The Tough Mudder obstacle Cliff Hanger has to be one of the most varied obstacles one may encounter on their course. What I mean by this, is that how large and/or difficult this obstacle is, is entirely dependent on the natural geography and location of the event you compete in.
Cliff Hanger is an obstacle all about teamwork and camaraderie: a 40+ foot cliff of slippery mud angled at 45-degrees. The Cliff always begins with good intenions: a muddy sprint up onto the slope and transitions into a crawl with handholds and footholds in short supply. Beware if you attempt this obstacle alone, your futile verticle scramble will likely turn into an uncontrolled slide back down into the mudpit below. Successful Mudders will form a chain link of fellow participants slowly inching up the slope. If you want to train for Cliff Hanger you should find the biggest hill near your house, measure it, then drive until you get to a hill twice as steep.
Training for an obstacle such as this will also therefore vary depending on the event. Tough Mudder Toronto took place at a ski resort, but luckily enough, Cliff Hanger was not situated on a ski hill, or else things may have been much more difficult than what they were.
I guess you could practice climbing up muddy hills, but unless you know the entire layout of the venue you will be competing at, this obstacle will probably have you approaching it blind.
I personally found this obstacle (or lack thereof) to be one of the easiest on the course that I ran (Toronto). It was a pretty small hill, with pretty decent foot and hand placements to traverse. It was a bit slippery, but did not take me long to get up, and I certainly didn't need teamwork. As I said though, this could be vastly different based on where you compete.
Quote of the day:
"Success often comes to those who have the aptitude to see way down the road."
~ Laing Burns Jr.
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