Disneyland at home? Family creates mini-Matterhorn ride in California yard, video shows

One California family didn’t let the coronavirus lockdown this summer go to waste.

The LaRochelle family built a smaller — but fully operational — version of Disneyland’s Matterhorn Bobsleds ride in its Napa County back yard, the Napa Valley Register reports.

The 400-foot-long roller coaster comes complete with waterfalls, flame effects and an animatronic yeti named Jarold, according to the publication.

“They talk about all the negatives of COVID, but one of the benefits of COVID is you have all this time and you realize you know, ‘What can I be doing with all this time?’” said lead designer Sean LaRochelle, KGO reported.

LaRochelle, an architecture graduate student, worked on the project with his family and about 30 friends while sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the station.

“Growing up, Disneyland was something I loved,” LaRochelle said, the Napa Valley Register reported. “I’ve always wanted to create a roller coaster.”

The project also gave him a chance to build his architecture portfolio, LaRochelle told KGO. He said he was inspired by a family that built a Pirates of the Caribbean walk-through.

Videos posted by the LaRochelle family to YouTube show the 20-foot-high Matterhorn Alpine Escape ride, which features snow-covered “rock” walls with a steel track.

Carts carrying single riders, some wearing safety helmets, climb a lift hill and zoom around the mini-coaster.

The ride itself, shown in a separate point-of-view video, lasts about 50 seconds.

The project took from March until August and cost about $15,000 to build, the Napa Valley Register reports. It’s not open to the public and the LaRochelle family expects to dismantle it soon to make way for another project.

Disneyland remains closed under California regulations to curb the spread of coronavirus.

This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Disneyland at home? Family creates mini-Matterhorn ride in California yard, video shows."