It was brought to my attention I might want to clarify that I am not planning a trip to Disney World’s Expedition Everest. While Disney may be the “happiest place on Earth,” that’s not my destination.
So we can put this confusion completely to rest, let’s review a couple of key details about Expedition Everest…
Expedition Everest is an award-winning amusement park ride. Opened in April 2006, it took a team of “imagineers” months to create what they felt was a “real” Everest experience. Disney’s teams traveled to Nepal on at least 15 occasions to ensure they got it “just right.” To construct Expedition Everest approximately 18.7 million pounds of concrete and 5,000 tons of steel were used and it includes nearly 8,000 individual props. The ride take a little more than 3 minutes from start to finish.
Now some facts about Mount Everest…
It is not in Florida. It’s part of the Himalayan mountain range located between Nepal and Tibet. In Nepal, it is called Mount Sagarmāthā. The summit is 29,029 feet above sea level. The Base Camp, on the Nepali side, is at an altitude of 17,590. (FYI, I checked the National Geographic style guide to determine if it was Nepali or Nepalese. Amazing all the things I’m learning.) Everest was first summited by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in May 1953. The three-week Everest Base Camp trek is one of the most popular treks in the world with thousands of people attempting it each year.
Are we clear now? No FASTPASS. No parades. No Princesses. No photos with Mickey. And who knows, maybe the journey to EBC is really the “happiest adventure on Earth.”
Thanks for clearing that up. I was just in Disney World and had a chance to look at their version of Everest. While it is quite fasinating, I’m sure your trip to the real Everest will be much more eventful (and you never know where you might see a princess – so don’t rule that out).
anyone who knows you would know that it was NOT Disneyland!