Scrooge's club of rich explorers has declared this year's Explorer of the Year quest: searching for an ancient lost crown in the Himalayas, which rumor (and the opening flashback) claim was taken from Genghis Khan by a snow monster long ago. One unscrupulous member of the club, Sir Guy, plans to win by making sure all the other explorers are put out of the race by a series of "accidents"; soon only he and Scrooge are left in the running. Webby gets separated from the others and is found by the yeti, who turns out to be friendly. While looking for her, Scrooge finds the crown but Sir Guy steals it and makes a run down the mountain. Sir Guy takes the crown back to the Explorers' Club headquarters and is declared the winner...until Scrooge shows up with proof he got to the crown first, namely the yeti. The episode ends with her chasing the villain off into the sunset.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Abhorrent Admirer: The yeti develops a crush on Launchpad, who doesn't return the sentiments and makes a run for it as she chases after him. Luckily for him, the yeti then crushes on the villain of the week at the end, while Scrooge pokes fun at Launchpad for getting dumped.
- Abnormal Limb Rotation Range: One of the ducks in the hospital has both arms up in stirrups, bent in an impossible angle (both straight forwards from the elbow).
- Adaptation Distillation: Loosely based on the Carl Barks story of the same name.
- Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: A flashback in the opening has Genghis Khan's caravan attacked by a yeti which stole his crown. In the present, Webby befriends "Snowy", a descendant of the yeti.
- Canon Foreigner: Black Pete appears in one of his many roles, this time as Genghis Khan.
- Chased by Angry Natives: Several members of the Explorers Club have portraits with this happening to them.
- Chick Magnet: Launchpad gets some interest from the native ladies. As Scrooge is getting ready to start, he finds the pilot doing That Russian Squat Dance, with the village women looking on and clapping. Scrooge ends the performance by yanking Launchpad away. He lampshades it when volunteering to find Webby and the yeti:Launchpad: This is a switch — usually it's the girls chasing me!
- Comically Missing the Point: When their plane runs out of fuel mid-flight (Sir Guy had drilled a hole in the fuel tank) and they start to nosedive, Launchpad indignantly comments on the terrible gas mileage.
- Crippling the Competition: Sir Guy tries to take the other explorers out of the competition by injuring them or messing with their equipment and succeeds with all but Scrooge.
- Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: Sir Guy is close enough to all of his rivals that if he just kept going, instead of stopping to sabotage them, he'd likely have beaten them to the crown.
- Distracted by the Luxury: The yeti loves valuables and keeps a room full of expensive treasures.
- Dragon Hoard: It's hinted by the large pile of treasure as well as the jewels Snowy is shown wearing that her family has been looting anyone that comes through Shadow Pass, just like her ancestor did when it attacked Genghis Khan's caravan.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: After the plane runs out of fuel, Scrooge discovers there is only one parachute on board.Scrooge: Launchpad, where are the extra parachutes?
Launchpad: Safely locked up in the shed... behind the hangar... back at the airport! - Fainting: A downplayed version of the exhausted faint. When Scrooge's behavior towards the yeti causes her to run off, Webby runs after her. Scrooge tries to follow, but is still recovering from having been frozen solid and falls backwards into the triplets' arms. Launchpad offers to follow the two instead.
- Flashback: The episode begins with a scene of Genghis Khan escorting a caravan through the Himalayas, where he is attacked by a shadowy figure who steals a fancy crown he is transporting.
- Furry Confusion: The bad guy for this episode is a classic Disney dog. At one point he uses a rabbit to make the non-anthropomorphic dogs on another explorer's sled bolt.
- Gender Flip: The Abominable Snowman was male in the original Barks story.
- Hair-Trigger Avalanche: Sir Guy triggers an avalanche using a bundle of dynamite which overtakes Scrooge's party, and separates Webby from the rest long enough for the yeti to grab her.
- Harmless Freezing: Scrooge is frozen solid at one point but is fine (apart from being a bit weak) after a nap and some hot soup.
- Karma Houdini: The only punishment Sir Guy gets is to lose the title of Explorer of the Year to Scrooge again and to be chased off by the yeti, despite the fact he tried to kill Scrooge and company with an avalanche and severely injured the other explorers.
- Literal Metaphor: At the end, Scrooge calls Launchpad, whereupon the Yeti, who's Bridal Carrying him, comes in. She loses interest in Launchpad and drops him to chase after Guy. Scrooge makes a quip about him getting "dumped."
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
- Scrooge intended to parachute from the plane alone into Shadow Pass, leaving the nephews and Webby with Launchpad, but Sir Guy's sabotage forces him to take them all with him. He would not have succeeded without Webby there to befriend the yeti.
- Scrooge and company are ready to turn back rather than risk being caught in another blizzard, when Sir Guy triggers an avalanche which sweeps Webby into the yeti's clutches. Scrooge, Launchpad, and the nephews continue the quest in order to rescue her.
- Rescue Romance: Launchpad saves "Snowy" from falling off a cliff. When he finally manages to haul her up the cliff, she begins making goo-goo eyes at him, much to his dismay (and Webby's amusement).Webby: [giggling] You're her hero, Launchpad!
- Samus Is a Girl: The yeti turns out to be female. Subtly foreshadowed, as the hands we see in the flashback have painted nails.
- Sleep Cute: One of the scenes before the yeti arrives shows Scrooge's group huddled together in the small tent, with the triplets snoring in chorus and Webby cuddled up between Scrooge and Launchpad.
- Soup Is Medicine: Launchpad gives Scrooge some soup to help him recover after being frozen in a snowball for some time.
- Shout-Out: While swinging over a crevasse, Launchpad does the Tarzan yell.
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: The yeti is marked female by her rouged cheeks, hair tie, and painted nails. She is also festooned with gold jewelry, but that serves to indicate that she hoards treasure.
- That Russian Squat Dance: Launchpad performs the dance to impress the Tibetan ladies, singing nonsense in the stereotypical melody.
