Rising 147 feet above the park the Matterhorn Bobsled ride was always the signal for me that we were near Disneyland. Once my parents tried to trick us by not telling us where we were going however trying to hide 11 story mountain in the middle of a city took years of construction in and around Disneyland. The Matterhorn can still be seen today from the interstate 5 freeway but you've got to know where and when to look.

Walt conceived the ideal while filming on location in Switzerland for the movie Third Man on the Mountain(no video found). The Matterhorn was the first tubular steel coaster and the mountain is a 1/100th scale of the original Matterhorn in Switzerland. Opening June 14, 1959 the Matterhorn bobsled rides was opened and showcased with Tomorrow land but in 1970 the ride was annexed by Fantasyland. Originally the ride was not really showcased inside except for rock like concrete walls, in 1978 the Matterhorn received major a Imagineering overhaul and the Ice caves and a lovable fun yeti named Harold.



My first introduction to the Spanish language was on the bobsleds at the end of the ride you would here ""Remain seated please; Permanecer sentados por favor" . There is an old legend that there is a basketball court inside the Mountain too, although the story has been recently debunked as it was only a storage room with a basketball hoop in it where the Climbers would go for a break between climbing sessions.