Fan-favorite Disneyland attraction Matterhorn Bobsleds will be reopening after a lengthy refurbishment in June 2023, just in time to thrill guests visiting this summer.
The Details
The Matterhorn Bobsleds, located in Fantasyland, closed for regular refurbishment on April 17, 2023.
The great news is that the ride will reopen for guests this week, on June 2, 2023.
This should also ease guest’s worry about alternate attractions to ride in place of the three Fantasyland rides that will be closing for refurbishment on June 5.
The Ride
The Matterhorn Bobsleds opened June 14, 1959 in Disneyland Park, as part of an expansion of Tomorrowland, and were the first tubular steel roller coaster in the world.
In the early 70s, the attraction was realigned to be part of Fantasyland instead.
However, its position between the two lands is recognized in the ride, which has two tracks: one on the Fantasyland side of the mountain and the other on the Tomorrowland side.
There is one lift hill on each track, and the splash-down pools at the end of each track serve dual purposes: to cool down the brake pads mounted on the underside of the bobsleds, and the impact on the water also helps slow down the vehicles.
And let’s not forget the Abominable Snowman who growls at riders before trying to get in their way.
It’s said that Walt Disney fell in love with the real Matterhorn while filming the 1959 live-action film “Third Man on the Mountain,” and returning to Disneyland, decided to cover a forested 20-foot-high mound named Holiday Hill with artificial snow, adding a toboggan run, and renaming it Snow Hill.
However, Walt always dreamed big, and the “hill” soon grew into the 147-foot-tall Matterhorn mountain you see today.
Have you been on the Matterhorn Bobsleds? Let us know what you think of them in the comments.