Harry Willis (11) has bounced his way up the world’s steepest street on a pogo stick.
Baldwin St in Dunedin, known until now as the "steepest street in the world", has had a challenge issued by a small Welsh seaside town.
The residents of Harlech believe Pen Ffordd Llech, a street in their town, is the true holder of the title and are currently surveying theclaim to send to Guinness World Records.
While Baldwin St's record claims a grade of 35 per cent, Pen Ffordd Llech is reported be higher, at 36.6 per cent.
A sign posted at the top of the street rounds this number up somewhat - warning drivers of a slope of 40 per cent.
A sign at the top of Pen Ffordd Llech in Harlech, Wales, warns drivers of a slope of 40 per cent - rounded up from the true figure of 36.6 per cent. Photo / Wikimedia Commons
Meanwhile, a young man in Dunedin has claimed a record of his own – becoming the first person to ride a Lime e-scooter down Baldwin St, on the first day they became available on the city.
New Zealand's super-steep street has become one of the city's top tourist spots – so much so, that in 2016, Baldwin St had a public toilet installed, to ease the strain on nearby business which had dealt with a stream of tourists asking to use their loos.
However, the recent challenge from Wales isn't the first attempt to take Baldwin St's title – here are three other challengers to the title from around the world.
At 192 metres long, Canton Avenue is claimed to include a 37 per cent grade that's 6.5 metres long – and if this is accurate, it's a run for Baldwin St's money.
It's known for the annual "Dirty Dozen" bike race, that takes cyclists over Pittburgh's 13 steepest hills.
Waipio Valley Road, Hawaii
Waipio Valley in Hawaii reportedly reaches numbers as high as 39 per cent at some points. Photo / Getty Images
Located on Hawaii's Big Island, Waipio Road is another contender for the title of the world's steepest street and is only open to four wheel drive vehicles.
In 2012, data visualization scientist Stephen Von Worley surveyed the road after hearing claims that it reached an impressively steep maximum grade of 45 per cent.
While he couldn't prove the claims of 45 per cent, he found it averaged a 26 per cent grade, but also reached numbers as high as 39 per cent at some points.
Bradford Street, San Francisco, USA
San Francisco is known for its steep streets – and in 2010, Van Worley believed he'd found a possible challenger to the record-holder here. While Bradford Street's initial climb is 20 per cent, the slope doubles at the top.
What he'd original considered a private driveway had become an official part of the street – and he measured it as a nine metre stretch with a staggering 41 per cent grade.
While Pen Ffordd Llech is claiming to be the steepest in the world, Vale St in Bristol is often reported as the steepest street in Britain. A favourite for cyclists looking for a challenge, according to Road Cycling UK it's "as much a mental hurdle as a physical one, with the road ramping up so sharply at the bottom it is almost vertical."
With a gradient of 21.81 degrees, it may have a slope even steeper than Ffordd Pen Llech's 36.6 per cent.
Can Baldwin Street retain its title?
There's just one thing holding back all of these bold claims: length. The streets listed above are undoubtedly steep, but are generally very short – or only have small stretches that could potentially beat Baldwin St. So for now, we reckon that Dunedin's famous slope remains the king.
