Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland - 53th Anniversary

Jun 14, 1959

Matterhorn Bobsleds Opens at Disneyland

Yodelay he hoo! On this day in 1959, Disneyland’s Matterhorn opened to the public, giving Guests the opportunity to ride down the icy slopes of the majestic mountain in bobsleds. In 1958, when Walt Disney was on location in Switzerland, he saw the Matterhorn and knew he wanted that in Disneyland, where anything is possible. The Matterhorn, was built to 1/100th scale of the original size, complete with real trees grown in the Rocky Mountains. The Matterhorn Bobsleds have their placed carved out in roller coaster history as being the first coaster built on round tubular tracks, as well as having a unique ride control system to become the first to have more than one coaster on the track at a time. The original name Matterhorn is derived from the words “matte” meaning “meadow” and “horn” meaning peak. And speaking of translations, this attraction taught millions of people how to say, “Remain seated, please” in Spanish, “Permanecer sentados, por favor.”