Coconut Climb

The Coconut Climb is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the fifth obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 11 in Oklahoma City.

It consisted of 2 poles, designed to resemble a palm tree. Each has a ring attached to it and is divided into 2 angles. Competitors must grab the ring from the first pole and climb it up to reach the top. Then, they must generate enough swing and momentum to grab the second ring and slide it down the pole. Finally, they must grab the rope at the end to reach the landing platform.

During Oklahoma City qualifiers, the obstacle was proven to be very difficult, as it took out 18 competitors. The obstacle was known for being a major upper-body test, as competitors either struggled on the ascent, the transition, or the descent. Several notable competitors who went out on this obstacle were Maggi Thorne, Barclay Stockett, Madelynn McNeal, Karen Wiltin, Taylor Amann, Josh Norton, Tremayne Dortch, Chris Cambre, Damir Okanovic, Jacob Bowling, Elliott Jolivette, and Jonathan Horton,.

During Oklahoma City finals, to make the obstacle slightly easier, there were cleats placed at the the ascend part of the first pole. As a result, the obstacle only took out 4 competitors: Madelynn McNeal, Rick Hinnant, Josh Harris, and Matthew Day (who was disqualified at the end for grazing the water, rather than tumbling off). With the exception of Day, every competitor had failed on the obstacle before during Oklahoma City qualifiers.

Ninja Warrior France
L'Accrobranche, Ninja Warrior France's official name for the Coconut Climb would appear as the third obstacle of Qualification 2 of Ninja Warrior France 6. It is paired with the The Dungeon as part of Route B of the Crossroads. Compared to the American version, the rules are more lenient as competitors are allowed to cling onto the second pole to make the dismount without the use of the ring. The obstacle would be slightly modified for female competitors, as there are rings attached in the poles, with one ring at the end of the first pole and two rings present on the second pole.

Competitors' Success Rates

 * All results based on the NBC broadcast and external information found

Trivia

 * The Coconut Climb was one of the obstacles that won the third edition of American Ninja Warrior: Obstacle Design Challenge, designed by Till Ebener, who according to the information from the Obstacle Design Challenge's submission website, is from Germany and has been competed 3 times on Ninja Warrior Germany.
 * The Coconut Climb had the second highest amount of female competitor attempts for a fifth obstacle in a city qualifiers course, having a total of five attempts. This was just behind the Battering Ram during American Ninja Warrior 9's Los Angeles qualifiers and the Lightning Bolts during American Ninja Warrior 11's Seattle/Tacoma qualifiers, both with seven attempts each.
 * However, while the Battering Ram during American Ninja Warrior 9's Los Angeles qualifiers and the Lightning Bolts during American Ninja Warrior 11's Seattle/Tacoma qualifiers had at least one female competitor completed the obstacle, no female competitor could complete the Coconut Climb during American Ninja Warrior 11's Oklahoma City qualifiers.
 * The Coconut Climb shared similar qualities to several obstacles:
 * Rail Runner: the first tree's angle part was similar to the concept of the Rail Runner, where competitors must ascend an upward incline using another object. Like the Rail Runner, some competitors lost progress on the obstacle because the angle slid them backwards.
 * Slippery Summit: the second tree's descent played a similar role to the descending portion of the Slippery Summit, in which competitors must hop another object across cleats while attempting to keep their grip.
 * Ring Jump: both obstacles used a ring-shaped object to traverse across the obstacle (although the Coconut Climb's ring is more elliptical as opposed to the one used on the Ring Jump). The second part of the Coconut Climb also required competitors to hop over the cleats in a somewhat similar fashion to the Ring Jump. Both obstacles had also taken out Jacob Bowling and Maggi Thorne.
 * Pipe Fitter: the inclines of the Coconut Climb resembled those of the Pipe Fitter, starting with an upward angle and ending with a downward angle. Both obstacle had also taken out Barclay Stockett, Damir Okanovic, and Tremayne Dortch.
 * The Coconut Climb holds the record for the most amount of female competitors completing the fifth obstacle in one night. During American Ninja Warrior 11's Oklahoma City finals, four female competitors completed the obstacle, beating the I-Beam Gap during American Ninja Warrior 9's Cleveland finals, the Slingshot during American Ninja Warrior 11's Cincinnati finals, and the Lightning Bolts during American Ninja Warrior 10's Philadelphia qualifiers and American Ninja Warrior 11's Seattle/Tacoma finals, each with three female competitors completing the obstacle.