Big Thunder Mountain
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The Attraction
One of the main attractions of the Disneyland Park. Once the rider has been seated in their 'mine train' they will, straight away, plunge underneath the lake and keep back to the surface on the mountain to begin the runway chaos. The train ride first traverses a cave full of stalactites and water dripping down towards a mysterious pool with sub-surface eruptions of mysterious lights. The cave ends in a waterfall that acts as the veil separating the cave environment from the outside. The ride then proceeds through a rocky western mountain environment with lots of cactii, wild animals such as coyotes and opossums and wooden structures related to the gold mining theme of the ride. After travelling through a splashdown and some helix curves the train climbs the third lift hill inside the Thunder Mesa Gold Mine where the intrusion o fthe train sets off an explosion that not only propels the train out of the mine again but also reveals the mine to be ripe with gold. The train makes a final grand tour of the high ground of the island and then thunders down a disused mine shaft into the darkness of the subterranean tunnels, passing a cave filled with bats along the way. Finally, the train ascends a final assistance lift hill and is back at the unload area. A photo is taken during the ride and is sold at the exit of the ride at Thunder Mesa Photography. The ride features no inversions and is considered a family friendly coaster but is neverheless highly regarded by more hard core roller coaster fans for its excellent theming and smoothness.
| Big Thunder Mountain | |
|---|---|
| Type | Roller coaster |
| Manufacturer | Vekoma |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| System | Vekoma Custom MK-900 M |
| Opened | 12th April 1992 |
| Length | 1500 m |
| Height | 22 m |
| max. Speed | 65 km/h |
| Duration | 3:56 min |
| Capacity | 2424 riders per hour |
| Number of trains | 6 |
| Capacity per train | 30 |
| Queue | very long wait 
|
| Minimal height | 1.02 cm |
Tips
- Since this is a very popular attraction, use the Fast Pass this will cut off a lot of time queuing.
- When boarding the attraction, ask to be seated at the very back of the train (most Cast Members will happily seat you there if you ask unless they are under stress). Since BTM is a traditional lift-hill roller coaster, the best ride experience is to be had at the back of the train. Many people ask to sit in the front, but as the BTM trains have a locomotive in the very front of the train, the view isn't that exciting.
- If it is a windy day, keep an eye out when you arrive at the second lift hill (amongst the old mill, with the donkeys grassing on the right side of the train). If the wind hits the show buildings just right, the cloth hanging in the doorway of the first building will reveal the inside of the building. This was once occupied by a mannequin of a cowboy (or rather a hillbilly) in a bathtub. The mannequin has long been removed, but the voice track remains - as does the bathtub!
- The ride photo is taken in the splashdown area of the ride (i.e. when the train dives down towards the water, closest to the shore of Phantom Manor and Boot Hill). The best pictures are usually taken either on cloudy days or at dusk.
