The yeti is back!

[BuzzLiteyear]

A guy on the bus to DHS this morning was telling a person in his party how terrifying it was when the yeti swiped at him yesterday. I didn't have the heart to tell him (or ruin his act of bravery).

 

[Depinna2]

Hooray!

 

[cattywampus]

Rode EE for the first time last month, with full knowledge of "The History of the Yeti". I knew it does not move (and why) and that strobe lights try to create the illusion of movement.

All in all, Disco Yeti is not bad. It does give the illusion of movement, which is why we keep having these threads. While I know that the fully functioning Yeti is supposed to be spectacular, I would be hard pressed to lose months to a refurbishment. If it can be coordinated with other required refurbishment schedules... sure, but not just to get the Yeti moving, IMHO.

 

[Aurora0427]

Just out of curiosity, did the yeti still swipe in 2007? I think that's the first time I rode EE, and I think I remember it swiping.

 

[tcherjen]

I rode the ride once two years ago and don't even remember seeing the yeti at all. Guess I will have to ride it again. It would be awesome it worked.

 

[davkata]

EE became our new favorite ride last year when we rode it for the first time and then repeatedly rode it single rider over and over! I guess we didn't miss anything we hadn't experienced before and didn't know what that was that we were indeed missing. The ride is awesome working Yeti or not. We love it for the thrill of a coaster.

 

[3CW]

EE is not only missing the Yeti it's also missing the mist, the steam from the train at the loading area, and the bird on a stick. Just go to youtube and search for "expedition everest all effects working" to see it in its glory.

The steam and bird were working this Thanksgiving. My SO thought it was hilarious that I was so excited over steam!

Just out of curiosity, did the yeti still swipe in 2007? I think that's the first time I rode EE, and I think I remember it swiping.

Yes, it did still swipe then, at least as of June 2007, because that was the first time I rode it and the only time I saw the fully functional Yeti. When it was in full working order, they had that last chamber lit much brighter, and the Yeti's movements were quite dramatic.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

from what i have herd from Jim hill on a couple of podcast regarding the yeti, you can take it anyway you want but, what he said from his contacts he has what happened to it was when it arrived it wasn't properly lubricated and the poel installing it ended up lubricating parts that should have been done in the factory it was built in. Anyway over time they seized up because they weren't lubricated, it may or may not have cracked its foundation either way the only way it can be fixed is for them to shut the ride down and remove parts of the track around it. as of right now park management doesn't want to shut the ride down as they don't really think the yeti working is a big problem for the average guest who doesn't notice it or know about it.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Take a look at old Youtube videos of EE (circa 2006-07) to see the difference. The beast swipes his arm at the coaster in a powerful movement. Today the strobe light kinda gives the illusion of movement. Definitely not the same.

 

[Aurora0427]

The steam and bird were working this Thanksgiving. My SO thought it was hilarious that I was so excited over steam!



Yes, it did still swipe then, at least as of June 2007, because that was the first time I rode it and the only time I saw the fully functional Yeti. When it was in full working order, they had that last chamber lit much brighter, and the Yeti's movements were quite dramatic.

We were there in August 2007. I remember it just as you described. I remember people screaming!

 

[PeterPanic]

from what i have herd from Jim hill on a couple of podcast regarding the yeti, you can take it anyway you want but, what he said from his contacts he has what happened to it was when it arrived it wasn't properly lubricated and the poel installing it ended up lubricating parts that should have been done in the factory it was built in. Anyway over time they seized up because they weren't lubricated, it may or may not have cracked its foundation either way the only way it can be fixed is for them to shut the ride down and remove parts of the track around it. as of right now park management doesn't want to shut the ride down as they don't really think the yeti working is a big problem for the average guest who doesn't notice it or know about it.

Other very dependable sources disagree with that entire story. They say that it is the metal structure that holds the Yeti up that has weakened and is cracking. Under stress it could let go and fall on the tracks, so it was shut down. Lubrication had nothing to do with it, it was just the pressure of the weight of the Yeti on a poorly engineered piece of equipment that couldn't handle the stress of the movement.

The other thing is that not only does it not require any movement of any other part of the ride to remove the Yeti to repair it, but, it has been out before and evaluated as to the extent of the problem, then put back in place to at least have a presence for the show. The question is whether of not they will ever decide that it requires fixing. It has been inoperative for many years now, almost to the point that most people do not even know it's supposed to move. The strobe lights and the fans create enough of an illusion that it may just be a waste of money to fix it. We will see what they decide to do over time.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I was talking to a grandnephew of mine who is a coordinator at Everest and asked him about this.

What has been done is a change in the lighting, with the steady white lights turned off, and both red lights and strobes. This gives the effect of the Yeti moving.

And when EE first opened one of the factoids released by Disney was that the hydraulics in the Yeti used more energy than a 747 aircraft at takeoff thrust; later it was discovered that there was too much strain on the frameworks.

 

[MKMomma]

Was it last operational in 2008? Or has it been more recently?

 

[brettf22]

Was it last operational in 2008? Or has it been more recently?

Looking through the Everest Effects Status thread on WDWMagic, it appears the Yeti went into strobe mode in Sept or Oct of 2007, was brought back up to full motion mode sporadically in the beginning of 2008, then went back into permanent strobe mode in June-July of 2008.

 

[MKMomma]

Looking through the Everest Effects Status thread on WDWMagic, it appears the Yeti went into strobe mode in Sept or Oct of 2007, was brought back up to full motion mode sporadically in the beginning of 2008, then went back into permanent strobe mode in June-July of 2008.

We saw it in full operational mode beginning of 2008, so that seems correct. Thank you.

 

[PeterPanic]

I was talking to a grandnephew of mine who is a coordinator at Everest and asked him about this.

What has been done is a change in the lighting, with the steady white lights turned off, and both red lights and strobes. This gives the effect of the Yeti moving.

And when EE first opened one of the factoids released by Disney was that the hydraulics in the Yeti used more energy than a 747 aircraft at takeoff thrust; later it was discovered that there was too much strain on the frameworks.

That certainly makes a lot of sense. I'd say that is pretty reliable information. As I said earlier whomever engineered that animatronic, probably didn't graduate at the top of his/her class. Very poorly done. And it wasn't like something that scale wasn't done before. Universal Orlando had a giant King Kong animatronic that ran for years without having to go strobe.

 

[cgattis]

That certainly makes a lot of sense. I'd say that is pretty reliable information. As I said earlier whomever engineered that animatronic, probably didn't graduate at the top of his/her class. Very poorly done. And it wasn't like something that scale wasn't done before. Universal Orlando had a giant King Kong animatronic that ran for years without having to go strobe.

Not to completely geek out, but no, that actually doesn't make any sense. Power does not equal loads (and what power was he even trying to compare? Hard to compare combustion/fuel consumption to electrical power directly...but I digress). But it does certainly sound like their structural engineers missed or underestimated something in the dynamic or fatigue loads, and figured out the structure wasn't suited for the loading conditions.

Which is a massive bummer--we've only ever known Disco Betty. But I agree, the new effects are a tremendous improvement. And we finally got to ride at night in October and WOW could you see her better! Very, very cool to finally ride at night.

 

[PeterPanic]

Not to completely geek out, but no, that actually doesn't make any sense. Power does not equal loads (and what power was he even trying to compare? Hard to compare combustion/fuel consumption to electrical power directly...but I digress). But it does certainly sound like their structural engineers missed or underestimated something in the dynamic or fatigue loads, and figured out the structure wasn't suited for the loading conditions.

Which is a massive bummer--we've only ever known Disco Betty. But I agree, the new effects are a tremendous improvement. And we finally got to ride at night in October and WOW could you see her better! Very, very cool to finally ride at night.

I won't contest the basic "more energy then a 747" part of that post. It sounded a bit high to me as well. What I was referring to was that the Yeti was engineer incorrectly and whatever pressure or energy that was required to make it work was more then the structure could handle even if that energy amounted to just enough to move a tricycle. It was the idea not the exact figures along with the change in lighting to make the Yeti appear to move that I was saying made sense.

 

[chartle]

Not to completely geek out, but no, that actually doesn't make any sense. Power does not equal loads (and what power was he even trying to compare? Hard to compare combustion/fuel consumption to electrical power directly...but I digress). But it does certainly sound like their structural engineers missed or underestimated something in the dynamic or fatigue loads, and figured out the structure wasn't suited for the loading conditions.

Which is a massive bummer--we've only ever known Disco Betty. But I agree, the new effects are a tremendous improvement. And we finally got to ride at night in October and WOW could you see her better! Very, very cool to finally ride at night.

Asked my soon to be engineer son and it may be impulse. As in its a lot energy in a short amount of time.

 

[River Country]

WAIT A MINUTE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!

There is a Yeti on Everest?????????????