Thrill-seekers clamber to try Hunan's 'sky ladder' in Zhangjiajie

A 168-meter "sky ladder", part of a via ferrata in Zhangjiajie, Central China's Hunan province, has entered the global spotlight. By last month, YouTube videos about the attraction had racked up more than 50 million views, and Instagram clips topped 100 million.

Dubbed "China's highest via ferrata", the ladder is attached to Qixing Mountain, a karst tableland about 13 kilometers from downtown Zhangjiajie. Averaging a height of 1,328 meters above sea level, the mountain's sheer cliffs, deep gorges, seas of clouds, and waterfalls form a dramatic natural playground now threaded with metal cables, ladders, and steps that make vertical terrain safely accessible to non-experts.

Ukrainian outdoor enthusiast Oleksii Lisianskyi, 35, tried out the via ferrata on a sunny Saturday morning in April and was left buzzing with excitement.

Follow his lens to have a look.