Mt. Cervino, August 1969
We all know that crazy mountain as "The Matterhorn" - - that's what the Germans call it. But did you know that Italians call it "Mt. Cervino"? Now you do. It's an interesting factoid, but I'm going to keep calling it by its more familiar moniker.
Let's start with this unusual angle (taken near the Plaza Inn?) looking across the lawn and plantings toward the artery that leads into Tomorrowland, and the yellow and white tent (souvenirs) where the old House of the Future used to be.
Like many old Ektachrome slides, this one has an odd yellow-orange cast to it. See the bobsled? I wonder if the ride used to go faster when it was just single bobsleds instead of two hitched together.
Well, whaddaya know, it's Hans and Otto. They just love to climb! The top of Disneyland's Matterhorn is littered with empty oxygen bottles, as well as the frozen bodies of climbers who weren't so lucky.
13 comments:
Major-
Wouldn't it have been better if their names weer Hans & Franz-? Well, just a thought.
Thanks, Major.
Climbing zee mountain is not a job for a girlie man.
Nanook, I always have to stop myself from writing "Hans and Franz".
MRaymond, only Sir Edmund Hillary should ever be allowed to climb any mountain, because he has such an awesome name.
Even cooler than Chesley Bonestell?
The third variation is the Italians who work in gift shops and call it Mt. Souvenir-o.
If memory serves it seemed a lot faster with one bobsled. I have no other proof than my childhood glee.
Did somebody say vino?
Chuck, I think that "Chesley Bonestell" sounds like an aristocratic porn star. Who also paints awesome space artwork!
Alonzo, it *must* have been faster; maybe if I wasn't so lazy I would do some research.
Melissa, you joke, but the Italians say that the mountain was first climbed by Sir Vino. He was very popular.
Major, Alonzo-
It seems to me one side is either faster or perhaps has a more thrilling 'dip', or two, but the Matterhorn article in the "E" Ticket mentioned no such thing. Only that the B Side was about 110' longer than the A Side.
@Nanook, I seem to remember preferring the Tomorrowland side, (not sure if that was A or B), but that might have been because the line was sometimes shorter first thing in the AM. Everyone ran to the first line they could see, and not everyone knew there were two lines.
I rarely had the fortitude to face that wait a second time, with so many other things to do on a one-day visit, so I don't think I ever compared them back-to-back.
I also seem to remember that the single cars "felt" faster, but no proof beyond memory.
I heard one reason that the tandem two-car configuration was adopted was to speed up the load sequence. Twice as many riders could be taken in one sequence with the tandem cars. Not sure if that's true, nor if that affected speeds.
JG
@ Anonymous-
That's exactly why the tandem cars were installed: to increase ridership. (And, no doubt, another "bonus": Solving the 'problem' of the uptightness of too many Americans, who prefer not to get "up close and personal" with his/her fellow seatmate).
BTW... the "A" side is closest to Tomorrowland.
such cool views today....all of them unique and definitely different for this GDB fan. :)
I have never seen a view with those gardens for lack of a better word; it looks like it is going downhill as well. What is in that space now?
I've always heard the A side is better, as well. It could be a mind game, but I seem to recall thinking the A side felt more fun. Unfortunately, the new bobsleds absolutely ruined the ride for me; they're painful!
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