Just For Fun,

would you run up the stairs of the Empire State Building,

7 times against the clock? well once a year a lucky 500 participants get to climbthe monster staircase at the face of Mt. Niesen in Switzerland, can do so or it's equivalent at the staircase beside the Niesen train rail track in Switzerland, the staircase is closed to the public for the rest of the year, nicknamed the ‘Swiss Pyramid’ for its triangular shape, the 3.4 km staircase goes up the side of the mountain with 11,674 steps, ranging from an altitude of 700 m at the bottom (from the side of the Kander river in Mülenen) to 2363 m at the top (the terminus near the summit of the mountain), is average gradient is a monumental 55%, with a maximum of 65% well you can count me out on this one! it would however seem to be extremely popular, people need to register almost a year in advance in order to secure a place in the competition, and sometimes even that doesn’t guarantee participation – last year’s race, for instance, was cancelled due to heavy snow,

but this is more me, I would opt for a ride on the Niesen train that runs parallel to the staircase, up the mountain’s steep flanks, the 28-minute ride, which opened in 2010, offers a breathtaking view of lush Alpine woods, occasional pastures, and herds of cows, with snowy alps glinting in the horizon, it also passes through several tunnels and across a few elevated sections, but back to the runners, if you think you fancy a chance of winning, the record for the event is 1 hour and 2 minutes for men, and 1 hour and 9 minutes for women, 'two tickets on the Niesen train please, see you at the top!'.