Unprepared tourists find themselves ice skating for their lives on the famous World Heritage Site.
It’s not often that snow falls during spring, but when it occurs in Japan the scenery can be absolutely breathtaking. Such a phenomenon isn’t exclusive to Japan though, as many parts of the world occasionally experience unforeseen spring snowfall.
Case in point, Beijing hasn’t seen snow in April for the past 30 years, but a chance encounter of warm winds with a large cold airmass led to moderate dustings throughout the capital recently. Tourists visiting Beijing hoping to get a glimpse of the marvelous spring scenery on the Great Wall got a lot more than they bargained for.
▼ It’s a winter wonderland up there,
but it’s also a huge pain for visitors.
Accumulated snow quickly turned to ice, transforming what would have been a healthy climbing exercise into a rather precarious dance for survival. With all the involuntary jostling and shoving, taking the first few steps on the wall could land tourists in hospital if they weren’t careful.
Steeper sections of the Great Wall were impossible to traverse for the elderly, some of whom had traveled great distances to see this wonder in all its spring glory. Nevertheless, souls brave enough to climb up to an apex were rewarded with both astounding scenery and a massive problem of trying to descend slippery steps.
▼ If mother nature could just limit snow to only winter, that’ll be great.
Hopefully the freak snowfall didn’t last long, and while the mayhem on the Great Wall ruined travel plans, it isn’t as bad what Tokyo experiences when snow hits. At least they can go home boasting they ice skated on the Great Wall during spring.
Source: YouTube/Civil Disturbia, Toychan via Twitter/@toychan
Top image: YouTube/Civil Disturbia