Expedition Everest effects status watch

[reptar77]

I just consider myself lucky to have ridden it in April 2006 after it opened. Steam effects, moving yeti... You felt like the yeti’s hand was actually going to grab you, and you could almost reach out and touch it. It was glorious. I yearn for guests to experience a moving yeti again one day. Strobe lights can’t come close to simulating the thrill.

Same for us. Disco Yeti SUCKS compared to how it originally worked.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

Losing the fog was indeed even more significant than losing the yeti's movement. It masked the track switches, created the powerful/disorienting experience of falling through the fog into the darkness, and more broadly made it feel like you were high up in the misty mountains... I think we focus more on the yeti because it's an "obvious" / story-central effect, but the fog added at least as much to the whole experience.

If I remember/understand correctly, the fog effect was intermittently tripping sensors that caused ride stops - but I could be totally wrong about this. I've also heard things about rust, Florida humidity, etc. Does anyone have further insight into their reasons for giving up on the fog? And considering the reasons, the prospects for a renewed attempted when EE is one day, finally, finally refurbished?

Value engineering. The original design called for nitrogen-based fog, to give you that real "chill" of being up in the Himalayas. But here's the thing. Nozzles for LN2 are like 5k bucks apiece. That doesn't even include the piping. The nozzles for water-based mist are about 5 bucks apiece. Had to go with the water-based system. One problem though, no one went back to re-design the drain structure in the areas where the nozzles were. The water-based mist was creating deep puddles because someone didn't realize there was a VEed substitution. This created hazardous conditions for the maintenance walks and evacuations, so that's why they're off now. The mist nozzles all still work, they just have to be turned on in the control room. They're not meant to be run anymore though because of what I just described.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Value engineering. The original design called for nitrogen-based fog, to give you that real "chill" of being up in the Himalayas. But here's the thing. Nozzles for LN2 are like 5k bucks apiece. That doesn't even include the piping. The nozzles for water-based mist are about 5 bucks apiece. Had to go with the water-based system. One problem though, no one went back to re-design the drain structure in the areas where the nozzles were. The water-based mist was creating deep puddles because someone didn't realize there was a VEed substitution. This created hazardous conditions for the maintenance walks and evacuations, so that's why they're off now. The mist nozzles all still work, they just have to be turned on in the control room. They're not meant to be run anymore though because of what I just described.

I heard that the mist nozzles were integrated into the ride's infrastructure and the mountain's foundation and that replacing them would require breaking up the concrete everything is set in and would require a two year refurbishment.

 

[VicariousCorpse]

I heard that the mist nozzles were integrated into the ride's infrastructure and the mountain's foundation and that replacing them would require breaking up the concrete everything is set in and would require a two year refurbishment.

Just have the yeti do it. He's been refurbing the track around that point for almost 15 years without closure of the ride.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

I heard that the mist nozzles were integrated into the ride's infrastructure and the mountain's foundation and that replacing them would require breaking up the concrete everything is set in and would require a two year refurbishment.

Some pipes are, the nozzles aren’t.

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

Value engineering. The original design called for nitrogen-based fog, to give you that real "chill" of being up in the Himalayas. But here's the thing. Nozzles for LN2 are like 5k bucks apiece. That doesn't even include the piping. The nozzles for water-based mist are about 5 bucks apiece. Had to go with the water-based system. One problem though, no one went back to re-design the drain structure in the areas where the nozzles were. The water-based mist was creating deep puddles because someone didn't realize there was a VEed substitution. This created hazardous conditions for the maintenance walks and evacuations, so that's why they're off now. The mist nozzles all still work, they just have to be turned on in the control room. They're not meant to be run anymore though because of what I just described.

Thank you for taking the time to provide these details. This is really informative (albeit disheartening).

 

[Rodj]

Value engineering. The original design called for nitrogen-based fog, to give you that real "chill" of being up in the Himalayas. But here's the thing. Nozzles for LN2 are like 5k bucks apiece. That doesn't even include the piping. The nozzles for water-based mist are about 5 bucks apiece. Had to go with the water-based system. One problem though, no one went back to re-design the drain structure in the areas where the nozzles were. The water-based mist was creating deep puddles because someone didn't realize there was a VEed substitution. This created hazardous conditions for the maintenance walks and evacuations, so that's why they're off now. The mist nozzles all still work, they just have to be turned on in the control room. They're not meant to be run anymore though because of what I just described.

Back right before the Pandemic hit, Disney was going to test non water-based fog at Tower of Terror, which would be beneficial here as well.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

Wait, did I miss something? The Yeti no longer works and is being lit by strobes?

I heard that the mist nozzles were integrated into the ride's infrastructure and the mountain's foundation and that replacing them would require breaking up the concrete everything is set in and would require a two year refurbishment.

Someone already answered this, but I just wanted to ask... why is it that every repair to the Yeti is some impossible feat? Rhetorical question... was it really so poorly designed that makes every repair impossible? It can't be taken apart for repair, can't be removed from the building, every bolt is made of titanium-kryptonite that costs $1M per part to replace but couldn't be removed without dismantling every ride in AK first so you can access that bolt... I mean it's ri-gosh-darn-diculous!!! Sorry for the rant, but at least I'm ranting to folks who are equally pi$$ed off about it.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Wait, did I miss something? The Yeti no longer works and is being lit by strobes?


Someone already answered this, but I just wanted to ask... why is it that every repair to the Yeti is some impossible feat? Rhetorical question... was it really so poorly designed that makes every repair impossible? It can't be taken apart for repair, can't be removed from the building, every bolt is made of titanium-kryptonite that costs $1M per part to replace but couldn't be removed without dismantling every ride in AK first so you can access that bolt... I mean it's ri-gosh-darn-diculous!!! Sorry for the rant, but at least I'm ranting to folks who are equally pi$$ed off about it.

My post was a joke.

The Yeti AA is basically plug and play. It can be removed, examined, put back overnight (and it has).

The wrong-rumor mill has it that the Yeti is attached to the frame of the ride (not true), that it's attached to a framework anchored in concrete that has been weakened and needs a total replacement (not true).

The problem is that the AA's own movements create too much torque for its own 'skeleton' to take.

Removing the Yeti and putting in a new, correctly working one is easy.

It's building a new, working Yeti that's an issue (plus newer, more stringent safety guidelines regarding a one ton AA swinging at people overhead -- not to mention the cost).

But people keep coming to this thread posting the incorrect rumors. My nozzle-post was an homage to their lack of knowledge.

 

[EagleScout610]

My post was a joke.

The Yeti AA is basically plug and play. It can be removed, examined, put back overnight (and it has).

The wrong-rumor mill has it that the Yeti is attached to the frame of the ride (not true), that it's attached to a framework anchored in concrete that has been weakened and needs a total replacement (not true).

The problem is that the AA's own movements create too much torque for its own 'skeleton' to take.

Removing the Yeti and putting in a new, correctly working one is easy.

It's building a new, working Yeti that's an issue (plus newer, more stringent safety guidelines regarding a one ton AA swinging at people overhead -- not to mention the cost).

But people keep coming to this thread posting the incorrect rumors. My nozzle-post was an homage to their lack of knowledge.

By "removed" are we talking full on system (yeti, vroom, supports)or just the actual animated figure?

 

[MisterPenguin]

By "removed" are we talking full on system (yeti, vroom, supports)or just the actual animated figure?

That, I don't know.

 

[EagleScout610]

That, I don't know.

@marni1971 ? Any ideas?

 

[marni1971]

@marni1971 ? Any ideas?

Pass. I’ve only seen images from track level

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

My post was a joke.

The Yeti AA is basically plug and play. It can be removed, examined, put back overnight (and it has).

The wrong-rumor mill has it that the Yeti is attached to the frame of the ride (not true), that it's attached to a framework anchored in concrete that has been weakened and needs a total replacement (not true).

The problem is that the AA's own movements create too much torque for its own 'skeleton' to take.

Removing the Yeti and putting in a new, correctly working one is easy.

It's building a new, working Yeti that's an issue (plus newer, more stringent safety guidelines regarding a one ton AA swinging at people overhead -- not to mention the cost).

But people keep coming to this thread posting the incorrect rumors. My nozzle-post was an homage to their lack of knowledge.

Yep, I hear ya. Obviously I was kidding too, but every time someone posts to this thread about a fix, folks always describe it as the equivalent of waking up fast enough to see your self still sleeping. The only thing I know about the ride systems is from that eons old History Channel documentary about WDW. When they spoke of EE, they showed and described three different systems that are intertwined... the coaster, the mountain, and the Yeti. That's all I know to be true (as I'm sure all realize), that the Yeti is a separate system on it's own. Why they haven't been able to remedy this situation in 13 years....

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

I thought the Yeti issue was a legal one?! They could fix it but it'd have to be substantially different to what was/is there currently. #ThanksBe2OSHA

Although FWIW, I think it'd make sense to relocate it anyway.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

I thought the Yeti issue was a legal one?! They could fix it but it'd have to be substantially different to what was/is there currently. #ThanksBe2OSHA

Although FWIW, I think it'd make sense to relocate it anyway.

Darn those stringent and ever-changing safety measures!

Relocating the Yeti if the space could be found makes a TON of sense. I never thought of that since it's supposed to be the climax they build up to. My beef is that it happens way too fast to really appreciate. You wait in line for however long, then 4 mins into the ride you get a split-second blurry, shaky glimpse of the Disco Yeti. Hang a giant poster there, and you get the same effect. Why not project something onto a screen in that area that you're gonna fly through anyway, and put the big scary AA someplace you can enjoy it for 4 or 5 seconds.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

Darn those stringent and ever-changing safety measures!

Relocating the Yeti if the space could be found makes a TON of sense. I never thought of that since it's supposed to be the climax they build up to. My beef is that it happens way too fast to really appreciate. You wait in line for however long, then 4 mins into the ride you get a split-second blurry, shaky glimpse of the Disco Yeti. Hang a giant poster there, and you get the same effect. Why not project something onto a screen in that area that you're gonna fly through anyway, and put the big scary AA someplace you can enjoy it for 4 or 5 seconds.

Oops. Saw where @MisterPenguin said similar. But I definitely think a better story could be told moving the Yeti to a different location.

 

[EagleScout610]

Oops. Saw where @MisterPenguin said similar. But I definitely think a better story could be told moving the Yeti to a different location.

I've thought of reworking the tunnel where you launch forward after the backwards segment would work. Put the yeti in the cave, keep the cave dark while the track switches and a few moments before launch have him swing out at you. This way it feels like you've escaped him and are now on a chase away from him.

 

[marni1971]

I thought the Yeti issue was a legal one?!

$$$

 

[EagleScout610]

$$$

And location and size and performance