Backstage Expedition Everest

I was able to do another Housing tour, this time a backstage look at the Expedition Everest ride in the Animal Kingdom park. The ride is fantastic, basically a rollercoaster built inside and around 'Mount Everest', complete with the Yeti attacking you! We got up really early in the morning and headed over to the Commons housing complex to start the tour, this was pretty difficult for me as I had worked the night before until 1:30am!

We had to walk up 14 flights of stairs to get to the top section of the ride and were able to walk along the track between where the ride climb happens, to where the ride stops (at the 'broken track') and goes backwards.
The tour leaders (a couple of cast members who work at the attraction) told us some amazing facts about how the ride was built and gave us some information on the construction of the Yeti and some of the problems they have encountered with him. He is truly amazing to look at and a bit intimidating too!

We were also shown through the queue area, which acts as a pre-show, telling the story and setting the scene for the ride (i.e. a shonky Australian setting up dodgy Everest expeditions through the mountain on an old abandoned railroad without regard for the local legend of the Yeti). The imagineers collected lots of odds and ends from Nepal for this area and a lot of stuff was actually gather during a Disney funded clean up of the Mountains themselves, when discarded items from climbers were brought down and shipped back to the U.S.

The imagineers also inserted a number of Hidden Mickeys in the queue area.

We then got to ride the ride, once with all the work lights on and then again with them off, it was fascinating although I am not too keen on the going backwards bit or the great big drop!

Have a Magical Day and Watch Your Step!

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