A nail-biting video captured a daredevil climber’s ascent up a 600-year-old set of steps known as the “stairs of death” on a mountain in Peru.
Shocking footage shows Brian Degenhardt, from San Diego, USA, climbing stone steps that jut out from the side of a nearly vertical mountain with a terrifying drop below.
Huayna Picchu, also known as Wanya Picchu, the mountain offers incredible views of the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu.
Shocking footage shows Brian Degenhardt, from San Diego, USA, climbing the stone steps that jut out from a nearly vertical hillside overlooking Machu Picchu.
The mountain is steep and the path leading to the summit is exposed. During the rain, the reason becomes even more treacherous due to how slippery it is.
Degenhardt can be heard taking a deep breath as he cautiously climbs up, once even letting out a small cry of terror.
The Incas built a path along the side of Huayna Picchu and even built temples and terraces on top of it.
However, the mountain is steep and the path leading to the summit is exposed. During the rain, the reason becomes even more treacherous due to how slippery it is.
Degenhardt can be heard taking a deep breath as he cautiously climbs up, once even letting out a small cry of terror.
His relief when he reaches the top of the steps is audible, even though he’s surprisingly high up now.
His relief when he reaches the top of the steps is audible, even though he’s awfully high up now.
Once you’ve reached a safer spot, you step over the edge to take in the spectacular view of Machu Picchu, zooming in on the 15th-century UNESCO World Heritage site ruins below.
He wrote on YouTube: ‘Me climbing 600 year old stairs over a cliff on my way to Wanya Picchu, the small mountain that overlooks Machu Picchu, Peru.
‘Actually it looks safer than it is because the bush below me is growing up the side of the mountain.’
Once you’ve reached a safer spot, jump over the edge to take in the spectacle of Machu Picchu, zooming in on the 15th-century UNESCO World Heritage site ruins below.
Huayna Picchu is 8,835 feet high, which is about 850 feet higher than Machu Picchu.
