Credit: ITMThere’s a heavy secret hiding inside Disney World’s Mount Everest.
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Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain is located in the Asia section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. Animal Kingdom is made up of several different sections, some themed to dinosaurs and others inspired by the African Savanna.
Animal Kingdom’s Asia area is perhaps one of Walt Disney Imagineering’s best works to date, transporting guests into an authentic representation of South Asian countries and cultures.
Much like EPCOT’s World Showcase, Disney took great care to ensure Animal Kingdom is as respectful and accurate as possible, though, of course, there are a few embellishments.
Disney took great liberty when creating and designing Expedition Everest, a wild roller coaster ride that takes guests to the fictional Forbidden Mountain. Guests endure sudden drops, twists, turns, and hills before coming face to face with the guardian of the Forbidden Mountain himself, the Yeti.
To say that Expedition Everest is one of the world’s most impressive roller coasters would be an understatement. The attraction combines immersive storytelling with a thrilling on-ride experience unlike any other.
The coaster broke records, claiming the title of most expensive theme park attraction ever when Expedition Everest officially opened. However, there’s one little-known fact about Expedition Everest, specifically with its track, that thousands of guests pass each and every day.
Expedition Everest’s Incredible Track Switches
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While the Yeti is arguably Expedition Everest’s defining characteristic, the roller coaster is equipped with impressive technology, especially when it comes to its track. At the top of the mountain, guests come to a section of track that appears to be “torn up” by an angry Yeti.
The roller coaster ride comes to a sudden stop, leaving guests suspended at the peak of the mountain. Before guests have time to adjust their Mickey Ears, the train goes flying back, sending riders backward into a pitch-black cave.
Guests emerge from the cave into a wide open section of the mountain, where they encounter the shadow of the Yeti. Suddenly, the train rushes forward and sends guests hurling down 80 feet. The rest of the ride is a total blur as guests desperately try to outrun the Yeti.
While the massive Yet animatronic is fascinating on its own, how Disney achieved the cave section of Expedition Everest is nothing short of extraordinary.
The company uses two different track switches to send riders forward and backward. These track switches weigh an estimated 200,000 pounds each and flip back into position in a matter of seconds. While large and heavy, Disney expertly distracts guests from the switches, making for a seamless on-ride experience.
The first track switch is located behind guests, forcing riders to focus on the torn-up track in front of them. The second switch is located in front of riders, but as stated earlier, most guests are too preoccupied looking at the shadow of the massive Yeti to notice.
TikTok user waltdisneyworldparks shared a video showing the two track switches in action.
@waltdisneyworldparks Expedition Everest POV of both track changes during the ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom #waltdisneyworld #disneysanimalkingdom #expeditioneverest #disneybehindthescene #disneypov
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Expedition Everest was announced by The Walt Disney Company on April 22, 2003, a little less than five years after Animal Kingdom opened. While still feeling ‘new’ to some, Expedition Everest has been a part of Animal Kingdom longer than it hasn’t, officially opening on April 7, 2006.
Since then, Everest has become one of Disney’s most popular and cherished roller coasters, with many guests praising it for its theming and overall fun factor.
Of course, a discussion about Expedition Everest would not be complete without mentioning the giant Yeti animatronic that now sits motionless inside the final portion of the mountain. Unfortunately, shortly after Expedition Everest opened, the large Yeti animatronic was turned off and has remained mostly motionless since.
There has not been an official announcement from Disney regarding the Yeti, though former Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde stated the problem involves much more than just the structural integrity of the figure itself. In 2023, Rohde claimed there are “solutions” to the problem, but there have not been opportunities.
Only time will tell what becomes of Disney’s now-infamous Yeti animatronic, but there’s no denying that Expedition Everest is still a modern marvel of engineering, design, and technology.
Do you enjoy riding Expedition Everest?