California dad builds Matterhorn-inspired roller coaster in his backyard during COVID-19 shelter in place

KABC logo
Monday, November 9, 2020
Napa man builds Disneyland-inspired coaster in his backyard
With the novel coronavirus pandemic closing amusement parks across the country, one Napa man decided to bring one of his favorite Disneyland roller coasters to his home.

NAPA, Calif. -- While many people are finding different hobbies while forced to shelter in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



California has still not allowed amusement parks to reopen. That inspired one man to bring one of his favorite Disneyland roller coasters to his home.



Sean LaRochelle of Napa recreated the Matterhorn in his backyard. He tried to nail every detail of the alpine-themed coaster, right down to the yeti!



LaRochelle said he started building the two-story coaster at the end of March, and he finished it in July.



WATCH: Sean LaRochelle's Matterhorn - Alpine Escpae full ride


Here's what it looks like riding Sean LaRochelle's Matterhorn-themed roller coaster in his backyard.


"I always wanted to build a ride and Disney rides are always special to me because they're themed; they tell a unique story," he said.



RELATED: Florida dad creates Disney sidewalk art during coronavirus pandemic



LaRochelle is trying to look on the bright side of the new normal.



"They talk about all the negatives of COVID, but one of the benefits of COVID is you have all this time and you realize you know, 'what can I be doing with all this time?'"



He said he was inspired by a family who created a "Pirates of the Caribbean" inspired walkthrough in their home.



WATCH: Morgan's Cove is a hidden pirate treasure located in a San Francisco Bay Area back yard


Have you ever wanted to walkthrough the Pirates of the Caribbean ride? You can at this Bay Area home!


"COVID changed everything and you know, you want to bring a little bit of normalcy back into your life and for me growing up, Disney was a huge part of that, and so I definitely wanted to bring that to my family," LaRochelle said.



LaRochelle said he got a lot of help from his brother who was the "mechanical genius." He also said he was grateful for 30 of his friends who came out to social distance and help along the way.



He's currently going to graduate school for architecture and this is one way to build his portfolio.



LaRochelle said he made the coaster for his family and friends and cant wait to build another Disney-themed ride again.



Disney is the parent company of this station.

Copyright © 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.