From China to Colombia, steps carved by ancient civilizations to rickety stairs on the sides of mountains, these are the world's longest and scariest stairways. These are only be attempted by ...

While staircases are fundamentally a means to get from one point to another, they become cool—and worth seeking out—when the form is made at least as important as the function.

The world is full of long stair climbs for the fit among us, but none are longer than Switzerland's Niesen Treppenlauf. In fact, none come particularly close. These stairs are nothing to sneeze at.