If you happen to love travelling and adrenaline, this trip will be just the thing for you. However, if you aren't physically fit, adept climbers or are afraid of heights, forget about this ecstasy straight away. Just getting to the ladder itself, located in the Gosaukamm area in Austria, is only for the toughest. If you aren't afraid of heights, look at this breathtaking video by photographer and traveler Markéta Schusterová.
The ladder was built in Austria mere 3 years ago. Thanks to social media, millions of people have put this hike on their bucket list. This makes up to two hundred people a day show up in Gosau during the season.
Poor shape
This via ferrata has the difficulty grade of C, meaning it really isn't meant for beginners.
"It's apparently not uncommon for people to have to be rescued by a helicopter, because they underestimated the conditions. They think they'll make it. But just making it to the ladder alone takes about four hours. It's situated between two peaks of a mountain range,"
Mezonetový zařízený byt 5+kk na pronájem-Praha, Praha 1
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the experienced traveler and adrenaline junkie Markéta told LP-life.cz.
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Dámy jsou sportovkyně, měly síly i na zábavu. Source: archiv M. Schusterové
She hired a guide with one of her friends, incidentally the person who had built the ladder. Apparently not that many tourists used to come there before, so they were wondering how to liven it up, to make more people come to Austria for hiking. Whether the sky ladder was a good or a bad idea is hard to say.
"He says that it always literally makes him laugh when especially Asians from China call him, saying they have an hour and they want him to get them to the ladder."
It means that it can often happen, especially in summer, that there will be an onslaught of view-hungry tourists on the peaks. Then situations happen where the less experienced ones who underestimated the via ferrata's difficulty are holding everyone up, because they simply cannot keep climbing.
The view is chilling
The ladder is 40 meters long and it has become one of Austria's biggest draws. It offers beautiful view of not only the Dachstein glacier, but also of Austria's tallest mountain, Großglockner. Most adventurers who have gone there agree that the view of the panorama is breathtaking.
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Číňané by to chtěli zvládnout za hodinu. Source: archiv M. Schusterové
"We took four hours to get there, with a break for drone flying. When we made it to the top, it was an amazing feeling. The terrain was difficult, it had rained the previous day, so it was rather slippery. We were all sore the following days from going so hard. But it's a priceless experience nonetheless,"
says Schusterová, adding that it only takes an hour to get down. Through horrible terrain and a via a chair-lift, so everyone can probably actually make that.
