Daniel Woods has been packing in quite a bit of climbing this summer and setting more "youngster"
records. At 14-years-old, he became the youngest to boulder V13 by sending Dave Graham's "The
Automator" in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). He did it in three days on July 6th after sending
it the day before with a technicality commonly known as a "dab".
Over a span of five days in late June at Rifle, Colorado, Daniel managed the equivalent of a Straight Flush in poker
terms. His attempt to onsight "Fringe Dweller" (5.13a) was unsuccessful, but he did manage to
redpoint it next go - the red 10. Continuing in the redpoint suit, Daniel went on
playing an impressive hand consisting of the Jack, "Dry Doctor" (5.13b); the
Queen, "Skeletor" (5.13c); the King, "Bride
of Frankenstein" (5.13d); and the Ace, "Lung Fish" (5.14a).
In Sacramento, California, on July 11th, Daniel walked away with yet another USA Climbing Junior National Championship title.
The next day he "relaxed" in Yosemite by sending "Midnight Lightning" (V8) in a day.
In Rumney, New Hampshire, on July 26, after climbing in persistent rain, Daniel redpointed "Parallel Universe" (5.14a)
as well as several other stout 5.13s. Then he flew back home to Colorado with his New Hampshire posse,
Zeb Engberg and Vasya Vorotnikov, and met up with another talented young climber from New Mexico, Jon Cardwell. On their
way to Rifle, Daniel polished off "Shine" (5.14a) in Clear Creek Canyon.
While in Rifle, on his 15th birthday, Daniel redpointed "The Cracked Open Sky" (5.13d) in three
tries... with no kneebars! (That's gotta be a grade or two harder.) When last seen, he was working on "The
Crew" (5.14b) with no kneebars. If it goes, it will certainly be a first.
In one last fling before school started, Daniel made his biannual pilgrimage to the Outdoor Retailers Trade
Show in Salt Lake City, Utah. On Saturday, August 14, Daniel took a break from the Trade Show and repeated
"Super Tweak" (5.14b) in Logan Canyon. He sent it in only three tries in one day! Though, he did work
on "Still Too Weak" (5.14a) for a day a year earlier, which shares the bottom half of "Super Tweak",
he had to re-learn the lower crux sequences.
