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High Road - Choice - Stage 1 - ANW 13

The High Road's starting button, placed before the Dipping Birds

High Road - Jump - Stage 1 - ANW 13

The trampoline jump to the High Road's ring

High Road - Ladder - Stage 1 - ANW 13

The High Road's transfer from the ring to the red ladder

The High Road, is an obstacle that was first introduced as the eighth obstacle in Stage One on American Ninja Warrior 13, replacing the Twist & Fly from its past two recent appearances. The obstacle consisted of a ring affixed to a slider that was blocked by a gate, as well as a button placed at the top of the Warped Wall.

If competitors pressed the button, the gates would open, forcing the ring to slide down a track. They must then attempt the Dipping Birds at a faster pace to catch up with the ring, which took 8.5 seconds to move from its starting position to the mini-tramp. Competitors then had to jump on a mini-tramp to grab the ring, timing their jump perfectly. Finally, they must wait for the ring to reach the end of the track, climb a red ladder, and hit the buzzer.

In its first appearance, The High Road was paired with the Fly Hooks as part of the Split Decision; if competitors decided not to press the button, they must attempt the Fly Hooks after completing the Dipping Birds. However, missing the ring did not cause an automatic disqualification, as competitors could still attempt the Fly Hooks. This resulted in several competitors initially pushing the button, only to opt out of jumping to the ring (either due to moving too slowly or second-guessing themselves before the mini-tramp jump). However, if competitors transitioned to the ladder after completing Fly Hooks, they’ll be disqualified.

Donovan Metoyer became the first competitor to complete the obstacle, while Lucas Reale and Joe Moravsky fell on the transition to the ring. In Moravsky's case, he had a second attempt at Stage One after winning the Safety Pass during the second semifinal episode; in his second run, he still pressed the button but opted not to catch the ring. Other competitors who successfully caught the ring and later hit the buzzer were Brian Burkhardt, Kyle Soderman, Jake Murray, and Isaiah Wakeham.

The relationship between the Dipping Birds and High Road is similar to that of the Danchigaibou and Hishouchu in KUNOICHI 7; competitors must press a button before attempting the preceding obstacle (Dipping Birds in American Ninja Warrior and Danchigaibou in KUNOICHI), complete that obstacle at a fast pace to keep up with the moving obstacle (The High Road and Hishouchu, respectively), and transition to the moving component, which they must ride it down the end of the track.

Other Appearances[]

American Ninja Warrior 14[]

ANW14 The High Road start

American Ninja Warrior 14's The High Road before starting

The High Road appeared back as part of the Split Decision with the Fly Hooks in American Ninja Warrior 14, once again as the eighth obstacle in Stage One. This time, the ring moved slightly faster, taking only eight seconds to slide from its starting position to the trampoline after the Dipping Birds.

ANW14 The High Road

American Ninja Warrior 14's The High Road

Once again, several competitors successfully grabbed the ring and hit the buzzer: Grant Nguyen, Kyle Soderman, Josh Levin, Donovan Metoyer, and Ethan Swanson. For Soderman and Metoyer, both of them did so for the second year in a row.

ANW14 The High Road ladder

American Ninja Warrior 14's The High Road's ladder

A unique and painful elimination occurred during Anthony Porter's run. He had injured himself by jumping too early to the ring and he fell backwards and hit his head on the platform, suffering a mild concussion. Ultimately, his run was cut from the broadcast. The only other competitor to fall here was Jonah Bonner, who appeared to jump a split second too early, only grazing the ring with his fingertips before falling into the water below.

Due to the low knockout rate and Anthony Porter's injury, it was removed along with Split Decision in American Ninja Warrior 15.

American Ninja Warrior: Women's Championship 3[]

The High Road returned as part of Split Decision alongside the Fly Hooks in American Ninja Warrior: Women's Championship 3 as the eighth obstacle in Stage One. Out of all 7 competitors to reach Split Decision, only Tiana Webberley went for the High Road, and she failed to complete it.

Other Appearances[]

Ninja Warrior France[]

NWF7 The High Road

Ninja Warrior France 7's The High Road

NWF7 The High Road ride

Ninja Warrior France 7's The High Road starting

On Ninja Warrior France 7, The High Road, locally called La Tyrolienne (literally The Zipline) appeared as the second obstacle in every qualification round. It was a part of the Split Decision and paired with various obstacles such as

This time, before attempting this obstacle, the contestants have to run over the Slide Surfer, and the trampoline platform was much longer compared to the one in American Ninja Warrior 13, so that when the competitor fails to catch the ring, he will land on the platform instead of in the water, and similarly as in ANW13, not catching the ring does not result in automatic disqualification, only the obligation to try the obstacle next to it. In addition, the ring was suspended on a chain, thanks to which the ring moved freely in all directions during the slide, rather than being stationary.

Ninja Israel[]

High Road NWI5

Ninja Israel 5's The High Road

NWI5 High ROad Staring

Ninja Israel 5's The High Road starting

NWI5FS

A competitor attempted The High Road in Semifinal 3 on Ninja Warrior Israel 5

In Ninja Warrior Israel 5, The High Road, locally called טבעת קיצור הדרך (literally The Shortcut Ring in Hebrew), appeared as the sixth obstacle of every Semifinal. It was a part of the Split Decision and got paired with various obstacles such as:

This time, before attempting this obstacle, competitors must run over the previous obstacle (such as the Broken Bridge in Semifinal 1, 5 and Repechage, Coin Flip in Semifinal 2 and 4, and Block Run in Semifinal 3). There were several differences compared to the one used in American Ninja Warrior 13:

  • The ring was not blocked by the gate (but the ring would slide down a track if competitors pressed the button),
  • There was no trampoline and a shorter starting platform,
  • The track and slide ring was placed lower compared to the American Ninja Warrior version, so competitors could reach the ring without a high jump, making the obstacle very similar to the Hishouchu. Due to this, an incident similar to Anthony Porter in American Ninja Warrior 14 would be prevented from happening again,
  • The metal ladder and the Rope Ladder were replaced by a lower landing platform due to limited space constraints,
  • And the ring was suspended by a chain, making the ring move freely in all directions during the slide rather than being stationary, similar to Ninja Warrior France 7's version.

But similar to the American Ninja Warrior 13's version, not catching the ring does not result in automatic disqualification, only the obligation to try the obstacle next to it.

These modifications made the obstacle easier than the one used in American Ninja Warrior (as no competitor failed it), and tempted most competitors to choose The High Road to clear the Split Decision faster and easier. However, an incident happened during Alex Kostenko's Semifinal 5 run, in which Alex climbed on the Broken Bridge platform, but stumbled, almost fell and instinctively hit The High Road's button, so the ring slid right away, resulting in him being only able to try the Roulette Cylinder.

Trivia[]

  • The obstacle is named after the phrase of the same name, indicating a morally better way of approaching things.
  • During Flip Rodriguez's Twitch stream, it was revealed that the original idea of The High Road consisted of a sliding punching bag instead of a sliding ring, making it extremely similar to Hishouchu in both terms of design and function.
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