Puzzle 23: The Ascent of Survival

Puzzle Walkthrough

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The climber who reached the top at 3:55 did not use the Braided rope. So whoever is at 3:55 cannot be on Braided.

Exactly one rope type was climbed by a contestant who slipped fewer times than Finn. In other words, exactly one contestant slipped fewer times than Finn did.

The contestant on the Frayed rope slipped more than both Leo and the Braided-rope climber. So Frayed’s slip count is greater than Leo’s and greater than the Braided rope’s slip count.

Kaito’s ascent took longer than Finn’s, and it was not the second-slowest. Therefore Kaito must be the slowest overall.

Suri finished after the Knotted-rope climber but before Kaito. So the Knotted rope’s time is earlier than Suri’s, and Suri’s time is earlier than Kaito’s.

The contestant with exactly two slips climbed the Twisted rope. So Twisted carries two slips.

The fastest climber did not use the Twisted rope. So the two-slip Twisted rope is not the fastest time.

Leo’s climb took longer than only one other contestant’s. That places Leo second-fastest.

The contestant with three slips reached the top last. Since Kaito is last, Kaito has three slips.

The Knotted rope’s ascent time was earlier than Leo’s. Since Leo is second-fastest, the Knotted rope must be the fastest time.

Now pin down the times. With Knotted earlier than Leo and Leo second-fastest, Knotted must be the fastest time, 2:41. Suri must finish after Knotted but before Kaito, who is last, so Suri takes 3:55 and Kaito takes 4:32. That leaves Leo at 3:18 as the remaining time that is faster than two and slower than one.

Assign slips where fixed. Kaito, being last, has three slips. Twisted must carry exactly two slips and is not the fastest, so Twisted cannot be the 2:41 Knotted run. It must belong to someone else’s time, and the only time left that we have not matched with a rope yet and that fits earlier deductions is Suri at 3:55. This also respects that 3:55 is not Braided.

Use the Frayed comparison. Frayed slipped more than both Leo and the Braided climber. Since Kaito already has the largest slip count of three, the only way to satisfy “Frayed is greater than Leo and greater than Braided” is to give Kaito the Frayed rope. Then Leo and the Braided climber must each have slip counts below three.

Finish the rope assignments. Knotted is the fastest at 2:41, and from the time placements that belongs to Finn. Twisted with two slips is Suri at 3:55. Frayed is Kaito at 4:32. The remaining rope, Braided, belongs to Leo at 3:18.

Determine the remaining slip counts using the “exactly one contestant slipped fewer times than Finn” rule. Twisted already has two slips for Suri, and Kaito has three. If Finn had zero slips, no one would be fewer than Finn; that would violate the rule. Therefore Finn must have one slip, and Leo must be the lone climber with fewer slips than Finn, which gives Leo zero slips. This also satisfies the Frayed-is-greater-than-Leo and Frayed-is-greater-than-Braided condition, since Frayed is three, Leo is zero, and Braided (Leo’s rope) is zero.

Answers

Leo climbed the Braided rope, reached the top at 3:18, and slipped 0 times.
Kaito climbed the Frayed rope, reached the top at 4:32, and slipped 3 times.
Suri climbed the Twisted rope, reached the top at 3:55, and slipped 2 times.
Finn climbed the Knotted rope, reached the top at 2:41, and slipped 1 time.

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