On This Day in Disney History (April 07, 2006) Disney World's biggest ride yet, Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, a 20-story, white-knuckle roller coaster spin officially opens in Animal Kingdom. The ceremonial grand opening is led by Disney CEO Bob Iger and theme parks chairman Jay Rasulo.
The attraction, which features a snowy mountain setting and an "abominable snowman" figure, is currently Florida's tallest peak, sculpted from 1,800 tons of steel, and covering more than six acres!
Today in Disney History: Expedition Everest Debuts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
posted at the Official Disney Parks Blog on April 7th, 2011 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on April 7, 2006.
This attraction takes guests on a high-speed journey through the Himalayan Mountains via old tea train cars. Along the way, guests spot signs – including torn train tracks – that a yeti, the mysterious guardian of the mountain, awaits nearby.
Expedition Everest measures nearly 200 feet high, making it the tallest of the 18 Disney “mountain” attractions at Disney Parks around the world. The design of the attraction was based on the rocky peaks of the northwest face of Mount Everest, as well as geological elements found in Tibet and Nepal.
When designing the yeti, Walt Disney Imagineering looked to three different primates for inspiration: the Golden Monkey, the Asian Langur Monkey and the prehistoric Gigantopithecus.
