As any member of the Sydney gym squad would attest, if you didn’t break a sweat, it wasn’t worth doing. And, who knew? Apparently Sydney’s Harbour Bridge climb – the ascent up one of the Australia's most famous landmarks – makes the cut. The breathtakingly beautiful climb over the coathanger has made it to a list of one the world’s most physically demanding landmarks, which means you can count it as your workout, then head for a well-earned feed at one of the best restaurants in Circular Quay.
The fitness pros over at Pure Gym compiled a list of the world’s 25 most physically demanding landmarks by analysing information a range of data. Each landmark was evaluated on a number of factors, including the number of steps needed to climb to the top (a number they collated via manual research, which means they did a whole heap of stepping), total elevation change during the ascent (sourced via manual research, or calculated based on the number of steps) and average temperature in the area.
Since the information was compiled over the past year, we’ve got a feeling that the Harbour Bridge’s high score has something to do with this summer’s hyper-muggy conditions. Once the three scores were determined, they were weighted and used to calculate the total score. According to Pure Gym’s calculations, the Sydney Harbour bridge climb is the 12th most physically demanding landmark in the world. The list was put together to help fitness enthusiasts plan body-boosting trips, and since Sydney was recently ranked as the best destination in the world for running enthusiasts, it’s looking like planning a trip to the Harbour City is a wise move for gym bunnies.
So what are the most demanding landmarks to tackle?
- The Flørli Stairs in Norway
- The Manitou Incline in the United States
- Poenari Castle in Romania
Sydney’s Harbour Bridge was the only Aussie landmark to make the list – so head to Brisbane’s Story Bridge for an easier ascent.
If you’re interested in trying it out but are low on funds, BridgeClimb Sydney is running interactive scavenger hunts in The Rocks, giving keen-eyed Sydneysiders the chance to win a family climb. Clues for the Sydney Bridge Climb Scavenger Hunt will be released via the BridgeClimb Sydney Instagram and Facebook pages at 11am this Saturday, July 6 – so it’s worth heading down to The Rocks early to be in with the best chance of finding the free tickets.
Keen to plan your next overseas trip around the world’s most taxing landmarks? You can read the full list of the world's most physically demanding landmarks over here.
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