Adrenalin junkies, you might want to sit up and pay attention. A new attraction that stimulates the feeling of walking on air has just opened on the side of a mountain in the French Alps.
‘Step into the Void’ is a glass room located on the uppermost terrace of the Aiguille du Midi mountain, and is suspended off its side. It comprises glass panes on all sides, including a view of the dizzying 3,395-foot drop, guaranteed to not only take your breath away but also induce extreme vertigo.
The Aiguille du Midi, or ‘Needle of the South’, is home to the highest mountain peak in Europe and has a summit of 12,605 feet. It boasts magnificent views, historic cable trams, and skiing and hiking trails.
According to the region’s tourism website, the Pierre-Yves Chays-designed structure is “custom-built to the highest standards for safety and clarity.” The glass room can withstand winds of up to 135 mph, and is part of a renovation that includes the ‘World’s Highest Museum’ and a natural ice cave.
The glass attraction was inspired by the Grand Canyon ‘skywalk’, a U-shaped glass cantilever bridge extending off a canyon ledge. Other similar viewing decks around the world include the Sears Tower (formerly Willis) in Chicago and the Tianmen Mountain skywalk in Zhangjiajie, China.
‘Step into the Void’ towers over the rest, and its thrills are not confined to the view. Visitors eager for a double dose of adrenalin can try the heart-stopping Vallée Blanche ski run, a 12-mile long off-piste ski route that with a vertical descent of 9,000 feet straight into the Mont Blanc massif, the largest glaciated domain in the Alps.
Scroll down for more pictures of the glass room.
[via The Daily Beast, images via Charmonix]