Expedition Everest

Expedition Everest is a steel roller coaster at Disney 's Animal Kingdom (Florida, USA). It was built by the Dutch manufacturer Vekoma and opened on 7 April 2006.

Background

The most striking feature of Expedition Everest is that it was built to a large extent in a specially constructed artificial mountain - the highest in the entire Walt Disney World Resort. Had this mountain real, he would be using about 60 m above sea level is the fourth highest peak in Florida. At the foot of the artificial mountain range and the largest part of the site engaging, is the fictional village Serka Zong, where the waiting area and a gift shop is housed. Unlike the name suggests the attraction, the mountain no replica of Mount Everest, but the fictional however, is "forbidden mountain " guarded by the yeti. The background story to the web says that the roller coaster has a fast connection through the Himalayas to the foot of Mount Everest. Mount Everest itself appears on the eastern ( right in photo ) edge only as background in a example of applied forced perspective, the small size is to simulate distance.

A less visible from the outside feature is the reverse travel inside the mountain. These two rotary switches are installed that you do not notice, as a behind the train and in the dark changed the direction of travel. In the storyline, this change of direction takes place by destroying the Yeti rails.

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According to Disney, the attraction is 2.5 hectares in the Asian theme of the park and the mountain itself gerademal 0.4 hectares.

Expedition Everest is often compared to the 1959 Matterhorn Bobsleds roller coaster built at Disneyland, which also features a snowy mountain scenery and as a " hideous snowman " as a character throughout the journey.

Expedition Everest celebrated its grand opening on April 7, 2006 in a ceremony that was led by Disney CEO Bob Iger and theme park president Jay Rasulo. The attraction was first publicly mentioned on 22 April 2003 during an event to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Disney 's Animal Kingdom.

Due to the construction costs of $ 100 million Expedition Everest is considered the most expensive rollercoaster in the world.