An epic refurbishment has been pencilled in for many months now, with the attraction confirmed to be closed from 21st August to 13th October 2006, a move that has already upset many guests planning to visit in the later days of this year’s Summer Magic season.

It should be noted, however, that Disneyland Resort Paris do not make decisions like this lightly – a two month closure for the park’s most popular attraction is a brave step to take. But, with the 15th Anniversary looming on the horizon, it seems the new park management is willing to take more drastic steps to make sure the park looks better than ever for its biggest ever celebration. You’d like proof? Just take a look at this latest photo from Joel’s Photo Hunt, and compare the colouring of the main body of the mountain to that of its peaks. Notice the difference? It seems the park maintenance crews have started work already, painstakingly cleaning sections of the mountain after park closure each night.

Whilst we wait for the start of the full-on refurbishment project and even more improvements to the Frontierland landscape, why not check out the attraction’s main fansite – ThunderRide.com – which features a huge range of material about the ride’s design, construction, story and much more.