[Gdeaver]

Climbing the 30 degree section will take some work but many teams should be able to accomplish it. The 50 degree section is another story. The problem is center of mass and the torque force from driving the wheels makes the robot want to rotate off. Tracked robots fair a little better but as soon as parts are added to accomplish other tasks the COM goes bad. Even if a tracked robot is designed and can climb the mountain there is the problem that driving on the floor is terrible and many solutions to the mountain destroy the tiles in the required test. Yes, This is a very tough challenge. As others have said there are many other ways to score with out going all the way up the mountain.
Our team is obsessive about climbing the mountain and have gone thru the calculations, prototyping and tested several solutions. The robot is designed. The kids have been making parts for weeks. The robot is 1/2 way assembled. Will it climb? Time will tell. Even if it doesn't. It's amazing how far these crazy 7 and 8TH graders have come. I think we accomplished the FIRST mission already.