Construction crews built the Yeti framework separately from the track and the mountain . PHOTOS BY ERNIE CARR
FROM PRACTICAL TO DIGITAL TO PRACTICAL The final practical model ( number 24 ) carried on a model shop tradition dating to the first Imagineering projects . With Expedition Everest , however , a new step shortened the design process from four years to 18 months . Once Imagineers finalized the 6-foot mountain model , they used laser scanners to create a digital copy . Imagineers used this computer model to virtually program the attraction . They then used these digital files to create and bend the rebar that would ultimately give shape to the final attraction .
In addition , this digital process made it possible to finish what would become ( up to that point ) the most complex construction project in the history of Walt Disney Imagineering . Instead of one structure , Expedition Everest was constructed as three : the mountain , the ride track , and the Yeti framework . With digital models , the Imagineers separated these structures by about 6 inches , allowing the roller coaster track to bend and sway to accommodate the ride ’ s kinetic energy without impacting the mountain structure , which would need to remain completely still .
AN AUTHENTIC RESULT The process of designing Expedition Everest led to one of the most astonishing mountain attractions ever built by Walt Disney Imagineering . With 3,307 prefabricated rockwork chips made from about 27,000 individual pieces of rebar , 218,000 square feet of rockwork , and 32,000 bags of cement , the ride is an engineering marvel . When guests look at the attraction , they don ’ t see a theme park roller coaster ; they see a tea train passing through the Himalayas toward a scale model of Mount Everest ’ s summit . The blending of on-site research , practical Imagineering , and digital design technology made it all possible — and I believe the result would make Walt proud .