Lake Buena Vista, Florida – Disney’s most famous water park is themed to a ski resort.
The legend of Blizzard Beach goes a little something like this: a colossal snowstorm supposedly hit Orlando on January 11, 1977. Developers jumped at the chance to open a ski resort, adding a lift and other winter attractions to Mt. Gushmore. However, the snow melted quickly, leading the operators to get ready to pack their bags and move on. Then, they saw the future mascot, Ice Gator, slide off one of the melted ski jumps, inspiring the operators to build a water park there instead.
The Blizzard Beach water park opened in 1995. Its water slides, pools, buildings, and dining options are themed to a ski resort. Frequently regarded as one of the best water parks on the planet, Blizzard Beach is genuinely one of Walt Disney Imagineering’s most outstanding achievements.
However, not everything at the waterpark worked according to plan.
Theme Park Crazy recently covered a water slide that never opened at the “ski resort.” Mogul Mania was a wide tube slide with bumps that resembled a bump run at a ski area.
Information online is limited, as it never opened to the public with the rest of Blizzard Beach. However, a Disney Sing-A-Long VHS episode showed some kids going down the slide. Based on the crashes demonstrated in the video, it would have probably resulted in many injuries. According to a user on one internet forum, Disney Castmembers allegedly tried it out and deemed it too unsafe for the general public to experience.
The slide was eventually removed. In its place are the Cool Runners slides, which are a much tamer experience. Blizzard Beach is currently closed for refurbishment.
Image/Video Credits: The Walt Disney Company, Theme Park Crazy
