Stairway To Nothingness

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Stairway to nothingness! Austrian resort builds 14 steps out over a cliff that only visitors with nerves of steel dare walk down

• Suspension bridge and glass viewing platform opened at the Dachstein Glacier resort in the Alps on Wednesday
• The 100-meter-long bridge is the highest in Austria with a 1,300ft drop to the bottom of the mountains

By Daily Mail Reporter

 

PUBLISHED: 16:04 GMT, 8 July 2013 | UPDATED: 06:47 GMT, 9 July 2013

 

With a sheer drop of 1,300ft visible beneath your feet, walking along this suspension bridge onto a glass platform jutting off the edge of a cliff is not for the fainthearted.

Opened to the public on Wednesday, the new bridge offers spectacular views of the Alps, but at such dizzying heights only the bravest are likely to test their mettle.

The 'stairway to nothingness' at the Dachstein Glacier is only for visitors with 'nerves of steel', the resort's website reads.

 

A bridge for the brave: The bridge at the Dachstein Glacier resort in Austria meanders around the stunning mountain range before descending 14 steps to a glass viewing platform, shown right

Test your mettle: The bridge was opened to the public on Wednesday but, with its vertigo-inducing views, only the bravest are likely to cross it

 

Taking in the view: Visitors to the Dachstein Glacier resort in the Alps take a few moments to look out over the mountain range situated at 1,300ft in the Alps

The suspension bridge, situated near the town of Schladming, leads to fourteen descending steps off a cliff, ending on a glass platform with vertigo-inducing views of the mountains below.

Their reward, however, is the 'pure freedom' of hovering above a 400-meter (1,300-foot) drop while taking in the spectacular landscape of the Austrian Alps.

The 100-meter-long bridge, which took six months to build, is the highest in Austria.

 

Adrenaline junkies: These visitors to the Dachstein Glacier resort are some of the first to see the stunning views from the walkway

 

 

At the top of the mountain: The bridge is situated at the highest point in Austria and offers unrivalled views over the Alps

 

Don't look down: Visitors bravely look over the glass wall at the 1,300ft drop to the bottom of the mountains

Technical director Karl Höflehner, who oversaw this spectacular project, said: 'I am absolutely delighted that we managed to reach agreement with the nature conservation authority, which means that all visitors to the Dachstein can now experience the breathtaking sensation of being suspended above the rock face as they gaze over the Alps.'

The work on the suspension bridge was at times carried out in exceptionally challenging conditions but Mr Höflehner said the most important thing was that the work was completed with none of the construction workers being injured.

The resort website claims that the end result is one of the most spectacular ways 'of savouring the superb natural backdrop of the Dachstein glacier'.

 

Boosting trade: The Dachstein Glacier resort is one of the most popular in Austria - with its new suspension bridge expected to draw more visitors.

 

Under construction: The 100-metre-long suspension bridge in the middle of construction at the Dachstein Glacier resort in the Alps

 

Getting started: The bridge and platform, which took a total of six months to build, in the very early stages of construction.

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