Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Mountaineers to return to Disneyland's Matterhorn when ride reopens

Disneyland's Matterhorn

The Matterhorn Bobsleds ride at Disneyland features a peak 100 times shorter than the Swiss peak. (disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog)

I'm such a sucker for anything having to do with mountains -- hiking up them, watching climbers ascend? them, snapping pictures of them -- that even phony peaks give me a thrill.

Disneyland announced Tuesday that the Matterhorn Bobsleds, the iconic roller-coaster-type ride that's been closed since January for a redo, will have mountaineers once again scaling its slopes when the ride reopens June 15.

"Having real mountain climbers on the mountain is a tradition started by Walt Disney in 1959 when the attraction opened," communications manager Shawn Slater writes on the DisneyParks Blog.

Fans seem pretty happy with the news:

"I remember during the 50th Anniversary they had Mickey scaling the peak! I have some great pics from that. I love how Disneyland embraces their history while always looking to the future – always nostalgic while always innovative. Pure Magic." -- Adam

"The Matterhorn climbers have been missed these past few years, and I am so happy to hear they are returning. It is fun and mesmerizing to watch them climb, and they add a touch of realism as well as fantasy to the park’s iconic mountain" -- Matthew

The ride will reopen with a new fleet of bobsleds with three seats each and hitched together two at a time. The Matterhorn, which has two runs, stands 100 times shorter than the real Swiss peak that's 14,700 feet tall. The ride made its debut at the park in 1959.


View the original article here

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