These observation decks, only the most courageous climb them
Some observation deck are adorable, fantastic and captivating when viewed in photos or from the ground, but stories changed to some people when they climb at the top of them. In these observation decks listed below, only the most courageous people can climb them.
To all appearances, modern people, accustomed to a comfortable and measured life, really lack adrenaline. Even watching horror movies and visiting a roller coaster does not help. How else to understand that more and more tourists are ready to fly to distant lands to see the most terrible observation decks in the world? But the mere sight of these structures “hovering” over the abyss, in theory, should discourage any desire to visit them.
Skywalk (USA)
The Grand Canyon Skywalk Observation Deck is located in Arizona (USA). It is an arched corridor, which, like a balcony, hangs over the abyss. The floor and walls of this site are transparent, and if you know that you are at an altitude of 1 km 219 meters, it becomes especially creepy. But if you are not afraid of heights, you can enjoy the stunning views of the Grand Canyon, which, by the way, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Colorado River flowing somewhere far below.
Skywalk opened 11 years ago, and over the years, its popularity has only grown. Particularly disturbing visitors are reassured by the fact that the thickness of the glass floor is 10 cm, and this unique structure can withstand eight times more than the load that it usually experiences – almost 5 tons per square meter.
Bridge at Engelberg (Switzerland)
The pedestrian bridge in the Engelberg ski resort (Switzerland) is considered the highest in the world. At the beginning of the last century, a cable car was opened there, and it was possible to move only by funiculars. Now you can walk over a snow-covered mountain abyss – along a narrow (less than a meter wide) bridge, which, by the way, also sways.
The entire path takes 150 meters, and if you do not think that you are at an altitude of 500 meters, you can try to pull yourself together and take pictures of the gorgeous views of the Alps during the journey.
Observation deck in Alpspitz (Germany)
The Alpspitze observation deck, opened eight years ago, consists of two crossed arched bridge-balconies protruding 13 meters above a two-kilometre abyss. From there, you can see beautiful views of the mountains and remote villages, and you can look at the thick clouds not from bottom to top but from top to bottom.
Many visitors notice that the structure wobbles slightly when they step on the slatted floor and becomes very eerie. And they’re very often, a piercing wind blows, and at such moments it seems that now you will simply be blown away.
Glass sky “Bridge of Fear” (China)
The “Glass Sky Trail”, like a long balcony attached to the Tianmen Mountain in the Chinese province of Hunan, is just one of several similar viewing platforms in the Middle Kingdom. Still, it is usually the one that causes the greatest horror among travellers. Although its length is only 60 meters, the 1.5-kilometre abyss under the glass floor involuntarily forces especially impressionable tourists in the literal sense of the word “to walk along the wall.” And from the fact that you are walking along the sheer wall, it seems that you are a real climber, and this makes the path even more exciting. Above the abyss, you involuntarily press yourself against the wall.
Not far from this observation deck, another “trail of fear” is a very long and transparent suspension bridge. It is located at an altitude of 180 meters, but it is considered the most terrible and longest (300 meters) of all such bridges in the world.
This path is also eerie, although incredibly beautiful, but the structure itself is much wider and more impressive than the “path” on the rock. However, earlier, this bridge was made of wood, and even then, there were daredevils to walk on it.
“Sky Bridge” Langkawi (Malaysia)
Malaysia also has a terrible observation deck – this is an arched bridge built 10 km from Langkawi airport. The structure connects two mountains and is held by its only support – a metal pylon in the centre. To get to the bridge, you must first take a ride on one of the funiculars that start from the local village and then go up to the bridge’s southern end by an inclined elevator or on foot along the trail.
To make walking along this long corridor more frightening and at the same time more interesting, there are transparent “windows” underfoot every now and then. And at both ends of the bridge, there are triangular viewing platforms from which the beauty of Malaysia opens up in full view.
