Expedition Everest History: When It Opened and What Happened to the Yeti

Quick answers

When did Expedition Everest open? It officially opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom on April 7, 2006, per Disney's opening-day press release (archived by WDW Magic). Preview rides began earlier, in January 2006.

When did the Yeti stop working? Disney has never published an exact date or cause. Press and fan accounts say the Yeti stopped full motion within its first couple of years (reports differ between late 2006 and 2007) and has since run in a stationary, strobe-lit "B-mode."

Is the Yeti being fixed? On August 15, 2026, Disney announced it is "bringing the Yeti back to life." As of this update, Disney has not announced a start date, completion date, or what the work involves.

Expedition Everest is Disney's Himalayan runaway-train coaster, and its most famous feature is a Yeti that mostly hasn't moved. Here's what the official record says, what's only been reported, and what Disney announced in 2026.

A mountain built around one creature

Expedition Everest officially opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom on April 7, 2006, with Disney CEO Bob Iger presiding (Disney opening-day press release). Preview rides had begun on January 26, 2006, according to Wikipedia. Disney's release describes the mountain as "towering nearly 200 feet high" on a 6.2-acre site in the park's Asia section.

Walt Disney Imagineering designed the attraction, with Joe Rohde as the Imagineer in charge. Commonly cited figures put the mountain at 199.5 feet, the track at 4,112 feet, the lift hill at 118 feet, and the top speed at 50 mph (Wikipedia).

The ride builds to one moment: a face-to-face encounter with a Yeti Audio-Animatronic, reported at about 25 feet tall and designed to lunge toward the passing train.

The animatronic that broke the mountain

The Yeti ran in full motion only briefly after opening. Disney has never published a detailed account of what went wrong or exactly when, so everything in this section comes from press and fan reporting, and those reports don't fully agree:

• Timing: Wikipedia, citing a 2010 Orlando Sentinel report, says the figure's framing split a few months after opening in 2006. WDW Magic dates the structural damage to late 2007.
• Cause: Explanations have ranged from a cracked concrete base to damage in the figure itself. Wikipedia notes the concrete theory was long speculated, and that the prevailing view is that the damage is to the animatronic, not the base.

Whatever the cause, the Yeti has since run in "B-mode": the figure holds still while strobe lights flash, suggesting movement. Fans nicknamed it the "Disco Yeti."

In 2013, Joe Rohde described the challenge at a D23 Expo panel: "It's a giant complicated machine sitting on top of, like, a 46-foot tall tower in the middle of a finished building. So, it's really hard to fix, but we are working on it" (as quoted on Wikipedia).

After Disney's 2026 announcement, Ethan Reed, who says he was the figure's animator during development, wrote on Instagram that he had suggested the strobe effect for the "B-show" (WDW Magic).

Nearly twenty years in B-mode

For most of Expedition Everest's history, the strobe-lit B-mode is the only version of the Yeti most riders have seen. It started as a workaround, and it lasted so long that Disney's plan to replace it became big news in 2026.

The August 2026 announcement

On August 15, 2026, on the "Horizons: A Carousel of Progress" stage at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Thomas Mazloum, Chairman of Disney Experiences, announced: "We're bringing the Yeti back to life inside Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom!" Gloria Gaynor then performed "I Will Survive" as a send-off for the disco-era Yeti (Disney Parks Blog).

This was an announcement of future work, not a finished repair. Disney's post gives no start date, completion date, or details on what the work involves, and says only to "stay tuned" for updates.

Where the ride stands in our data today

Yeti drama aside, Expedition Everest remains one of Animal Kingdom's headline rides. When this article was first published in August 2026, our historical wait-time data showed it averaging 21.1 minutes, with a best hour of 8am (6.1 minutes) and a worst hour of 12pm (38.6 minutes) — more than six times longer at midday than at rope drop.

Attraction	Zone	Avg wait (min)	Best hour	Worst hour
Avatar Flight of Passage	Pandora	49.8	7pm (29.5)	8am (66.2)
Na'vi River Journey	Pandora	33.7	7pm (14.8)	12pm (49.9)
Kali River Rapids	Asia	31.8	8pm (3.3)	2pm (49.4)
Kilimanjaro Safaris	Africa	23.4	7pm (7.1)	10am (57.1)
Expedition Everest	Asia	21.1	8am (6.1)	12pm (38.6)

Historical averages as of August 2026, not a forecast. Averages change as new data comes in, so check the live page linked below for current figures.

If a full-motion Yeti does return, the ride may need downtime for the work, and demand could change afterward. Disney hasn't announced either. Until then, early morning has historically been the shortest line.

For the current hour-by-hour breakdown and live posted waits, see the Animal Kingdom wait times page. To plan the rest of your day, check the Animal Kingdom Pandora guide, the Animal Kingdom Africa and Asia guide, and the Animal Kingdom half-day plan.

Sources

• Expedition Everest Opening Day press release (Disney, April 7, 2006, archived by WDW Magic)
• Yeti Audio-Animatronic Coming Back to Life Inside Expedition Everest — Disney Parks Blog (August 15, 2026)
• Expedition Everest — Wikipedia
• BREAKING: The Expedition Everest Yeti Is FINALLY Getting Fixed in Disney World! — AllEars.Net
• BREAKING: Disney Officially Confirms Yeti Fix at Expedition Everest — Blog Mickey
• Expedition Everest Yeti's Original Animator Speaks Out, Reveals B Mode Was His Idea — WDW Magic

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