The Gauntlet

The Gauntlet is a terrifying vertical obstacle course, carved into the front of a ridgeline steep enough to be a cliff. Cadets have to master the Gauntlet in the fall (7th week) of their first year. They get 9 practice session before Presentation. It is designed to prepare you for battle by testing cadets’ balance, strength and agility. The Gauntlet got its name from the armored gloves that tend to slippery, just like the obstacle. This is the cliff that guards the Vale.

There are some rules when it comes to the Guantlet. Cadets aren’t allowed to touch each other on the obstacle course. Violet learns that cadets are allowed to use weapons, as long as they brought those weapons across the Parapet.

For Presentation, cadets must complete the Gauntlet in order to reach the box canyon that leads to the flight field. Presentation is when dragons gather to get their first look at the cadets. Two days after that, Threshing occurs in the valley beneath the citadel. The squad with the lowest collective completion time gets to enter the Presentation field first. Some argue this order is meaningless.

Structure: The obstacle is zigzagged in 5 distinct switchbacks/ascents of 180-degree turns, each increasing in difficulty. There are giant posts, about 3 feet wide, that twist in opposite directions, jutting from the side of the cliff that can crush someone if they aren’t fast enough. The obstacle is lined with security ropes. If a rope is used it will add 30 seconds to the time, but it’s preferable over death. There’s a spinning 15-foot-long log at the start of the uphill climb. At the first switchback there’s a giant rotating wheel. The pillars on the third ascent shake. There’s a 90-degree ramp that the cadets must ascend.

First is the 15 feet across spinning log that runs parallel to the cliff. Then, there are the raised granite pillars, each higher than the last. Then is the spinning wheel with a lone opening that must be jumped through. Next is a series of giant hanging buoy balls held by chains that make up the second ascent that must be jumped across. The third ascent is divided into two sections. The first part has giant metal rods hanging parallel to the cliff wall. One must use body weight to get momentum to jump and grab onto the next. Each rod is another a half foot higher than the previous. From the bars come a series of shaking pillars that make up the second half of the ascent. From the gravel path, one reaches the fourth ascent, the spinning logs. Finally, there’s a chimney formation rising high at a 20-degree angle. The final obstacle is a massive ramp that reaches up to the top of the cliff’s edge at a nearly vertical climb.