Halfway between the traditional Walser mountain village of Mürren and the top of the Schilthorn in Switzerland lies the Birg intermediate tram station. At 8,783 feet, the station provides visitors with a jaw-dropping view of some of the world’s most postcard-worthy mountains. It already had a “Birg Terrace,” which offers amazing panoramic views, but the team at Schilthornbahn AG took things to a whole new level last year.
First, they built the “Skyline Walk” to the already existing terrace. Because of its steel and glass structure, the grillage walkway and its angular shape, the new platform offers new and unimpeded views of the entire mountain panorama, as well as heady views into the depths.
But thrill seekers got an even better treat. Attached to the “Skyline Walk,” construction workers built a pathway called the “Thrill Walk” leading down into the vertical walls of the imposing rock massif. The 200-meter-long steel structure clings to the rock, then swings under the observation platform and the cable car to end below the cable car station.
The path includes a variety of sections and is an interplay of air, glass and grating. Meters of glass-bottom floors are followed by meters of cattle grid type of flooring, there is an 8-meter-long Nepal bridge and there is an 8-meter-long crawling area for children.
All that at about 2,677 meters above sea level and some 1,000 meters above Mürren… Talk about an intense mountain experience!
[Inspiration via Lonely Planet]