ST. GEORGE, Utah — 330... 331... 332... 333!
That's how many steps it takes to get from the bottom to the top of Tech Ridge. The stairs are being challenged by young and old, and dog and human.
But why do it?
"Why not?" asked Kim McLeod. "A lot of people come out. I guess families are coming out. They're letting their kids burn off energy, which is a great idea, but you don't use it, you lose it."
McLeod and her dog, Max, were positively celebrating conquering The Stairs at Tech Ridge on Thursday.
"This is our, yeah, the third time! He did really good," she said of Max.
The concrete stairs are 630 feet long and go up just under 171 feet from the floor of the basin to the top of the mesa known as Tech Ridge.
The first two-thirds are a gradual climb with flat areas, but that gives a false sense of security as the last 100 steps are steep.
"This is the site of the old airport and the city of St. George wanted to bring in economic development," explained Brad Buhanan, Tech Ridge Director of Community Engagement. "They wanted to bring in high wage jobs that our kids, grandkids could stay in southern Utah and not have to move away."
But they also needed to solve how to keep drainage channels from becoming an eyesore. Issac Barlow, who manages Tech Ridge, decided the answer was stairs.
"We decided, let's do something cool that brings the community together," Buhanan said.
The stairs cost $1 million to build and were launched with the Dragon’s Tail Stair Climb Challenge race last month in what is expected to become a yearly tradition.
The site has quickly drawn locals and out-of-towners. Tech Ridge managers say there are between 25 to 120 people going up and down at any time of the day, even at night, since there is lighting under the center rail that lights it up.
