An incredible staircase on the side of a mountain, reaching 300 feet into the sky
Stairs to the Stars
The staircase at Tainhang is an interesting structure, in that it does not function as a traditional staircase with the purpose of connecting one level to another, but instead purely exists to be a staircase – a very tall staircase in a beautiful location.
The Taihang Mountain range covers an area 250 miles in length, passing through three provinces (Shanxi, Henan and Hebai) in China, with peaks ranging from 5000 feet to the principle peak of Xiao Wutaishan rising to nine and a half thousand feet.
Local tourism officials in the area were looking for ways to increase visitors to the area, and came up with the idea of the huge mountainside spiral staircase as a way to draw in tourists from around the world. The stairs were constructed in 2012 and sold as a thrill seeking experience for people also wanting to experience the natural beauty of the mountains.
Truly Elevating
The staircase is said to creak alarmingly when the wind blows, and visitors are required to sign a waiver before climbing them to say that they are under 60 years old and do not suffer from any pre-existing heart or lung conditions or other poor health before climbing the colossal structure.
You might not have considered climbing a staircase to be a way to get an adrenaline rush before, but the enormous spiral at Taihang is described as exactly that! It’s also been described as a way for more people to experience the thrill of mountaineering without having to actually climb a mountain (with ropes and picks in the usual way).