Daniel Woods facts for kids
Woods in 2019
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| Born | August 1, 1989 Richardson, Texas, U.S. |
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| Occupation | Professional rock climber | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 61 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Updated on August 3, 2022. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Daniel Woods is a famous American professional rock climber. He is best known for bouldering, which is a type of climbing on large boulders or short rock walls without using ropes. Many people think he is one of the best and most important boulderers of all time.
Woods has climbed more than 30 bouldering routes with a difficulty grade of 8C (V15) or higher, which is extremely difficult. He is also a champion in climbing competitions. In 2021, he became the second person in history to climb a route graded 9A (V17), the hardest grade in bouldering. He named this route Return of the Sleepwalker.
Contents
Early Life and Start in Climbing
Daniel Woods was born in Richardson, Texas, on August 1, 1989. He first tried climbing when he was a member of the Cub Scouts. His family moved to Longmont, Colorado, in 1997 when he was eight years old.
In Colorado, Woods started to take climbing more seriously. He joined a junior climbing team and began competing. His coaches, Justin Sjong and Jimmie Redo, helped him develop his skills.
Climbing Career
Woods quickly became one of the world's top climbers. His career includes amazing achievements in both outdoor rock climbing and indoor competitions.
Climbing on Natural Rock
In 2003, at just 14 years old, Woods climbed his first bouldering route rated 8A (V11). A year later, he completed the first-ever climb of a route called Echale, which he graded 8B+ (V14). This was a sign of his incredible talent.
In 2007, Woods made the first ascent of a route he had been trying to climb for years. He named it Jade and originally graded it 8C (V15), his hardest climb at the time. Today, other climbers agree its grade is closer to 8B+ (V14).
To improve even more, Woods moved to Innsbruck, Austria, in 2008. There, he trained with other world-class climbers like Kilian Fischhuber and David Lama. This training helped him climb even harder routes, like In Search of Time Lost in Switzerland.
Success in Competitions
Even though he loves climbing outdoors, Daniel Woods has also had a very successful career in competition climbing. He is one of the best American male competition climbers ever.
He has won the American Bouldering Series National Championship nine times. He also won a gold medal at the IFSC World Cup event in Vail, Colorado, in 2010. This shows he can perform at the highest level under the pressure of competition.
His Most Famous Climbs
Daniel Woods is known for completing some of the most difficult bouldering routes, called "problems," in the world. A "first ascent" means he was the first person to ever successfully climb that route.
Boulder Problems
Here are some of his most important achievements, organized by their difficulty grade. The V-scale (like V17) and the Font scale (like 9A) are two systems used to rate the difficulty of boulder problems.
Grade 9A (V17)
- Return of the Sleepwalker - Located in Red Rocks, USA. Woods made the first ascent on March 30, 2021. This is one of the hardest boulder problems in the world.
Grade 8C+ (V16)
- Box Therapy - Located in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA. First ascent in 2018.
- Creature from the Black Lagoon - Also in Rocky Mountain National Park. First ascent in 2016.
- Hypnotized Minds - Another first ascent in Rocky Mountain National Park from 2010.
- Sleepwalker - Located in Red Rocks, USA. Woods was the second person to climb it in 2019.
- The Process - Located in Bishop, USA. First ascent in 2015.
Grade 8C (V15)
Woods has climbed dozens of problems at this high level of difficulty. Some of his famous first ascents at this grade include:
- The Nest (2013)
- Paint it Black (2012)
- The Game (2010)
- Desperanza (2010)
- In Search of Time Lost (2008)
Sport Climbing Routes
Besides bouldering, Woods also excels at sport climbing, which involves longer routes with ropes. In 2019, he climbed Thor's Hammer in Norway, a very difficult sport route graded 9a+.
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Woods para niños
- List of grade milestones in rock climbing
