Silk Slider

American Ninja Warrior 6's Silk Slider in Stage One

The Silk Slider is an obstacle, firstly introduced as the third obstacle on American Ninja Warrior 6 in Stage One, replacing the Rope Glider from the previous season. Competitors must grab a long hanging curtain with both hands, then slide the curtain down the track, and time their landing onto the platform below.

Competitors normally either got tangled in the silk or timed their landing wrong. Also, some competitors got disqualified for touching the water with their foot or hand. There were times when competitors did not hold the silk at the same time, the end of the silk with the most weight distributed would lengthen while the other would shorten, forcing the competitor into the water.

This obstacle was proven to be much brutal than its predecessor (the Rope Glider), eliminating top competitors such as David Campbell, Dorian Cedars, Evan Dollard, James McGrath, Dustin Rocho, Alan Connealy, Karsten Williams, Andrew Karsen, Dan Polizzi, Robin Pietschmann, Michelle Warnky, Kevin Bull, Jon Stewart, Thaddeus Robeck, Noel Reyes, John Vogt, Derek Nakamoto, and Justin Kydd. A total of 23 competitors failed on this obstacle, in addition of Elet Hall during USA vs. The World.

By complete coincidence, the obstacle was proven to be brutal for Venice Beach finalists, as it eliminated 9 of the 16 finalists from that region, leading the entire Venice Beach finalists to go out in Stage One. This was the first time in American Ninja Warrior history that the entire city finalists from the same region went out in Stage One.

Other Season Appearances

American Ninja Warrior 7

American Ninja Warrior 7's Silk Slider in Stage One

On American Ninja Warrior 7, the Silk Slider returned as the third obstacle in Stage One. However, the landing pad was bigger and less slick, so it was proven to be much easier than the previous season, as only four competitors failed (including Dillon Gates, Theo Agu, and Josh Cook).

On American Ninja Warrior 8, it was replaced by the Giant Log Grip.

Mini Silk Slider

American Ninja Warrior 7's Mini Silk Slider in Venice Beach

The second version of the Silk Slider, the Mini Silk Slider, firstly introduced on American Ninja Warrior 7, as the second obstacle in Venice Beach. The obstacle began just like the Silk Slider, but when competitors reached the end of a shorter track, they must jump to a rope and swing to the landing mat ahead of them.

The Mini Silk Slider retained the difficulty from its original version, as several competitors either didn't jump to the rope when the silk stopped sliding (making it impossible to complete the obstacle at that point) or didn't judge the timing right. The obstacle eliminated 48 competitors during Venice Beach qualifiers, including Kyle Cochran and Rob Moravsky, as well as 3 more competitors during Venice Beach finals.

Other Appearances

Australian Ninja Warrior 2's Silk Slider

The Mini Silk Slider has been used on several Ninja Warrior's international formats (e.g. Ninja Warrior UK and Australian Ninja Warrior), although the obstacle was simply called as the Silk Slider (without the word 'Mini'). Also, on some occasions, the rope at the end of the obstacle was removed, requiring the competitors to time their release from the silk to reach the landing platform

Other Appearances

SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017's Silk Slider in Warrior Stage

On SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia 2017, the Silk Slider appeared as the first obstacle during Warrior Stage, and had the same specification from American Ninja Warrior 7. However, the obstacle had a decent knockout rate, as several competitors either lost their balance at the landing platform, or didn't release to the landing platform, resulting competitors got hung up and forced to fall into the water.

During SASUKE Ninja Warrior Indonesia: International Competition, the obstacle took out 3 notable competitors from 2 different teams: Drew Drechsel and David Campbell from Team USA, and Dion Trigg from Team Europe.