Dispatch From Disneyland
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Walt’s Inspiration for the Matterhorn Bobsleds

Continuing the series of the possible little inspirations in Walt’s Life that led to Disneyland.

You can see it from miles away, so it is often the first indication that you’ve arrived at Disneyland. It towers over everything else in the park. On days when the wind is still you can hear the water rushing down its slopes from every corner of the Magic Kingdom.

The majestic snowy Matterhorn. Of all the Disney themeparks around the world, only Disneyland USA has one. It’s unique. And it’s historic as well.

When the Matterhorn Bobsleds opened it was the first tubular steel roller coaster in the world. It was also the first twin track steel coaster. The team at WED Enterprise worked with designers at Arrow Dynamics to build this break-through coaster. Together, they set a new standard on what thrillrides should be.

From an area of the park that was once just a grassy knoll referred to as ‘Snow Mountain” on some maps, rose a peak straight from the Swiss Alps. Snow Mountain’s primary purpose was to elevate one of the support towers for the Skyway system on it’s loop between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. It also served as a thoughtful spot where Cast Members would come and picnic in the off-hours. From the small mound they could dream up new worlds or maybe even new attractions for Disneyland.

On June 14, 1959, the Matterhorn opened to the public. Billed as part of an expansion of Tomorrowland, the thrilling new ride debuted to impressive reviews. Even at 1/100th scale the mountain towered 147 feet above the newly added Submarine Lagoon and Monorail System, and for that matter everything else in the park. It’s a little known fact that the Matterhorn Bobsleds were actually inspired by a Disney live action film -- Third Man on The Mountain (Click for more info from IMDB.com). Walt Disney was over in Zermatt, Switzerland for the filming of the movie (and I’m sure a little recreational skiing) when he got the idea for the attraction. Legend has it, he sent a postcard of the real Matterhorn back to the United States with just a two word message on it - “Build This!”

This is the story as it was told around the dinner table at my house.

It had been a long day at the office for my grandfather. The paperwork had really backed up. So he had brought some of it home with him. He had a new team to look after and the task of keeping them all in line while Walt was out of the country was not easy. Plus, with the expansion into the old bowling alley, there was a lot more territory to cover, as his pounding feet duly noted.

Now that he was home, all Vic wanted to do was sit down in front of the television, have a drink, and relax. Then he could go over the paperwork. His wife was out with the girls, Bridge night. But she had left a pile of bills on his easy chair and a note on how to defrost the Lasagna in the oven.

Vic ignored the pile of bills and wandered over to the ice cabinet. He grabbed a small tumbler, and plunked in a few healthy size ice cubes. He wondered what Walt was doing right now. Probably sitting in his alpine villa warming his toes in front of the fire. Perhaps he was touring the local sites, witnessing one of those bobsled tournaments that had become so popular in the Swiss Alps these days.

Vic poured some brandy into the tumbler and raised a toast to his boss. Whatever he might be doing.

Once again, Vic wondered how Walt had smooth-talked him into giving up his job as a set designer for MGM Studios and parlayed that experience into the three dimensional world of themepark design.