2=designed by Alex Wright] ; the|title=The imagineering field guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World : an Imagineer's-eye tour|date=2007|publisher=Disney Editions|location=New York|isbn=9781423103202|edition=1st}}

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.{{cite web|title=Matterhorn Bobsleds, All Ears|url=http://allears.net/dlr/tp/dl/matt.htm|publisher=AllEars.net|access-date=October 11, 2012}} Expedition Everest's mountain is made from 1,800 tons of steel and painted with 2,000 gallons of paint. At {{convert|199.5|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}}, to avoid the Floridian legal requirement to place a light atop structures 200 feet or taller to alert planes), it is the tallest artificial mountain in the world, but not, as occasionally cited, the tallest point in Florida. It was the 18th mountain-themed attraction built on Disney property.{{cite web|title=Expedition Everest All Ears|url=http://allears.net/tp/ak/ak_ee.htm|publisher=AllEars.net|access-date=October 11, 2012}}

The artificial mountain is not a model of Mount Everest, but rather of the fictional "forbidden mountain" guarded by the yeti in the story created for the attraction by Walt Disney Imagineering. 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). Moreover, there is a small shrine on the ground level in the Asia area of the park which has been designed to perfectly overlap with the view of the distant attraction.

The yeti was the largest and most complex audio-animatronic figure ever built by Walt Disney Imagineering at the time of its construction.{{cite web|last=Mraz|first=Stephen|title=Engineering Expedition Everest, complete with a yeti|url=http://www.machinedesign.com/recreation/engineering-expedition-everest-complete-yeti|publisher=Machine Design|access-date=October 15, 2012|date=August 10, 2006}} It is {{convert|25|ft|m}} tall. Its "skin" measures {{convert|1000|sqft|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. In "A-mode," it can move {{convert|5|ft|m|abbr=on}} horizontally and {{convert|18|in|cm|abbr=on}} vertically.

A few months after the ride opened in 2006, the yeti figure's framing split, threatening catastrophic malfunction if it were to be operated further in "A-mode". Since then it has been operated only in the alternative "B-mode", in which a strobe-light effect is used to give the appearance of movement, earning it the nickname "Disco Yeti" from some fans.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-17 |title=Expedition Everest Review {{!}} Vertigo Views |url=https://vertigoviews.com/walt-disney-world-resort/expedition-everest-review/ |access-date=2024-04-29 |language=en-US}} For years it was speculated that 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 distant future, because the design limits access to the yeti without major disassembly of the superstructure.{{cite web |url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-tdd-news-yeti-everest-073110,0,7228738.story |title=Disney fans dismayed with 'Disco Yeti' |last1=Garcia |first1=Jason |date=July 31, 2010 |work=The Daily Disney |publisher=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=November 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131031403/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-tdd-news-yeti-everest-073110,0,7228738.story |archive-date=January 31, 2013 |url-status=dead }} The problem with the concrete is rumored to have occurred due to a glitch in the 4-D scheduling software that prevented adequate curing of a portion of the Yeti's foundation before the fabrication of mountain elements and roller coaster track. The prevailing theory is that the damage is to the animatronic itself, and not to the concrete base structure. {{cite web|title=Broken Yeti on Expedition Everest – Mystery Solved?|url=http://micechat.com/forums/walt-disney-world-resort/151710-broken-yeti-expedition-everest-mystery-solved.html|website=Micechat.com|access-date=October 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017150155/http://micechat.com/forums/walt-disney-world-resort/151710-broken-yeti-expedition-everest-mystery-solved.html|archive-date=October 17, 2014|url-status=dead}}

Joe Rohde, the Imagineer in charge of building the attraction and Animal Kingdom, was asked about the yeti at the 2013 D23 Expo. Rohde responded, "You have to understand, it's a giant complicated machine sitting on top of, like, a 46-foot tall tower in the middle of a finished building. So, it's really hard to fix, but we are working on it. And we continue to work on it. We have tried several 'things', none of them quite get to the key, turning of the 40-foot tower inside of a finished building, but we are working on it... I will fix the Yeti someday, I swear."{{cite web|title=D23 Expo Imagineering Panel: Craft of Creativity|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRogsKOG43w&t=48m29s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/SRogsKOG43w |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|website=youtube.com| date=August 15, 2013 |publisher=The DIS|access-date=October 13, 2014}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|last1=Gustin |first1=Scott |title=Joe Rohde: 'I will fix the Yeti someday, I swear' |url=http://thesocialmouse.com/2013/08/11/joe-rohde-i-will-fix-the-yeti-someday-i-swear/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814011747/http://thesocialmouse.com/2013/08/11/joe-rohde-i-will-fix-the-yeti-someday-i-swear/ |archive-date=August 14, 2013 |website=The Social Mouse |access-date=October 13, 2014 |url-status=dead }} Rohde retired from Walt Disney Imagineering effective January 4, 2021, never having completed the repairs to the Yeti animatronic.{{Cite web|last=Bevil|first=Dewayne|title=Disney: Joe Rohde, Imagineer who designed Animal Kingdom, is retiring|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/the-daily-disney/os-et-disney-imagineer-joe-rohde-retiring-20201123-o57zws7m3zgennhkisl5inqqiu-story.html|access-date=2022-01-04|website=orlandosentinel.com|date=November 23, 2020 }}

File:Expedition Everest at night.jpg

In 2005, Disney, Discovery Networks (now Warner Bros. Discovery), 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.{{cite web|title=Himalayan Village an Architectural Wonder That Welcomes Expedition Everest Adventurers|url=http://wdwnews.com/releases/2006/03/15/himalayan-village-an-architectural-wonder-that-welcomes-expedition-everest-adventurers/|publisher=Walt Disney World News|access-date=November 27, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515182434/http://wdwnews.com/releases/2006/03/15/himalayan-village-an-architectural-wonder-that-welcomes-expedition-everest-adventurers/|archive-date=May 15, 2012}}

The expeditions and the making of the attraction were chronicled in three documentaries broadcast on Discovery's cable television channels in April 2006. 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. The second, Building A Thrill Ride: Expedition Everest, was aired on April 10 on the Science Channel and on April 12 on the Discovery Channel.{{cite web |title=Expedition Everest Opens at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Bringing the Legend of the Yeti to Life in a Thrilling New Adventure |url=http://www.itravelmag.com/travel-articles/disney-animal-kingdom-yeti-4-06/ |website=itravel magazine}} It 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 scaffolding the Imagineers used interior poles that poked through the outside of the mountain and were connected by wooden platforms.) This documentary also featured survival tips from Les Stroud. The third, Corwin's Quest: Realm of the Yeti, was broadcast on Animal Planet in April and featured American animal and nature conservationist Jeff Corwin.

On February 15, 2006, Disney staged an elaborate publicity stunt called "Everest in the City" in New York City's Times Square. 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 "Disney” was sent to “4Yeti” as provided by Disney.{{cite web|title=New York's Times Square Transformed Into Mount Everest|url=http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/news/stories/20060215_01.shtml|publisher=Ultimate Roller Coaster|access-date=October 30, 2012|date=February 15, 2006}}

{{wikinews|Man dies on ride at Disney World in Florida; possibly had prior conditions}}

{{Main|Incidents at Walt Disney World}}

• 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.{{cite news|title=Man who died after ride had heart condition|url=http://www.sptimes.com/2007/12/20/State/Man_who_died_after_ri.shtml|agency=Associated Press|access-date=October 16, 2012|date=December 20, 2007}}
• On May 19, 2018, a 26-year-old man suffered a seizure after riding the attraction.{{cite news|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-cfb-disney-injury-report-20180716-story.html|title=Florida theme parks document visitors' health problems in new report|author=Gabrielle Russon|publisher=Orlando Sentinel|date=July 17, 2018|access-date=July 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718055318/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-cfb-disney-injury-report-20180716-story.html|archive-date=July 18, 2018|url-status=live}}
• On July 5, 2019, a 41-year-old woman suffered a seizure after riding the attraction.{{cite news|url=https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/attractions/2019/10/16/quarterly-theme-park-injury-report-released|title=Report: Seizures, Motion Sickness on Disney, Universal Rides|publisher=Spectrum News 13|author=Ashley Carter|date=October 16, 2019|access-date=October 25, 2019}}

File:Expedition Everest construction.jpg

The 2011 book of Guinness World Records lists Expedition Everest 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 over six years of planning and construction. In 2019, this record was surpassed by Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which cost US$300 million.{{cite web | last=Whitten | first=Sarah | title=10-hour wait: New $300 million Harry Potter coaster opens at Universal in Orlando to massive crowds | website=CNBC | date=June 13, 2019 | url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/13/hours-long-wait-for-harry-potter-coaster-at-universal-in-orlando.html | access-date=September 10, 2022}}

Expedition Everest won the 2006 Theme Park Insider Award for the "World's Best New Theme Park Attraction".{{cite web|title=The Theme Park Insider Awards|url=http://www.themeparkinsider.com/awards/|publisher=Theme Park Insider|access-date=October 15, 2012}} It has also been ranked in the Golden Ticket Awards and the Best Roller Coaster Poll. It was ranked second for "Best New Ride For 2006" in the Golden Ticket Awards.{{cite web|url=http://www.amusementtoday.com/image/GoldenTicket2006.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016005334/http://www.amusementtoday.com/image/GoldenTicket2006.pdf|archive-date=October 16, 2006|title=Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2006|publisher=Amusement Today |access-date=December 22, 2012}}

{{GTA table

| type = steel

| access-date = September 4, 2013

| 2007 = 32 (tied)

| 2008 = 35

| 2009 = 36

| 2010 = 36

| 2011 = 47

| 2013 = 42 (tied)

| 2015 = 47

| 2016 = 49 (tied)

| 2017 = 49

| 2018 = 46

}}

• Matterhorn Bobsleds
• Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Expedition Everest}}

• [http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/animal-kingdom/attractions/expedition-everest/ Walt Disney World Resort – Expedition Everest]
• {{RCDB|2389}}
• [http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/11/Travel/A_new_peak_for_Disney.shtml A new peak for Disney – St. Petersburg Times article on Expedition Everest] (December 11, 2005)

{{DAK}}

{{WDW Coasters}}

{{Disney mountains}}

{{Mount Everest}}

Category:Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions

Category:Disney's Animal Kingdom

Category:Asia (Disney's Animal Kingdom)

Category:Enclosed roller coasters

Category:Roller coasters at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Category:Roller coasters introduced in 2006

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Category:Tibet in fiction

Category:Roller coasters manufactured by Vekoma

Category:Audio-Animatronic attractions

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Category:Mount Everest

Category:Yeti in fiction

Category:2006 establishments in Florida