How is a suspension footbridge constructed in the mountains?

Oh yeah. When I was a kid growing up, this was one kind of common problem. And I read a story about this which was a contest to get a thin light string across a body of water. You start low, and in the case of this contest, you start with a kite. read more

Then, you pull a heavier stronger line until you pull the first weight supportable line or suspension cable. From that you can do a Tyrollean traverse or what’s now called a zip line. No biggie. However, one Indian climber on Everest wasn’t that experienced and he ended up dying. From the first line you build the bridge with other lines. Done. read more

The Otto Beit Bridge (1938–39) was the first modern suspension bridge outside the United States built with parallel wire cables. Drawing of the Tibetan built Chaksam bridge south of Lhasa, constructed in 1430, with long chains suspended between towers, and vertical suspender ropes carrying the weight of a planked footway below. read more

The Carasc Bridge took 8 months to build and now allows the passage of the rugged valley that separates the communities of Sementina and Monte Carasso, two towns located in front of Bellinzona, Switzerland. read more