KUNLUN CLOUD STAIR

Kunlun Cloud Stair climbs through the sacred Kunlun Mountains of Chinese myth. Towering limestone karst pillars rise out of a sea of clouds, five-storey pagodas crown the overlooks and red ceremonial archways mark each stage of the ascent.

The first stage of the Trials of the Middle Kingdom mixes fast uphill sweepers with a tight summit switchback near the Queen Mother of the West's peach garden, raced against the Jade Emperor, Sun Wukong, Nezha and seven more gods.

• Use the karst pillars as braking markers, since the mist makes distances hard to judge.
• Drift the long uphill sweepers to fill nitro before the summit switchback.
• Save a boost for the descent back to the start archway.