Is the Matterhorn Bobsleds a World Class Attraction? • FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ม.ค. 2024
- Ryan and Byron climb aboard the Matterhorn Bobsleds, in hopes of reaching PEAK spinal discomfort. All they ask is that you remain seated, please. Permanecer sentados, por favor...
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CREATED & HOSTED BY
Ryan Bergara & Byron Marin
EDITOR
Byron Marin
PRODUCER
Matt Real
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Steven Lim
Ryan Bergara
Shane Madej
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I thought you guys had Matt f**king Damon as a guest for a hot second 😅
I would totally believe Matt Damon would have strong feelings about Matterhorn
my favorite actor and i almost lost my shit.... lol
Unfortunately they ran out of time
I'm still waiting for Ryan's ig post where he cracks himself up about making this thumbnail lol
Me too holy shit hahahaha
Ryan mixing up Switzerland and Sweden 5 minutes into the podcast is so on brand 😂
i want to see an ep where ryan & byron design their dream disney rides
Great idea! Maybe have like a prompt and the two brainstorm ideas for that ride! Also, do like a budget-friendly version and a blue-sky version
Yesssssss
Suggestion: If the ride is already based on an existing movie/IP, you should change the rubric to how merch-friendly the ride is/can be.
I like the direction, but that is still more just the original IP selling merch. What about how well does the story conform to the cannon of that IP?
I don’t like that, keep it the way it is
In no way is the Matterhorn an IP based ride. Both "Third Man on the Mountain" and Matterhorn Bobsleds were released the same year and both were inspired by Walts trips to Europe.
No
The way some people get to experience Disney as often as these two did as kids and even now, makes me inexplicably jealous
Same! I went once as a kid and I don't remember it. So any time someone says "remember when" referring to Disneyland, it's an automatic nope for me! But making up for it since moving to Southern California.
As a kid in Orange County we had season tickets (which cost less than a single day pass is now) and would get to go all the time, mostly on the half days at school. We'd be able to get there at about 1 with mom then Dad would meet us from work around when the fireworks started and we got a solid couple hours of a mostly dead weekday afternoon once or twice a month.
Ain't no way anyone is able to afford the kind of stuff these days. Shit is so expensive now.
@@ChadVanHalen5150 you are simultaneously correct and also making me even more jealous of your childhood 😂
@@ChadVanHalen5150 wow that sounds like amazing memories to have
I'm a newer Florida resident and I didn't realize how possible it was to get an annual pass. Now I go every weekend!
I feel like you guys should do a field trip episode and maybe point out some of your favorite hidden details in the parks or something like that
That would be awesome!!!
Loving this podcast. Byron is such a nice calm compliment to Ryan’s chaos
It's hilarious that nobody remembers the Matterhorn is technically an IP ride! The movie Walt was filming, "Third Man on the Mountain", was based on a novel called "Banner in the Sky", which was a fictionalized retelling of the first recorded ascent of the irl Matterhorn. The mountain was just called something else in the book. And while there isn’t a yeti in the book (I've never seen the movie), a major plot point revolves around the protagonist getting stuck in a cave where two people previously froze to death and encountering a ghost.
I used to teach the book in a lit class, and every time, I challenged the students to guess which Disneyland ride was based on it. They usually needed multiple guesses and were utterly baffled that THIS book became THAT ride.
Abba is my favourite swiss band
2 fun facts you guys missed, there are trees that they prune into the shape of the matterhorn to cover it so you cant see the mountain from adventureland and new orleans square because of course you shouldn't be able to see a snow capped mountain from those environments. And in the same vein in the fantasy land boat ride they have a mountain range backdrop in one of the scenes that they designed purposely to include the matterhorn as a part of it in forced perspective
I’m old enough to remember when Harold came along. There was a whole big campaign about it along the lines of “Something’s alive in the Matterhorn” and you just saw the eyes.
Byron's shirt is giving such sweet, supportive best friend vibes. I love it.
Swedish meatballs are my favourite Swiss food :D
Coincidentally, Swiss Steak is my favorite Swedish dish.
😂
My grandfather did the concrete work for the Matterhorn ride. And then in 98 I did tile for Disney California Adventure.
Ryan & Byron, please keep making this podcast!!! I love theme parks and there are none accessible where I live (on an island) so this is the ultimate nostalgia trip! I know others have said this more eloquently but hopefully this comment inspires more episodes (:
Omg i knew I wasn’t imagining the original matterhorn seats! I have a very vivid memory of being seated in between a stranger’s legs when I was a kid and feeling very uncomfortable. It became a core memory for me. I recently went back to Disneyland and noticed that the seats changed, but everyone in my group swore it had always been that way!!
Damn I'm learning a lot in this episode. That seems crazy that Harold wasn't there at its beginning.
Few things in this world genuinely scare me.
1. That damn nun from the Conjuring movies
2. Harold.
They follow me into my nightmares yet I still go back for more.
The main thing I think about when I think of this ride is the “remain seated please” voice. So thank you to whoever added that at the end 😂
I did not expect Swiss IKEA to drive me crazy like it is 😂
I’m pro decimals for splits, think it helps since a lot of rides are in the 7/10 or 8/10 category, adds some additional context. But the debating is objectively entertaining
My very first memory of going to Disneyland in the 90s was waiting for over an hour for this ride. Such a long wait that I learnt and still know how to say "remain seated please" in Spanish -- and it's in the outro! Incredible.
My family has an inside joke about the Spanish the reamin seated guy does that it sounds like "cinnamon toast and tacos on the floor" when you're in line. I highly recommend next time people listen to it because it still makes me laugh to this day.
Swooping in five months late to say how much I love this exact part of the ride and I'm so glad to see someone else appreciating it. Forget the howling wind, yeti sounds, and music - this is THE sound of the Matterhorn for me. Especially since you will hear it about 200 times while you're waiting in the queue that wraps around the mountain.
As a person with motion sickness, this podcast is a blessing it’s so nice to learn, see and hear about these rides from people who love them
Ryan referencing A Day at Disneyland was great, loved that VHS so much. Also the water ending is so unpredictable, I went on with my brother and cousins in October and I believe they were compensating for Splash Mountain being closed because my cousin got so wet and I was behind her and the sides of my pants were a shade darker than the inner thigh part. Harold is terrifying and nothing will stop me from going through that ride with my eyes closed.
I don't know what his name currently is, but a confirmation of the fun fact from my mom who worked Matterhorn in the 80s is that the old school employees did call the yeti "Harold"! She's done this since I was a kid.
as a side note, too - love the Trader Sam's shirt. that was one of my dad's favorite merch lines, he hired into the park in 1975 iirc. His fantasy football league called him Trader Bill because of it lol. I love to see these little things on the show, too! Cool episode.
Yes, the fantasyland atmosphere audio loop used to scare me as a kid because it was so ominous. We have a family video tape from 1991 where you can hear Harold's roar and it is crazy loud! We were up by Small World in the video, and you can hear him clear as day.
I also don't know if they still have this because it's been a while since I've ridden, but I also remember as a kid they had what sounded like maybe mountain climbers or other passengers that would yell out during the lift hill, and I always got so freaked out. Such simple, ominous storytelling!
tuesday is the best day out of the week because of this pod😌 its the one thing i always look forward to
When you get on the ride, look up at the ride control booth to see a stuffed Harold wearing sunglasses.
Not a theme park enthusiast but the passion you have for theme parks is contagious.❤
I have to know if you could see the original Harold from the Skyway buckets b/c I swore for YEARS I saw a white monster with red eyes when I was 4 and my family gaslighted me telling me I was imagining things. Also riding this in the old seats when 12 years old was absolutely terrifying, thought I was going to fall out. Man I love this ride, team Byron for the queue, impeccable vibes for a Disneyland nerd!!
There is actually another Matterhorn knock-off. It's just called the Bobsled Coaster in the Enchanted Forest near Salem, OR. Which, if you want a different kind of theme park experience, oh boy. With Ryan's fear of ghosts and interest in theme parks, this would be an EXPERIENCE for him.
I'm not in any way qualified to speak on this, but I've heard this mentioned a few times before from people with actual construction/imagineering experience. I believe the Matterhorn is impossible to retrack due to the way the ride was constructed. The only way that it can supposedly be retracked is to completely deconstruct the mountain itself and then build it back up again. Which would probably piss off a lot of purists, but it would be very nice to have a Matterhorn that doesn't beat the shit out of me every time I go on it.
You're not alone...I'm fairly certain that I've heard this as well about not being able to retrack the ride without taking the whole mountain down & starting over.
I heard somewhere that it was also a legal thing, because if they change the layout of the track then it will have to abide by new building and safety codes that it would fail but doesn't now because it was grandfathered into them.
Grats on the Ads! Can we get the occasional throwback to the void sponsoring the show?
By definition the Matterhorn Bobsleds should probably be classified as an Adventureland ride despite straddling the boundary of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. As for Test #3/The Cell Phone Test: I think the test IMPLIES the queue’s guest engagability based on theming but it DOESN’T SPECIFICALLY state that. The fact that it’s wedged in between the submarines, the teacups, and Alice in Wonderland which offers some sort of “cognitive dissonance” doesn’t mean the queue is less engaging, it simply means the engagement is not strictly Matterhorn Bobsled oriented. Regardless, I will ALWAYS jump at the chance to ride the Matterhorn. Keep up the good work, guys. Do you plan on reviewing any of the non-domestic attractions that are located in other Disney Parks in other countries?
The Matterhorn was always my favorite ride growing up. I've been waiting for you to discuss it.
I just learned from this incredible two part series why it can't be retracked. The current tracks are supported by the building itself, while new building codes require that a coaster be self-supporting with a building built around it. To retack it would require demolishing the entire structure, building the new coaster, and then rebuilding the mountain.
It's a rough ride because it tilts around that axis at track level, so your upper body gets thrown back and forth. Modern coasters try to keep your upper body around the "heart line" in place while the lower part of the track rotates beneath you.
The best bet for making it smoother would have to be an advanced car that responded to the tracks and changed your body angle as it took each curve. Not only would that be expensive, it would likely break down often. Also, it's possible that some of the walls are so close that it might bring passengers too close to outcroppings.
Here is part one. I highly suggest it for fans of the ride.
th-cam.com/video/PnfA73AOKHQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=sLXY0g4UjxRyx-09
My 13 year old son & I challenged ourselves to go on the Matterhorn back to back as many times as our bodies could handle during our trip in December 2023 - single rider was walk on, around 6pm. I made it four times, he did 10 & we both swore up & down our backs were broken. 🤣
One of my favorite rides. Love rising with people who get scared. Also love standing next to the subs and hear the howls and screams from the mountain. Hands down my favorite place in Disneyland, especially when the crows descend for the evening.
I haven’t been on this attraction since the refurb several years back, but every time I went on it I always felt like I was gonna die.
We discovered as kids that if you are in the front and extend your arms out during the splashdown, the water would catch your arms and absolutely soak the people behind you. I'd like to apologize to all those who I terrorized as a youngster.
The harmonica story absolutely killed me 😂
Yes, I think you are right on the age requirement because I remember going on this ride at 3 years old when I couldn't ride a lot of other rides. I was already afraid of the abominable snowman from the claymation rudolph movie and cried for most of the ride.
We call the Matterhorn bobsleds the spine realignment ride.
I like this ride, but I would not wait an hour or more for it, even if I had out of town guests with me.
I went to Disneyland for the first time back in high school, and I remember my friends and I really wanted to go on this ride. Of course the year that we went IT WAS CLOSED (for renovations). 😭 But I’m glad you guys covered this ride! Super cool hearing the rich history behind it and how it breaks your spine. I had no idea there was a water finale at the end. Definitely gonna ride it the next time I’m able to go!
Love this series, y'all are great!
I love this podcast so much! Thank you both for this great show!
I didn’t realize until half way through the video that I was thinking of the Calico Gold Mine at Knotts berry farm.
Matterhorn is my favorite nostalgia ride
Rode this once when I still lived in Cali and once was enough. Almost as bad as Son of Beast on my back lol.
Ryan!!! The Fantasyland side may be faster, but it's smoother.
One of my favorite books about Disneyland is David Koenig’s Mouse Tales. Chapter 6 of that book is called Be Our Guest and it details that Cast Members have an autograph book with a Dopey sticker on it in which they write stupid things they’ve seen and heard from guests. While the chapter is full of great stories, my favorite is the two little old ladies walking down Main Street seeing The Matterhorn for the first time, and one of them said “How nice they found a mountain to build this park around!” 😂🤣
There are two tracks. I always identified them as tomorrowland track and fantasyland track based on the loading side.
i’m really torn about this attraction- I love the theming, the storyline, the animatronics, the history of it- but the actual roller coaster itself was a total bummer- it felt like we were just spiraling downward, not going that fast, very bumpy, awkwardly cramped in the ride vehicle . . . I can definitely see the similarities with WDW’s Space Mtn ride system. IMO this attraction could be a perfect 10 if they improved the coaster itself, but that probably won’t happen because it’s historically significant. In contrast, I LOVED Disneyland’s version of space mountain- huge improvement over WDW’s version.
Byron sold me on the smartphone test.
How many people are here to point out Sweden and Switzerland are different countries 😂
to help when theres only the 2 of yall & you reach a stalemate i think rating the rides on a 1-10 scale per category instead of a "yes or no". then just add them up at the end & find the average. or have the final world class test be 1-100 like school grades. i know its too late to implement this though & its just an idea i thought may help stalemates :)
Love this pod
The plus ing of this attraction is excellent in terms of aesthetics. Harold 2.0 is more alive than ever. I just wish the ride didn’t separate your spine every ride.
Ryan’s not wrong that the ride is better at night. The views are excellent.
And a minor correction, queue line is like saying ATM Machine.
Byron breaking out the yeti fur was a nice touch 😂 💯
Another amazing episode 🎉
Funny you talking about MK's Space Mountain. On my recent trip I rode the MK rollercoasters for the first time to prep for Guardians the next day. It was a MVMCP day so walk-ons almost all day. I did Big Thunder twice in a row and then did Space Mountain. I got out, walked about 20 feet and was about to go again when I almost doubled over from my entire left side of my torso suddenly feeling bruised from holding onto the handle. One and done for SM that day 😅
Other Matterhorn Bad things:
Two people have died on the ride falling out of the bobsleds, one was the first death in Disneyland. (before when you could unbuckle your seat belt while on the ride)
They can't retrack or reroute the ride because they would have to basically tear down most of the mountain to access it and possibly can't due to building and safety codes that it wouldn't pass because it was grandfathered into them.
Matterhorn is still one of my favorite rides even if it tries to shake out a kidney stone.
As much as I loved Matterhorn as a kid, I can't ride it today. It's so painful. Someone at Disney has to be working on a retrack plan. There has to be a way to fix it.
I went on it when I was 5 and cried because of how jostled I go 😂
My new favourite podcast
Love this podcast!
This podcast is my faaaave tysm
As someone who has only been to Disneyland once, my one and only impression of this ride was… pain… so much pain.
How many episodes did they film in the old set? Not complaining but I'm surprised we're 3-4 months into the show and there's still a backlog.
#1! Love this series!
I have a very interesting history with this ride. One of my most vivid memories at Disneyland was kicking and screaming to get off the Matterhorn. It was like 2005 and I was maybe 5 or 6 years old. My parents got me all the way up to loading into the cars and I just would not stop wailing. I remember a cast member helping to pull me from the seat because I was just so scared I couldn’t stop crying. Long enough to get out of the seat. I was absolutely terrified of rollercoasters and the yeti I knew was in the ride.
I think I’ve only rode it a couple times since because sorry I disagree with you it’s not an easy ride to get on and I probably wouldn’t wait an hour or more for it. Everytime I’ve gone it’s been 1-2 hours and I usually go with my family (so single riders out), and the last time I went with my friend who’s in a wheel chair they wouldn’t let us on cause they ran out of “come back” time slips or whatever (idk same thing happened at space mountain so maybe it was just too late in the day). Basically I have a love hate relationship with the Matterhorn. Love the Macaroon and it’s a fun ride when I can get on, but hate having to wait in that brutal queue and my embarrassing memories.
I absolutely agree that the atmosphere it brings to the park is fantastic. Always love the view of the lagoon and mountain from that lil dock near the pretzel stand.
Have you been to the town in Missouri where Walt lived? Marceline is a good place to develop an imagination especially when Walt was living there.
am baked watching this and when Harold pops up with no warning I nearly lost my got damn mind
Just rode this for the first time in several years (it was always broken down) as a 40+ year old adult. After standing in lines all day, it nicely loosened up my spine tbh. I miss when you used to be able to see the Matterhorn from the freeway before the city got built up around it.
As a kid in the 90’s we had a computer game where goofy would climb the Matterhorn. I never beat the game. Just a blast from the past from my childhood. Lol
still patiently waiting for a coney island cyclone episode
As a European and a Eurovision Nerd, Ryan confusing Sweden and Switzerland is hilarious.
last summer i rode matterhorn 3x in a row single rider and somehow managed not to get hurt. best disney experience
please, we all know it was ROY'S hand that was shaking when that cheque was signed, and it was shaking with rage :D.
46:06 I'll never get why they never used the opening of Pandora as a time to fix the yeti- it was a brand new land with two big rides that ate up crowds, which would help fight the loss of capacity with Everest down. The next opportunity they have is the South America land opening but that's not for a few years at least. Joe Rhode said fixing the Yeti was possible, Disney just hasn't done is, likely because of how much of a crowd eater Everest is.
The new Harold was part of the 2015 update for the diamond celebration, the seat changing was the 2012 update :)
Guys Mr. Lincoln deserves an episode. At least just to appreciate how historic it is.
Sitting in people's lap was such a weird change, especially if you go as a single rider lmao
This is me as a 24 year old disney adult admitting that with the new Harold, I still close my eyes at harold
Shoutout to whoever created the amazing thumbnail 😂
My little theme park enthusiast self is eating this podcast up every week, if I had this when I was 10 I would have been a monster
Matterhorn isn't that rough I swear. Space Mountain at WDW feels wayyy rougher, that ride is like torture.
Also the snow stuff on the inside came later like in the 80’s I think.
20:48
"i don't really like coconut"
"I like coconut... we can split one"
"okay 😐"
Made me laugh how Byron was trying to put Ryan down gently, respectfully saying he did want one and he just blazed through anyway. It's relatable and something that happens with me and my friends. 'Oh you didn't wanna try it? Too bad :3'
32:33 ryan plz hahahahahaha
anyone have any recommendations for similar theme park podcasts? doesn’t have to be just disney! i love listening to cool people talk about things i like 😊
Let's go!!
Where was Ashley from MouseVibes? She should have been the special guest to talk about her favorite “turn up” ride at Disneyland haha
I'm over 40 and went to Disneyland for the first time last month. This was my last coaster because of all the comments of how rough it is. I'm 6 feet tall and while it was a little tight I had a great time and my didn't feel it was too rough at all.
God-tier thumbnail.
I agree, the Splash is a pro, not a con!
It's both tomorrowland and fantasyland. Two sides, a foot in both worlds. It was an age requirement for a long time.
As an Improvisor, the use of the word "Harold" makes me anticipate being strapped in, with no hope of escape, for a Long-Form Improv Scene 🙀
For future tests: I genuinely think comfort level/accessibility should be a part of the scoring criteria. There are some rides that may be awesome but I simply refuse to go on because I don’t want my body to hurt the rest of the day, ie. it ruins the rest of the day or other ride experiences. Also, accessibility is a huge issue with theme parks!! How can it be a world-class attraction when a lot of world can never experience it?