Matterhorn Ride

[mimichan]

I read somewhere that the 2 tracks for the Matterhorn are slightly different (one is a little longer than the other). Can someone confirm this? Also, if this is true, which track is longer (left or right)? Thanks for any input on this.

 

[Diva of Dragons]

Hi!

I don't which is one is longer but the left one is definitely better!! It feels a bit faster and it has a cool little drop that the other one doesn't have.

 

[iceskatejen]

The Fantasyland side is a bit longer. The Tomorrowland side is a bit faster.

 

[HydroGuy]

I have ridden Matterhorn many times and never noticed a difference between the two in terms of length or speed. I know that they are different, but I just can't tell when I ride it.

 

[Blackrose]

I have never been on this ride, is there loops and big drops? How fast does it go?

 

[Disneymooners93]

We do both sides. We tend to go on the Fantasyland side more often because the line is usually shorter. It seems to me most people go to the Tomorrowland side.

Ride itself is very tame in terms of rollercoasters. No big drops or loops and fairly slow. But it is a Disney classic and I enjoy riding it more than other coasters.

 

[Chicago526]

Ride itself is very tame in terms of rollercoasters. No big drops or loops and fairly slow. But it is a Disney classic and I enjoy riding it more than other coasters.

I agree, the track and cars are very similar to the original Space Moutain (not the track layout itself of course, but the type of track used). If you can handle Space Mountain and BTMRR, you'll breeze through Matterhorn!

Here's the ride history, very interesting!

The Matterhorn Bobsleds is an attraction made up of two steel roller coasters at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Based on the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Swiss Alps.

History
The ride was opened in 1959 as one of six new major attractions for Tomorrowland. In the 1970s, it was officially made a Fantasyland attraction. It is recognized as the first tubular steel roller coaster in the world, and was built by coaster builder Arrow Dynamics and WED Imagineering.

In 1978, the Matterhorn received a major refurbishment. Upgrades included Audio-Animatronic yetis, or Abominable Snowmen, which have been nicknamed Harold; an ice crystal cavern at the top of the lift hill; the caves at the beginning of the downhill run were given an icy, crystal blue look; the bobsleds were completely changed and instead of being 1 car were now 2 cars joined, which basically doubled the attraction's capacity.

The track design of the attraction was cloned with the first incarnation of Space Mountain, at the Magic Kingdom in 1975. When Space Mountain appeared at Disneyland, it was built with just one track and with a completely different design, to fit the smaller confines of the Californian Tomorrowland.

[edit]
The Ride
Throughout the ride are metal boxes stamped with the words "Wells Expedition." This is a tribute to former Disney president Frank Wells, who climbed mountains as a hobby, and was tragically killed in a helicopter accident in 1994.


The Matterhorn at DisneylandThere is a basketball half-court inside the structure above the coaster, near the top of the Matterhorn mountain. This court is really just a big wooden floor where the mountain climbers could play basketball in between climbing sessions. It is not accessible to anyone else while the attraction is running, as internal access to the mountain is locked for safety reasons. There is a cast member break room inside the mountain at the base.

At the end of the ride, guests hear the now famous "Remain seated please; Permanecer sentados por favor" safety spiel: one of many recordings by the former Voice of Disneyland, Jack Wagner. The recording was recently changed in 2005 to say "Remain seated with your seatbelt fastened; Permanecer sentados por favor" but the changed English part still appears to have been recorded by Wagner. This recording also ends the Fantasyland segment and introduces the Tomorrowland segment of the Remember... Dreams Come True fireworks show. The pre-2005 sound byte of the spiel opens the No Doubt song "Tragic Kingdom," found on the Tragic Kingdom album.







[edit]
Attraction facts
Grand Opening: June 14, 1959
Designers: WED Enterprises, Arrow Dynamics
Mountain Height: 147'
Track Height: 80'
Length: A) 2,037' B) 2,134'
Scale to real Matterhorn: 1/100th
Time: A) 2:07 B) 2:26
Top Speed: 18 mph; 16 feet per second
Height Requirement: 35"
Required Ticket: "E"
Ride System: Roller Coaster

 

[azgal81]

Ride both sides!! If you see no wait on the tomorrowland side ride that one first as most people head to that side and the fantasyland one is shorter. Last time we went there was a line for the tommorrowland side but no line at all for the fantasyland side so we walked right on!

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

Sometimes only one side is open. It appeared to me that depending on the amount of people in line, they closed one side completely and diverted everyone to the other side. Also, I've seen them suddenly open the second side and divert people to it, apparently to lessen the wait. I personally can't tell the difference, but my 7 year-old nephew felt the Tomorrowland side was definitely the best!

 

[Disneymooners93]

Sometimes only one side is open. It appeared to me that depending on the amount of people in line, they closed one side completely and diverted everyone to the other side. Also, I've seen them suddenly open the second side and divert people to it, apparently to lessen the wait. I personally can't tell the difference, but my 7 year-old nephew felt the Tomorrowland side was definitely the best!

My experience is that they close one side of the que, not one track. If they go with one line, it is on the Tomorrowland side. Once you get to the turnstall at the attraction, it splits to both sides. Most people in line follow the obvious path through the Tomorrowland turnstall, but you can walk past that to get on the Fantasyland side, where no one is waiting.

 

[Pdowning98]

Quite honestly like some of the other posters I have never noticed one side being shorter/longer. We tend to go on the Fantasyland side as well because the line does seem shorter at times.

 

[mimichan]

A friend of mine just told me that the abominable snowman appears more on one side than the other but couldn't remember which side. Can anyone confirm this and if so, which side?

 

[jemilah]

My six year old said one side was faster and he liked the slower one better.......I told him he was crazy they are the same! You all proved me wrong!

 

[victorandbellasmom]

On our last trip, we rode the fantasyland side 3 times. On our fourth, we decided to do the tomorrowland side as the line was shorter. I don't know if it was just us, or if it was our bobsled, but that track fekt more jerky and bumpy than the fanytasyland side. We'll be sticking to the fantasyland side from now on.

 

[Disneymooners93]

A friend of mine just told me that the abominable snowman appears more on one side than the other but couldn't remember which side. Can anyone confirm this and if so, which side?

It is seen more on one side, I think it is the Fantasyland side. DD likes that side because she gets to see the monster more (she likes to pretend to be scared). I think you see it twice, and it growls once more (versus 1/1 on the other side). I could be off on the numbers and the sides.

 

[Judy from Boise]

We find the tracks different, We like the thrill factor better in the Tomorrowland side (left) it is faster, has more iside the mountain time, and closer encounters with the yeti. We also like the Fantasyland side(right) because it has longer and prettier outside views.

 

[Laurabearz]

I wanted to mention that the Bobsleds have a hieght requirement of 36 inches, so it is fairly tame. Still a great ride! And I cant wait get on her again!

 

[CalGal]

I've tried to confirm that the Fantasyland side is longer and the Tomorrowland side is faster, but just haven't been able to really notice that there is much of a difference. In the early part of the day, I usually find that the Fantasyland side has the longest lines. It's the side most guests hit first as they are coming from other parts of the park. But this is also the side that is closed during some parades. When the Fantasyland side line is closed (because of parades), the line may look long, but it does move fast because both sides are usually open.

We tend to go on which ever side has the shortest line.

 

[doombuggy]

I think the left side is better and that is the side i try to ride on each visit. Of course, riding this ride more than once is a nice treat too...

 

[seakat]

My son just found this drawing of the Matterhorn layout
http://www.scottware.com.au/theme/feature/layoutmaps.htm
Perhaps you can tell from it! We rode it 6 times in 4 days and think you should do both sides! By the way, we are all convinced that it runs faster in the dark !