S
trung across gaping gorges, jutting out from sheer
cliffs, or attached to vertigo-inducing towers,
skywalks come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
However, they all have one thing in common: the
promise of a breathtaking and memorable view for
those who find the courage to step off terra firma.
While it’s natural for us to be afraid when we look down
and see there’s nothing under our feet, it helps to remember that
every glass skywalk is over-engineered and can support an
immense weight.
In this global roundup, we check out some of the most
outrageous skywalks ever constructed.
It certainly takes courage to cross Haohan Qiao (“brave man’s
bridge”), a 180m-high glass-decked suspension bridge that hangs
across a canyon in Shiniuzhai National Geological Park in Hunan
province. The death-defying 300m-long bridge was originally
made of wood. After the park successfully replaced a small
portion of the bridge with glass in 2014, it later decided to redo
the entire structure in glass much to the delight of folks who love
heights. A sheet of glass 24mm thick is all that separates
pedestrians from the valley below.
Haohan Qiao,
Mainland China
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PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES(CHINA FOTO PRESS)
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