Daniel’s tough looking design!
‘Ladder to Hell’ consists of four lanes of overhead ladders mounted on a pivot. In order to keep the ladders above the level of the finishing podium, help will be needed from the other end. If you let go, you wipe out into a muddy pool; if your friends let go, you wipe out into a muddy pool!
Initial testing of the design will take place mid-August in Pennsylvania and, if all goes to plan, it will make it through to the Beta Testing phase on 10 September (with live participants).
Why it was chosen
The Tough Mudder team have given the following reasons for picking Daniel’s obstacle:
- Completely unique idea that we’ve never seen in the past and was unique in the field of options
- Really embodies the TMHQ Core Vales: Teamwork, Courage, Personal Accomplishment and Fun
- Uses teamwork in a very/new cool way (trust)
What the major challenge will be
- Biggest challenge will be measuring against course flow (if it’s something that functions and flows normally under a full event load of participants)
Any changes that will need to be made
- Likely to remove the water pit and keep over dry land to increase the number of locations / events we can build this at
- Likely going to add a mechanism so that if you’re alone and fast enough, you can complete without a partner (very few can do this…)
- Going to add in increased safety measures to prevent smashing / pinching
Interview with Daniel
Where did your inspiration for the design come from?
Well firstly, monkey bars are a quiet favourite of mine. Ever since wiping out on the first rung of Funky Monkey in 2015, I’ve trained hard to ensure no repeat performance. Whichever event I’m at now, I’ll put a special effort in to monkey bars.
Secondly, Tough Mudder, above all other events is about teamwork, camaraderie and fun (and maybe a bit of mild peril). I just put myself in the mindset of a mudder and thought, “What would I enjoy?”
Being a Tough Mudder obstacle it really needed to be team-centric.
How do you see the obstacle working at future events?
I really hope it’s as fun as I imagined it to be.
I hope it continues to knit the Mudder community together as, thinking about the flow of the obstacle, it should encourage members from different teams to help each other out.
What do you hope to see from the TM Obstacle Team?
More of the same, really. The unmatched positivity and enthusiasm that comes with working for TM.
I’d personally really like to get stuck in to helping to build it and testing all the intricacies’ that are likely to arise. But failing that, I’m excited to hear how the team will take it forward and solve the build. To hear if they have thought of all the little things I might have changed etc…
How would you describe the obstacle in one word? In three words?
Taxing. Swing, clank, Splash!
What has your experience with Tough Mudder been like?
I’ve done a few different OCR series in the UK now and I can honestly say nothing touches Tough Mudder for participant fulfilment and enjoyment. There’s real soul and feeling in your events and it shows.
