华山长空栈道

Caught the train from Xi'an to Haushan railway station early. Once there we caught a free bus (no 1) to the base of the Mountain. Its a but of walk across a large round about towards the entrance and once there you can purchase all the tickets you need. I decided to catch the cable car to the West Point (that ride in itself is worth the trip as views are beyond Amazing!) This is not a foggy or wet day trip, so check the weather before you go or you not only won't see anything but it will be dangerously slippery.From the West point I headed straight up towards the plank walk so I could get it done whilst still reasonably early and fresh. There are a lot of stairs to hike up and once your up there you will need to pay another 30yuan for the use of the rather loose harness.If you don't like heights then this isn't for you, but if like me it doesn't bother you and you love views then this walk is a must!The hardest part is the initial getting down to the plank and thats mainly because its two way traffic. People have to come back the same way past you so there is a lot of stopping and manoeuvring to try and get past each other. The other challenge is that people like to unclip themselves totally to make passing quicker and they even sometimes unclip you, so guard your carabenas well.You can turn around and head back off the plank at anytime which is good for those that need to or you can walk the entire plank and get off the other end for a rest of to soak up the views before heading back across. Allow at least half an hour for the walk and depending on the queue size, another half hour in line.There is heaps of food, toilets and other walks to make this a full day. If you can make it happen then don't miss going to Mount Huashan and the Plank Walk.

Once at Mountain Huashan you will come across this Plank Trail which to me, is meant for those who are adventurous, seek excitement and thrill. You will be thousands of feet in the air on a narrow wood path and if you miss your step that will be a straight drop down below.I never get to walk this Plant Trail because after seeing the width of the plank and the height has practically freeze me up. What is most unnerving is when people have to pass you when coming from the opposite way on the cliff walk on this plank. I have seen a few people, men and women squeeze themselves between each other in order to navigate with some going and some coming from opposite direction on this narrow wood path.Why I am reviewing this tour even though I have not done it is to let others know the situation especially for senior people including me. Of course without doubt, there are also quite a number of senior people who actually have walked this Plank Trail. I would recommend people who seek thrill to do this walk because while at the entrance I can see all the smiling faces of acomplishment by those people who have done it. In fact some of them are cheering and giving me encouragement to try which I still could not bring myself to do it at that moment. They say the view from there is spectacular.

Before anything: Check weather conditions, they will close the path and the cable car if you go up by car, if the weather is bad. To me , I think the only scary thing on this walk were the people who panic. The path is not too technical, you can do it without hiking gear. Regular athletic shoes will do. They will ask you to leave your back pack at the entrance. DO NOT leave valuables in there, best is, if in a group, let someone from your group guard it while you're doing the walk (depending on how many people are on there between 20 - 40 minutes). There is also an old man who 'guards' the altar at the entrance who will scream at you if you dare to take a pic (I've found the rules of taking photos of Buddhist temples change depending what country and city you are). Anyhow, he is not acting very Buddhist-like, so stay clear of him. They will put a harness on you once you pay ( in a bit of a rough way , at least in my case) , no English. After a short walk you begin descend down very steep metal stairs hammered into the mountain rocks. There is a good chance, you will be stuck there with several others, literally on top of each other. My hook never locked in properly (made in China ? ;) ) , so I being relatively experienced, I did not mind, but I suggest you test your equipment before heading out there, because there is not much room for error if you make a wrong step. The one part that is unnerving is when people pass you coming the opposite way on the cliff walk, I had a good dozen Chinese men and women squeeze themselves between me and the mountain (not AROUND me) with half of my feet hanging over a steep deep abyss. Some of them were bit nervous, so that s when mistakes happen. At the end of the walk there is a little monastery and more beautiful views. On the way back there was not too much traffic, I did a bit of yoga poses on the path to practice balance and just because it was such a great feeling to be up there with all these brill views and the empty space around me and the mountain breeze blowing. It was the highlight of my trip to China. I highly recommend doing this walk if you're to the adventurous side. If you are afraid of heights, I don't think it's a good idea, as you will literally have a steep abyss few inches away from your feet the entire path.

This is not an experience for those who are afraid of heights. The entry and cable car tickets were expensive so make sure to take some extra cash. The cable cars are easily accessible, only a short walk up several flights of stairs just beyond the entry gate. The hike to the Plank Trail is relatively easy. There are quite a few stairs but these can be taken at a slower pace. The scenery along the way is beautiful and there are plenty of places to stop and take photos or simply admire the views. Paths are easy to follow with regular signage that will point you in the right direction. At the start of the Plank Trail you will need to hire a harness (30 yuan), the explanation is given in Chinese but it is easy to follow along with the visuals. You will have to leave your belongings at the entry so keep all valuables on you. Whilst on the trail there was an individual who panicked which made things difficult for others walking the path. Overtaking can be daunting so keep distance between one other or simply be patient. Traveling in December it was quite cold to the point where the hose in my water pack froze. A great experience for thrill seekers.

I wasn’t sure how else to title this review. The Hua Shan South Peak Plank walk is beautiful. You will see scenery like you can’t see anywhere else. You are thousands of feet in the air on a 12 inch wood path with a straight drop down below you. If you are a bit of an adrenaline junkie, you will get a rush here. If you are scared of heights, this one is extreme so you probably want to skip it.That said, I actually didn’t feel safe while I was on it. I used to do a fair amount of rock climbing and owned a lot of gear. Rock climbers, at least serious ones, are probably the most anal people out there about safety and the condition of their gear and I would have never gone climbing with the gear it turned out we were using. When we started, they just hand you the equipment without any instructions or safety briefing – it didn’t inspire me to believe they took safety seriously. Your safety gear is a one-size fits all shoulder harness with a basic anchor and double-clip system. You are always hooked in by one clip when you’re moving your gear around an anchor. But the anchors along the route were rusty and the my carabiner didn’t immediately snap closed as they should – which would have indicated to me it was time to retire them to a non-loadbearing use if it had been gear I owned. The way you go along the route your carabiner drag along the rock, which means that they wear faster, and I really had no way to feel confident in the strength/condition of the plastic-coated wire you clip into or the support system for the planks. I didn’t realize before I was on the plank that there was one path shared by people going out and people coming back. There isn’t any organization to it - when you meet on the path one person goes around the other. On my own, I never felt like I was going to miss a step and test my safety equipment but I didn’t like the number of people passing that could have caused a slip outside of my control. I had to keep a good eye on my own equipment, as some people just started grabbing the caribeaner closest to them thinking it was theirs or started trying to “helpfully” move my clips for me before I was ready. That said, I am glad for the scenery I saw. The pictures are beautiful and I can’t think of another place in the world you can do something like this. Maybe, for me, it was a situation where I was worse off for having too much knowledge!

几乎垂直的路，让人心跳加速，到华山，必须去的一个景点，这是在岩石上凿出来的一条路，只能容纳一个脚掌，不过有安全绳，

I had watched youtube videos of the plank trail before coming to China and this was my number one attraction on my itinerary. Mount Huashan in no way dissapointed as the scenery is breathtaking and the structures built around the mountain as well as all of the trails and stairs are mind blowing. Such a steep seemingly inaccessible mountain can be, and is frequently, comfortably climbed in dress shoes. But the plank trail is really quite short, I would guess 100 to 150 meters maximum. Although the consequences of a fall certainly warrant it, the harness and lines and the iron chains greatly diminished the adrenaline rush I was seeking. Still for many amateur thrill seekers this is well worthwhile, don't forget to bring 30 yuan for the entrance fee.

Ни секунды не пожалел, что согласился пройти по этой тропе. Буря положительных эмоций, адреналин и потрясающие виды! Главное испытание - преодолеть себя и страх высоты. В целом тропа не показалась "самой опасной", главное не паниковать, пристегивать себя карабинами и не спешить. Первым делом оставляем сумки у точки начала пути (мы оставляли ценные вещи, и все было на месте по возвращению), затем предстоит вертикальный спуск по вдолбленным в скалы под разным углом металлическим ступеням, иногда вместо ступеней были выемки в самой скале, затем тропа принимает горизонтальный вид, под ногами появляются неширокие доски, в конце снова вертикальный подъем и площадка, где можно передохнуть и пофотографировать перед возвращением. Когда людей мало - все относительно просто + в своё удовольствие все фотографируешь. Небольшие трудности начинаются, когда вам навстречу будет двигаться другой такой же турист: места немного, придется как-то изворачиваться, чтобы пропустить человека и пройти дальше. Мы были в нетуристический сезон (январь), и все равно желающих пройти по тропе оказалось не меньше десятка. Вердикт: настоятельно рекомендую для закалки духа и эстетического насыщения!