THIS is the moment a Chinese SUV slid backwards down a mountainside staircase, after attempting to scale the 300 meter steep “Heavenly Ladder”.
During an event hosted by Chinese car company Chery, the electric SUV and its driver epically failed to scale the staircase at the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park.
In dramatic footage taken on Wednesday, the bright orange car almost reaches the final stage of the challengebefore sliding backwards down the ancient stairs.
The SUV’s fall was broken when it smashed into the handrail, leaving a section of the century old stone smashed to pieces.
An eyewitness told Jimu News that the car “remained there for two hours without moving” after the crash.
A tour guide told local news that tourists had not been allowed to ascend the popular “Sky Ladder” that day because of the planned event.
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The event was organised by Chery and had provided the car as a rental for the challenge, according to the Xiaoxiang Morning Post.
Nobody was injured in the accident.
Chery has since issued an apology over the event, saying: “We sincerely apologize for the damage caused to the Tianmen Mountain test site”.
The company said the challenge revealed “insufficient anticipation of potential risks and oversights” in the planning and execution of the challenge.
Chery expressed “deep regret, particularly regarding the public concerns raised by conducting the test in a public scenic area”.
The company promised to repair the damage and compensate for the loss.
According to a preliminary investigation, Chery found the direct cause of the failure was the safety rose anchor point shackle on the testing device had accidentally detached, NFNews reported.
The detachment caused the rope to become entangled in the right-side wheel, obstructing the power output and causing the car to slide down the stairs.
The region had experienced consistent rainfall prior to the challenge, making the stairs more slippery than normal.
Despite the failed attempt, Chery has reportedly announced they will attempt the challenge again later in the month.
The Tianmen Mountain “Sky Ladder” is nearly 300 meters long with a vertical drop of 150 meters.
The 999-step climb is the main route to the Tianmen Cave, with steps measuring in at just 30 centimetres wide.
Some online punters have called out the event, saying the “Sky Ladder” was meant for tourists, and that using the more than 1700-year-old staircase for a car challenge not only ruined the visitor experience, but also damaged the scenic area’s facilities.
Staff at the national park said that while the “Sky Ladder” was closed to tourists over November 12 and 13, visitors to the park could take the mountain-penetrating elevator to the ancient cave as an alternative.
Staff said they were unaware of the damaged guardrail.
In videos posted online, advertising for the event showed posters reading “Surpassing the Peak: Chery Fengyun X3L’s Million-Dollar Performance Challenge.”
The Fengyun X3L model was launched on September 17, under Chery’s Fengyun brand.
On September 21, Chery’s Executive Vice President posted to Chinese social media platform Weibo, saying the challenge would be an “immense test”.
“How difficult is it to challenge Tianmen Mountain? I experienced it firsthand during the pre-test challenge with the Fengyun X3L a few days ago”, he wrote
“Tianmen Mountain’s slopes range from over 20 degrees to nearly 45 degrees … placing extremely high demands on power, handling, overall vehicle performance, and the four-wheel drive system,” he continued.
“Will the Fengyun X3L succeed in the challenge? Leave your answer in the comments! Stay tuned, let’s meet at the summit!”
This is not the first time a car brand has undertaken the challenge to climb the section of the stairs, with Land Rover previously succeeding the feat in 2018.
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A Land Rover model driven by Chinese-American F1 driver Ho-Pin Tung navigated the 99 bends and 999 stepsbreaking the Tianmen Mountain “99 Bends” record.
The SUV completed the journey in nine minutes and 51 seconds and was the first car to climb the Chinese staircase.