2020—the year of the virus—has given large swathes of people ample time to faff about. And while that’s meant endless baking projects for some, for others, this massive amount of free time has been used to build extraordinary things. Like this backyard version of Disneyland’s famous Matterhorn roller coaster, for example. Which genuinely looks like a kid’s dream come true.
The miniature Matterhorn, which comes via Boing Boing, is located in Napa Valley, California. The LaRochelle family built the roller coaster as a substitute for the real deal, which they haven’t had access to this year. (Due to California’s COVID-19 restrictions, Disneyland is still not open for business.)
The family recently posted the full reveal of the roller coaster to its nascent YouTube channel, Magictecture. The family refers to the coaster as Matterhorn: Alpine Escape, and claims it’s “the most elaborate and detailed backyard roller coaster ever built!”
Magictecture
That is a mightily bold claim to be sure, although it may be true. In the video up top, the LaRochelles show off their coaster, and each go-round is a solid 30-seconds of weeeeeeeeeeeee! Not only does the coaster look fun, but it also has tons of details harkening to the original ride. The most prominent, of course, being the angry Yeti that roars right before riders dip, bob, and twist back down to Earth.
Magictecture
Unfortunately, the LaRochelle family didn’t provide any details regarding how it built the coaster. While they’re unnecessary for enjoying the roller coaster, it’d still be nice to know how many hours the family spent on it; along with how much it cost. Because some of us still don’t have any access to exciting theme park rides. And with enough time on our hands, we may want to start building a bunch of wild backyard rides too.