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Daniel Woods: The best boulderer ever?

One of the strongest climbers in history, Daniel Woods, is truly an inspiration for all of us. With multiple V15 and above boulders under his belt, Woods earned his place in the Rock Climbing Hall of Fame long ago, and for good reason.

Apart from the over 25 hard boulders in his tick list, Daniel is one of the few people in the world who was able to send a V17 boulder, Return of The Sleepwalker.

Climbing beginnings and childhood

Born in Texas in 1989, Daniel was first introduced to climbing by his father at the age of five during a trip to Texas Mineral Wells State Park. At that point, Daniel was based in Longmont, Texas, and visited multiple climbing gyms around Dallas. Still, he really started climbing only after his family moved to Colorado, where he joined Boulder Rock Club’s junior climbing team.

Luckily for him, the team was coached by Justin Sjong and Jimmie Redo, who has an impressive reputation for turning young climbers into pro athletes. His training at Boulder Rock Club proved fruitful, as in 1999, at the age of 10, he won the junior Competition Climbing Association National Championships and was selected for the U.S. Youth Climbing Team.

Later, Woods joined ABC Climbing, owned by the Raboutou family in Boulder, Colorado. This place has produced some of the strongest climbers of all time, such as Margo Hayes, Natalie Grossman, and Brook Raboutou.

At the age of 14, Daniel, already a strong climber, sent Dave Graham’s F*ck You Finger (V11) in Fort Collins, and one year later, he upped his grade to V14, sending Echale in Clear Creek Canyon.

Smashing the competition

The year 2000 marked the beginning of Daniel Woods’s era. Entering the competition circuit in the U.S., he won the American Bouldering Series eight times between 2004 and 2014 and two golds along with several podiums at the Sport Climbing National Championships. This winning streak made Daniel the most successful American boulderer in history, a status that was reached only by Alex Puccio.

Woods is not only an American prodigy but also an international bouldering superstar, as he competed in the IFSC circuit for over a decade. In 2010, he became the first American to win a Bouldering World Cup after occupying first place in the event held in Vail in June 2010.

Daniel’s last international competition was the 2017 Switzerland World Cup in Meiringen, where he placed 45th in the charts.

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World’s strongest boulderer and his outdoor ascents

Ever since his send of Echale, Daniel Woods has been considered one of the strongest boulderers in the world. His first V15 climb, Jade, was sent in 2007 at the age of 17. Six years later, Rustam Gelmanov downgraded the route to V14. At 18, Daniel climbed his first confirmed V15, In Search of Time Lost, in the mythical Magic Forest, Switzerland.

While still in the comp scene, Daniel continued ticking hard boulders like no other. In 2010, he solved Hypnotized Minds in Rocky Mountain National Park, a problem considered the first V16 in history. Next year, in 2011, he established the first flash in the history of a V14 problem, sending Entlinge. Daniel claimed multiple first ascents of legendary V16 boulders in the latter years, such as The Process, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and Box Therapy.

The pinnacle of Wood’s career is the first ascent of Return of the Sleepwalker, in 2021, a sit-start variation of Jimmy Webb’s Sleepwalker (V16), making him one of the few boulderers in the world to climb a V17. Climbing Return was the longest process of his career, taking him almost three months of nonstop projecting, compared to his previous longest project, which took Daniel only 15 days.

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Known as one of the best and strongest boulderers in the world, Daniel Woods didn’t stay away from sport climbing routes. Some of his most notable ascents were La Capela (9b), Papichulo (9a+), and Thor’s Hammer (9a+).

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An interesting fact about Daniel’s sport climbing achievements is the first ascent of Tinipi, possibly the highest altitude 9a+ climb in the world, located near the summit of Mt. Kinabalu (4094m) in Malaysian Borneo.

Career as a pro climber

Being one of the most prolific boulderers in history, Daniel has been a sought-after athlete regarding sponsorships and collabs. Since the beginning of his career, Daniel Woods worked with La Sportiva and after that, Evolv, participating to the development of some of the most iconic rock climbing shoes.

During a collaboration that ended in 2017 after a decade-long partnership, Daniel worked with La Sportiva. He was spotted climbing with La Sportiva Solution multiple times, being a veritable ambassador for this model. He used this model in climbing Creature From the Black Lagoon (V16) and Practice of the Wild (V15).

After breaking up with La Sportiva, Daniel switched to Evolv and started a beautiful relationship. Woods did his part in testing Evolv Phantom prototypes since 2018 until it hit the market. He describes these shoes as a pair of beasts that can do it all and says that he doesn’t climb in other shoes.

He might have a point with falling in love with the Phantoms, as they really proved handy in sending Return of the Sleepwalker (V17), Off the Wagon (V14), Blade Runner (V15), and Empath (9a).

Among his other sponsors, Daniel has a long-lasting relationship with Petzl, Friction Lab, and Organic Climbing.

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Strong body, stronger mind

Being one of the smallest and weakest kids on the climbing team, Daniel had to work twice as hard to surpass the naturally stronger kids. The hard years of training helped Woods become one of history’s strongest boulderers and climbers.

After mastering the path of physical strength, Daniel continued working on the mental side of the game. Rock climbing, in all of its diversity, is not only a sport of the muscles but a game of confidence and mindset.

In 2015, when moving to Spain and wanting to switch from bouldering to sport climbing, Daniel integrated breathing techniques into his training. He learned how to maintain a rhythm and keep himself calm when situations became really scary.

In his acceptance, heaving a strong psychic is what makes the difference between good and exceptional climbers. Having the training and capacity to do every sequence of a climb with full confidence is the key to solving each of his climbs.

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Is Daniel Woods the best boulderer ever?

A skateboarding, tattoo-covered punk rocker, Daniel Woods truly is an inspiration and has been a trailblazer since entering the world of rock climbing. As a fanboy, I’ve always considered him right up there with Dave “The Wizard” Graham and Nalle Hukkataival, but it’s pretty hard to say if he is the best boulderer ever.

Although he is one of the few to send V17, Daniel didn’t manage to climb Nalle’s Burden of Dreams (V17), the 8-move feat of strength that was climbed by Will Bosi and Simon Lorenzi, the first person to climb three V17s.

Daniel’s latest recorded hard climb was his most painful; Adrenaline (V16) was also his hardest climb in a few years. Sending this boulder might be a sign that the 36-year-old climbing legend might return with a banger pretty soon!

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