A towering icon since 1959, the Matterhorn stands as Walt Disney’s boldest leap into mountain‑sized storytelling.
INYIM’s Way Back Wednesday spotlights Disneyland’s seminal ride — the Matterhorn Bobsleds, a groundbreaking attraction that forever changed the landscape of theme park design.
A compact side edit for a Disneyland history rabbit hole built on old-school ingenuity, mountain-myth magic, and ride-design obsession.
Steel, snow, and Disney ambition
The pull here is part engineering feat, part fantasy landmark. It is the kind of attraction story that makes theme-park design feel as cinematic as the ride itself.
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Debuting in 1959, the Matterhorn wasn’t just another ride — it was a revolution. The world’s first tubular steel roller coaster. The first mountain built for a theme park. And the first time Walt Disney fused engineering, artistry, and cinematic illusion into a single, towering experience.
Inspired by Walt’s travels through Switzerland and his fascination with the real Matterhorn, the attraction became a passion project. He wanted something majestic, something impossible, something that would make guests look up and gasp. And he got it.
The result? A 147‑foot alpine peak rising out of Anaheim, complete with icy caverns, roaring winds, and the now‑legendary Abominable Snowman. It was Imagineering’s first true mega‑build — and a blueprint for every mountain Disney would construct afterward.
Dig out the intriguing and astounding history behind this 1959 marvel below.
Watch: How Disneyland’s Matterhorn Was Built
Join the chat. Is the Matterhorn still Disneyland’s most iconic mountain in your book?
