For this edition of the Obstacle Series, we have a special guest writer. You may remember her from running with the Tough Mudder Tour 2014 in New Zealand - Laura Jolly. You can read her credentials and all about her here. Over to you Lauren!
As the old superstition goes, it’s bad luck to walk under a ladder – so you better make sure you don’t skip this obstacle! Ladder to Hell is a relative newcomer to the Tough Mudder circuit, and it’s one I tried for the first (and only) time in Auckland this year. This five metre ladder is a challenge for anyone with a fear of heights, but everyone will need to hang on tight as they try to negotiate the slippery wooden rungs of this oversized ladder. Just don’t look down!
Obstacle: Ladder To Hell
Objective: Climb up a five metre oversized ladder, over the top, and back down the other side.
Difficulty: Physical - 5/10 | Mental - 8/10
This task is not as physically tough as many others, but it does require a fair amount of agility – especially if you’re on the vertically challenged side like me. You also need a strong grip, especially if many people have climbed the ladder before you and the rungs are wet and slippery. It has a very simple objective – climb up one side of the ladder, straddle the top, and climb back down the other side.
Obstacle: Ladder To Hell
Objective: Climb up a five metre oversized ladder, over the top, and back down the other side.
Difficulty: Physical - 5/10 | Mental - 8/10
This task is not as physically tough as many others, but it does require a fair amount of agility – especially if you’re on the vertically challenged side like me. You also need a strong grip, especially if many people have climbed the ladder before you and the rungs are wet and slippery. It has a very simple objective – climb up one side of the ladder, straddle the top, and climb back down the other side.
I personally don’t find this obstacle mentally challenging, as I’m not afraid of heights – but five metres is a long way up and with nothing but hard ground underneath, this could be quite frightening for some people!
How to Complete: There are few ways to tackle this obstacle. If you’re tall, or if the rungs are closer together (in Auckland, they were quite far apart, but in photos from other Mudders, in some cases the bits of wood seem much closer together and easier to climb) you can simply climb quickly up and cover, one rung at a time. However, if the wood is slippery, the rungs far apart, or if you’re on the shorter side, I recommend keeping three points of contact with the rungs at all times, and maintaining a low centre of gravity.
Personally, I climbed up fairly quickly but to get back down, I needed to wrap my arms around the rungs and slowly lower myself down each rung, as I couldn’t quite reach the one below me otherwise. It’s another one where slow and steady wins the race – if for no other reason than falling five metres would really suck, and quite possibly see you end your day in the medical tent.
Training: Climbing up and down a ladder at home is definitely not going to do the trick here, but it’s a fair bit like climbing a tree, with the stretching between rungs quite like stretching between branches. You could give that a go, but really you just need to build your upper body strength, as you do with many other obstacles.
Push ups, pull ups and weights are the key here (Edit: check out past Obstacle Series posts for upper body workouts)
Laura's take: I really enjoyed this obstacle, while also finding it challenging to climb up. I imagine it’s quite a bit easier for tall people, but I can see anyone who lacks upper body strength struggling to get over this.
For people who are afraid of heights, do not look down while doing this – just focus on each rung as it comes and before you know it, you’ll be back on solid ground!
How to Complete: There are few ways to tackle this obstacle. If you’re tall, or if the rungs are closer together (in Auckland, they were quite far apart, but in photos from other Mudders, in some cases the bits of wood seem much closer together and easier to climb) you can simply climb quickly up and cover, one rung at a time. However, if the wood is slippery, the rungs far apart, or if you’re on the shorter side, I recommend keeping three points of contact with the rungs at all times, and maintaining a low centre of gravity.
Personally, I climbed up fairly quickly but to get back down, I needed to wrap my arms around the rungs and slowly lower myself down each rung, as I couldn’t quite reach the one below me otherwise. It’s another one where slow and steady wins the race – if for no other reason than falling five metres would really suck, and quite possibly see you end your day in the medical tent.
Training: Climbing up and down a ladder at home is definitely not going to do the trick here, but it’s a fair bit like climbing a tree, with the stretching between rungs quite like stretching between branches. You could give that a go, but really you just need to build your upper body strength, as you do with many other obstacles.
Push ups, pull ups and weights are the key here (Edit: check out past Obstacle Series posts for upper body workouts)
Laura's take: I really enjoyed this obstacle, while also finding it challenging to climb up. I imagine it’s quite a bit easier for tall people, but I can see anyone who lacks upper body strength struggling to get over this.
For people who are afraid of heights, do not look down while doing this – just focus on each rung as it comes and before you know it, you’ll be back on solid ground!