Napa family recreates Disney’s famous Matterhorn ride in elaborate backyard roller coaster
The LaRochelle family in Napa has built a backyard roller coaster modeled on Disneyland's Matterhorn.
NAPA, Calif. - A Napa family may have taken the idea of making the best of a situation to an entirely new level.
On Halloween, members of the LaRochelle family shared how they’d been spending their time sheltered in place: working on an impressive and elaborate backyard roller coaster à la Disney’s famous Matterhorn ride.
“We couldn't get to Disneyland during the quarantine, so we brought Disneyland to us," the family shared on social media, under the name Magictecture.
Sean LaRochelle played a major role in creating the Matterhorn: Alpine Escape. Not surprising, he's studying to get his a degree in architecture and also not surprising, he described himself as being obsessed with Disney rides. He and a team made up of some 30 family members and friends worked on the project, which took about four months to complete.
With Napa’s iconic vineyards as a backdrop, the Matterhorn: Alpine Escape stands two stories, as the ride takes its passengers rolling through mountain tunnels and twists and turns. Swiss flags adorn the structure which is complete with a large waterfall and several water fountains, and it even has its own red beady eyed Abominable Snowman lurking in a dark tunnel.
In response to a comment on YouTube, Magictecture wrote, "It took a colossal amount of labor and collaboration, but it was totally worth it!"
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On Facebook, Sean LaRochelle's wife, Emily Grace LaRochelle, shared video of the completed ride and joked, “Check out what we did during COVID-19. Sean told me it was just going to be a ‘small ride for the kids.’”
Videos of the ride have been posted to Magictecture’s YouTube channel which was described as being “dedicated to recreating classic Disney rides and exploring the architectural features that made them iconic.”
The videos of the Napa Valley Matterhorn remake have been shared across the country and around the world.
The LaRochelle family in Napa showed progress on their backyard roller coaster.