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News Expedition Everest Station Work Underway - January 2026

networkpro

networkpro

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
Splash4eva said:
Can someone on the inside or who has knowledge truly explain why the Yeti was never fixed? Not speculation but for fact?
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After 18 years of strobe lite existence, the few seconds you have to actually look at the 4 ton puppet is kind of moot if its moving or not.
 
EagleScout610

EagleScout610

What a wisecracker
Premium Member
Splash4eva said:
Can someone on the inside or who has knowledge truly explain why the Yeti was never fixed? Not speculation but for fact?
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Short Answer - Yeti is too powerful for its own good to work properly, nobody wants to pay for the repair.
Long answer:
RedDad said:
I've been meaning to post this for quite a while, but just haven't had time. Thanks to a recent reminder from @Master Yoda to try and shed some light on the Yeti debacle....

Ok, so back in September I was at a conference at WDW, and the wife decided to book a Dine With An Imagineer lunch at DHS. I skipped one of my educational sessions to do this, and we ended up with a 2-for-1. The main imagineer was a Show Design and Production manager, who was a DWAI veteran (and most recently involved in the Frozen Ever After project); the other guy was a mechanical engineer in charge of show quality, who was a newbie-in-training, at least when it came to these dinners. He explained to us that it was his job to do periodic "reviews" of the rides, and point out areas where show quality is falling below certain standards. He's also heavily involved in maintaining ride systems and animatronics. It was a fantastic experience, and we learned a lot about how things work behind the scenes, but nearing the end of our time, I (obviously) couldn't resist bringing up the Yeti.

Immediately upon my mentioning the Yeti, I could see that it was an obvious a sore spot for him. He stated that there have been multiple proposals put forth for repairing it, but none of the "big shots" have been on board. As for the specific problem, he mentioned that there are a couple of factors: flaws in the original "design calculations" (these were his words), particularly with regard to operational and maintenance conditions on such a large animatronic, and inability to perform proper maintenance on the Yeti. No mention of "shifting/failed foundations" as is often suggested. As a practicing structural engineer, I wanted to know whether this was the problem, and he indicated that the main issue is the animatronic itself.

The other factor is the ability to perform maintenance on the animatronic. I think this is the source of rumors that they "can't replace /fix it without opening up the mountain" rumors, but it's actually much simpler, and this issue ties into the first. He specifically talked about unanticipated stresses in parts of the animatronic due to lack of maintenance in other parts. If one of the motors in the yeti's elbow wears out or isn't functioning properly, but they continue to operate under those conditions, then higher stresses are transferred to the shoulder and chest, etc. My best guess regarding his comments about "incorrect calculations" is that he was referring to fatigue related problems in the robotic parts, and possibly in other structural supports.

The other major factor is that things have changed dramatically at WDW in the last few years regarding their compliance with OSHA standards for maintenance and fall protection. Any new work done to get the Yeti operational means that they have to update the design to meet these standards, so that ongoing maintenance on the animatronic can be safely performed. This would involve major upgrades to allow compliance with fall protection and other things related to maintenance workers.

It was encouraging at least to see how much it bothered him that it didn't work. He brought up the Universal dig re: their Kong animatronic (it moves...) and said that he and his colleagues all read blogs and other social media comments for research and to pick up on things they miss in their reviews. So, there you have it. Take it for what it's worth, but this guy was no bus driver...;)
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HauntedPirate

HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
Smiley/OCD said:
The story that I heard (and correct me if I’m wrong), it’s not the Yeti but the support structure that he’s sitting on…
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It's the AA itself (see the post above yours). The problems have nothing to do with any support structure anywhere in the attraction.
 
P

PianoWithSam

New Member
Going in a couple of weeks. Does anyone know if the ride is actually closing or if this work is going to happen around the ride operating? I know know closures listed on calendar.
 
HMF

HMF

Well-Known Member
PianoWithSam said:
Going in a couple of weeks. Does anyone know if the ride is actually closing or if this work is going to happen around the ride operating? I know know closures listed on calendar.
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To be honest, the fact that it is even operating with it's key feature broken and has been since dubya was president is unforgiveable in my book.
 
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J

jeanericuser001

Well-Known Member
Splash4eva said:
They should remove altogether and have a new Meet & Greet outside the ride… “brand new experience”
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Or even better yet. Make it a dance party with disco yeti.
HMF said:
To be honest, the fact that it is even operating with it's key feature broken and has been since dubya was president is unforgiveable in my book.
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You gotta admit though it has survived a lot longer than most rides. At this point I think it might be better to just change it with some new screen effects. Put up a few screens, add some decent projections, and it could work out.
 
S

Splash4eva

Well-Known Member
jeanericuser001 said:
Or even better yet. Make it a dance party with disco yeti.

You gotta admit though it has survived a lot longer than most rides. At this point I think it might be better to just change it with some new screen effects. Put up a few screens, add some decent projections, and it could work out.
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Hahahah. Listen the ride imo is great. Even without a fully working Yeti. I was lucky enough to ride it when it was working way back when and still ride to this day. The ride still is awesome in B mode. One of few that can still be impressive w/o its featured AA working.
 
HMF

HMF

Well-Known Member
jeanericuser001 said:
Or even better yet. Make it a dance party with disco yeti.

You gotta admit though it has survived a lot longer than most rides. At this point I think it might be better to just change it with some new screen effects. Put up a few screens, add some decent projections, and it could work out.
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Screens have already been way over-utilized as a cheap way to avoid building AAs for far too long. I was actually surprised the Potter attraction in IOA actually had any physical aspects at all.
 

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