[goofyguy1958]

Does anyone have any additional information on this ride? Is it a real coaster? Is it actually going to be 200 feet high? Will it produce ? Etc.?

[Park Hopper]

Expedition Everest is supposed to be a "real" coaster, or at least as real as it gets within the restrictive parameters of Disney's family theming. The attraction will be housed in a 200-foot high mountain but the train itself will climb to a height of 120 feet. The biggest drop is said to be 80 feet, with the cars reaching a maximum speed of 50 mph. In comparison, MGM's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster quickly reaches a top speed of 60 mph during its "launch." Space Mountain has a climb of 90 feet and tops out at a not-so-blistering 29 mph. Of course Disney isn't in the thrill-ride business, so Everest is pretty hard core by the Mouse's standards.

Here's the text of Disney's April press release announcing Expedition Everest:

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (April 22, 2003) -- Legend holds that high in the Himalayan Mountains lives an enormous creature that fiercely guards the route to Mount Everest.

Now that legend comes dramatically to life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in a new high-speed train adventure that combines coaster-like thrills with the excitement of a close encounter of the hairy kind.

Walt Disney World guests will discover for themselves the fearsome legend of the yeti when Expedition EVEREST opens in 2006 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. The new thrill attraction was announced today during the park’s 5th anniversary festivities at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

“Expedition EVEREST adds a new dimension to our storytelling in Disney’s Animal Kingdom,” said Joe Rohde, executive designer at Walt Disney Imagineering and lead designer of the park. “It’s a thrilling adventure themed to the folklore of the mysterious yeti.”

In Expedition EVEREST, guests board an old mountain railway destined for the foot of Mount Everest. The train rolls through thick bamboo forests, past thundering waterfalls, along shimmering glacier fields and climbs higher and higher through the snow-capped peaks.

But suddenly the track ends in a gnarled mass of twisted metal and the thrills intensify as the train races both forward and backward through mountain caverns and icy canyons and guests head for an inevitable face-to-muzzle showdown with the mysterious yeti -- known to some as the abominable snowman.

Expedition EVEREST will be located in the Asia section of the theme park. At nearly 200 feet high, it will be the tallest mountain in Florida.

[GrumpyDad]

Hmm, That actually sounds like fun! I think one of our families favorite rides is Splash Mountain. Not so much for the drop as much as the themeing thoughout the ride. This one sounds very similar.

Thanks,
-harry

[goofyguy1958]

Park Hopper, Thank you for the information. Sounds like a lot of fun.

:D