The Bobsleds Are Slipping and Sliding on
Matterhorn Mountain!
The Matterhorn Bobsled attraction was
closed down for refurbishment from January 2012 until June 2012. That is a long
time of any ride to be closed. Lots of work was done on the 53 year old ride.
For the first time since Matterhorn Mountain was built in 1959 it was
completely covered with scaffolding. Lots of work was done to maintain and
improve the ride.
So will that long
of a closure you may be wondering if the ride was totally changed. Quick
answer, No! They did not change the track or add to the interior of the ride.
What they did do was redo the inside of the ride where things looking old.
Parts of the interior were almost see through before but now when you are
inside you can’t see out. They also painted the entire outside of the mountain
and redid the “snow” to make it look more realistic.
Another thing they
did was redirect the cue for the ride. The line still runs beside the mountain
but no longer goes around the mountain. When we rode the Matterhorn the line
was on the Fantasyland side of the mountain and doubled back on itself. Once
you got to the main line they split you into one of the two lines sending you
either to the Tomorrowland or Fantasyland track loading area. Handicapped riders
and their group with a double arrow on their GAP (Guest Assistance Pass) can
just walk up to the Cast Member at the place where they split the line and ask
where to go.
Besides the fixing
up the interior and painting the exterior they put new bobsleds into use. The
new ride vehicles have locking seatbelts unlike the vehicles on the mountain up
till now. Now the seatbelts are kept locked until your bobsled comes to the end
of the ride and it is time to exit. This is one of the major reasons for the
long closure of the ride. They had to make sure the computerized locking system
was functional and worked properly locking and unlocking when it should.
The other change
in the cars is the fact it is one person per seat instead of two. Each bobsled
holds three people and two bobsleds are attached together so six people can
ride in one unit. If you have a member of your party with long legs or leg and
hip problems I suggest they ride in the front seat of either of the cars. Those
seats have more leg room.
I do believe the
ride, at least on the Tomorrowland track is smoother, less “bumpy” than before
the new cars were added. I look forward to trying the Fantasyland track on our
next trip to Disneyland as that is my favorite track. I’ll update this post
after I do.
The mountain
climbers are back on the Matterhorn! Several times a day you can watch them ascend
to the top of the mountain. You may even see Mickey and Goofy climbing the
mountain with Minnie cheering them on.
I will be honest I
miss being able to sit in my husband’s arms pretending to be scared of the
speed and Harold the Yeti. In truth I’ve never been afraid of the Matterhorn. I’ve
ridden the ride many times, the first time when I was 2 years old. Every time I
yell, just as I did when I was 2, “It’s a Blast!” It still is a blast!
Here is video of
the Tomorrowland track of the Matterhorn Mountain.
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