How Fast Could You Climb These Stairs?
Stair climbing – whether you’re doing it on a StairClimber or at a football stadium or at a set in your neighborhood — is not easy.
Which is why I was particularly impressed when I watched Finnish long-distance runner Mårten Boström sprint up the 426 stairs that climb Malminkartano Hill near Helsinki, Finland. In 1 minute and 4 seconds.
But he’s not the fastest! Toni Leinonen, a Finish ice hockey player, shattered that time and made it to the top in a mere 58.75 seconds.
How fast do you think you could climb these stairs?
Check out these four other epic staircases around the world:
Flørli Stairs in Lysefjorden, Norway
These 4,444 wooden steps start at sea level and climb up 740 meters. It originally served as a maintenance stairway for a now defunct hydropower plant, but the stairs remain open to the public. It’s probably not the best idea to try and run up these though, as they are extremely narrow.
Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, China
Looking up from the bottom of the 999 stairs presents potential climbers with a daunting view. Originally built for cable cars, tourists can now choose to either ride or walk up the path. The view isn’t so bad from the top either!
Koko Crater Stairs in Honolulu, HI
The view from the top makes climbing approximately 1,100 stairs and .7 miles completely worth it. There is a part of the trail where the tracks turn into a bridge over a gap, which can be a bit nerve racking to some.
Mount Niesen Staircase in Bern, Switzerland
With 11,674 steps, the world’s longest single-staircase isn’t for the faint of heart. The average gradient is an intense 55 percent, and reaching the top is the equivalent of climbing the Empire State Building over seven times. The staircase is normally closed to the public, but once a year it’s opened up for a race, and the record for completing the climb stands at 1 hour and 2 minutes.
Main image via speedendurance.com