Daniel Woods has climbed more V15-and-above boulder problems than any person alive. Over 40 at last count. He put up the first V17 in North America, won nine national bouldering titles, became the first American to win an IFSC Bouldering World Cup, and sits at #1 on the 8a.nu all-time bouldering leaderboard. At 36 years old, he is still projecting V17 and putting up new first ascents. No climber in history has a deeper scorecard at the top end of the bouldering scale.
Daniel Woods Biography: From Texas Cub Scouts to Colorado Prodigy
Daniel Woods was born on August 1, 1989, in Richardson, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas, to Steve and Carol Woods. He has a younger sister, Amanda. His introduction to climbing came at age five through a Cub Scouts outing at Mineral Wells State Park. His father Steve got hooked almost immediately, running stairs on his lunch break to train and driving the family to local Dallas climbing gyms on weekends.
In 1997, when Daniel was eight, the family relocated to Longmont, Colorado. That move changed everything. Daniel joined the Boulder Rock Club junior climbing team, coached by Justin Sjong and Jimmie Redo, the same program that later produced Emily Harrington. Sjong met Daniel at age nine and later described him as one of the smallest and weakest kids on the team, a child who had to work twice as hard to keep up. He also trained at ABC Climbing in Boulder, the gym owned by the Raboutou family that would go on to produce Brooke Raboutou, Margo Hayes, and Natalia Grossman.
By age 10, Woods won the 1999 JCCA National Championships and earned a spot on the U.S. Youth Climbing Team. His progression from there was extraordinary. At 14, he climbed his first V11 (Dave Graham's "Fuck You Finger" in Fort Collins). At 15, he made the first ascent of Echale (V14) in Clear Creek Canyon, the hardest boulder problem in Colorado at the time. He apparently skipped V12 and V13 as publicly documented grade milestones entirely. He picked up his first clothing sponsor, Cickle, at age 11 and was receiving paychecks from climbing by 14.
His junior international career included a silver medal at the 2003 UIAA Youth World Championships in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria and a bronze at the 2004 edition in Edinburgh. Notably, his youth career was in lead climbing before he pivoted to bouldering as his primary discipline.
Daniel Woods Height, Weight, and Ape Index
Woods stands 5'7" (170 cm) and weighs approximately 134 lbs (61 kg). Compact and wiry by any standard, but his reach tells a different story. His wingspan measures approximately 72 inches (183 cm), giving him an ape index of +4 inches and a wingspan-to-height ratio of roughly 1.06. A 2008 Denver Post profile noted his arms spanned "nearly 6-1," and Woods himself has said that having long arms really helps when he climbs, giving him a longer reach over the rock and the ability to cover more distance between holds.
For context, this is one of the more favorable ape indices among elite climbers. Adam Ondra's ape index is only +0.4 inches, and Alex Honnold's is roughly +3 inches. Woods' disproportionate reach partially explains his ability to span between holds that shorter-armed climbers of similar height simply cannot connect, a critical advantage on the powerful, dynamic sequences where he excels. You can see how his measurements compare to other elite climbers on our ape index comparison table.
Daniel Woods V17: Return of the Sleepwalker
On March 30, 2021, Woods completed the first ascent of Return of the Sleepwalker in Black Velvet Canyon, Red Rock, Nevada. The problem is a sit-start extension to Jimmy Webb's Sleepwalker (V16), adding roughly seven moves of V13 difficulty directly into the V16 crux with no rest. Seventeen moves total. It was the first V17 in North America and only the second proposed V17 in the world after Nalle Hukkataival's 2016 Burden of Dreams in Finland.
The project consumed 52 days of effort across approximately three months, far exceeding Woods' previous longest project of 15 days. For the final 16 days, he camped alone in the desert in complete isolation, cutting out alcohol, caffeine, and smoking to achieve peak condition. He had previously sent the stand-start Sleepwalker V16 in January 2019 (second ascent) and climbed it nearly 20 times during the projecting season, including four times in a single session.
The grade has since been confirmed by repeaters Will Bosi and Noah Wheeler. By early 2026, Return of the Sleepwalker had been repeated eight times, making it the most repeated V17 in the world.
Daniel Woods First Ascents and Notable Sends
Woods' outdoor resume is staggering in both depth and breadth. He holds the record for the most ascents of V15 (8C) or harder by any climber in history, a figure exceeding 40 problems.
V16 (8C+) Sends: Five First Ascents, Four Repeats
Woods has completed nine V16 boulder problems, five of which he established:
Hypnotized Minds in Rocky Mountain National Park (October 2010, first ascent). Originally graded V15, upgraded to V16 after Rustam Gelmanov's 2016 repeat. Widely considered the first V16 in history.
The Process at the Buttermilks, Bishop, California (January 2015, first ascent). An iconic highball on the Grandpa Peabody boulder, sent at night. Described as "the last king line in the Buttermilks."
Creature from the Black Lagoon in Upper Chaos Canyon, RMNP (September 2016, first ascent). A 15-day project that has since been repeated by Dave Graham, Jimmy Webb, Drew Ruana, Shawn Raboutou, and others.
Box Therapy at Box Lake, RMNP (October 2018, first ascent). An 18-move crimpy test piece at 10,500 feet elevation, requiring a 6.5-mile approach hike.
Adrenaline in Peaceful Valley, Colorado (February 2024, first ascent). His most recent V16, featuring a painful ring-lock crux on a 50-degree overhanging roof.
His V16 repeats include Sleepwalker (2nd ascent, January 2019), Off the Wagon Low (3rd ascent, 2020), Grand Illusion (3rd ascent, 2021), and Insomniac (2nd ascent, September 2022).
V15 (8C) First Ascents
His V15 first ascents number over a dozen and span four continents. Notable examples include In Search of Time Lost (Magic Wood, 2008, his first confirmed V15), Desperanza (Hueco Tanks, 2010), The Game (Boulder Canyon, 2010, originally proposed V16, downgraded), La Force Tranquille (Magic Wood, 2011), White Noise (Wild Basin, 2012), Paint it Black (RMNP, 2012), The Ice Knife SDS (Guanella Pass, 2013), El Diablo (Penoles, Mexico, 2014), Spray of Light (Rocklands, South Africa, 2015), and Direct Hit (Ubatuba, Brazil, 2019).
Sport Climbing Crossover
Woods is one of very few climbers on Earth to have sent both V17 and 5.15b. His sport climbing highlights include La Capella (5.15b/9b) in Siurana, Spain (January 2018, third ascent, completed in just five days of effort), Tinipi (5.15a/9a+) on Mt. Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo (2012, first ascent, possibly the highest-altitude 5.15a ever at 13,435 feet), and repeats of Papichulo, Thor's Hammer, and First Ley, all at 5.15a.
"First Person To" Milestones
Woods holds several historic firsts: first American to win an IFSC Bouldering World Cup (Vail, 2010); first person to flash a V14 boulder (Entlinge, Murgtal, Switzerland, November 2011, a feat "seldom repeated to date"); first V17 in North America (Return of the Sleepwalker, 2021); and the most V15+ ascents of any climber in recorded history.
Daniel Woods Competition Results: Nine National Titles and a World Cup Gold
Woods dominated American bouldering competitions for a decade. He won the American Bouldering Series National Championship nine times between 2005 and 2014, a record of domestic dominance matched only by Alex Puccio on the women's side. He also won the Teva Mountain Games bouldering event four times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2010) and captured multiple Sport Climbing Series national podiums including at least two golds. In 2010, The North Face noted that "Daniel won every competition he entered that year."
On the international stage, Woods collected three IFSC Bouldering World Cup medals: gold at Vail in 2010 (making him the first American to win the event), silver at Eindhoven in 2011, and bronze at Hall, Austria in 2008. His last IFSC competition was in April 2017 at Meiringen, Switzerland. He expressed openness to the Olympics in a 2016 interview but never pursued qualification for Tokyo 2020 or Paris 2024. The combined format requiring speed climbing made little sense for a pure bouldering specialist.
Daniel Woods Climbing Style
Woods' climbing style is built on raw explosive power, dynamic movement, and compression strength. He thrives on steep, overhanging terrain. Roofs, crimps, and pinches are self-identified strengths, while delicate footwork on slabs and volumes are self-admitted weaknesses. The North Face describes him as having "two speeds: zero and one hundred," and his try-hard intensity on every attempt is a defining characteristic.
He is one of the most dynamic boulderers in the world. Where other climbers might use static technique to lock off and slowly reach for the next hold, Woods launches. His +4 inch ape index lets him span distances that shorter-armed climbers of the same height simply cannot connect, and his power lets him stick dynamic moves that demand precise timing and body tension.
Daniel Woods Training and Diet
Woods' training philosophy centers on quality over quantity. A typical session lasts three hours and includes 30 minutes of dynamic warm-up, a phase of hard bouldering, and endurance circuits he calls "up-down-ups" (climbing a hard problem, downclimbing an easier one, then ascending a harder one, averaging 200 moves across five sets). For competition preparation, he runs 20-boulder speed circuits at V7 to V10 and 4x4 power-endurance sets. He trains primarily at Movement Climbing Gym in Boulder and has never been a weight lifter: "That's why I don't lift weights. It's all about your strength-to-weight ratio."
His diet underwent a significant transformation during the Return of the Sleepwalker project. Recognizing that drinking, smoking, and partying in Vegas were destroying his recovery, he shifted to an approximately 80% vegan diet with occasional Alaskan sockeye salmon, eliminated dairy (he is lactose intolerant), and adopted a supplement regimen including collagen, whey protein, fish oil, turmeric, lion's mane mushroom, and BCAAs through his sponsor PhysiVantage. He credits this lifestyle overhaul as essential to sending V17 at age 31.
He also co-designed the Woods Board, a 12' x 12' symmetrical light-up training board developed with Andy Raether of Formik Climbing. It is a spray-wall-style tool reflecting his belief that climbing itself is the best training for climbing. That said, targeted finger strength training on a hangboard remains the most research-backed method for building the crimp and open-hand strength that separates V-double-digit climbers from everyone else.
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See The Hangboard →Daniel Woods Shoes and Sponsors
Woods climbed in La Sportiva Solutions for roughly a decade before switching to Evolv around 2017. He co-designed the Evolv Phantom with Evolv's Matt Birch, going through over ten prototypes before the shoe's March 2020 release. The Phantom features an extreme downturn, a criss-cross strap system, and a sharp toe-box directing power to the big toe. Woods has flatly stated: "I do not climb in any other shoe. For me, there is no need. This beast does it all." He wears a size 8 Phantom (street shoe size 9.5) and sent Return of the Sleepwalker, Box Therapy, and Off the Wagon in them. Paul Robinson contributed to the design and named the shoe. An upgraded Evolv Phantom Pro launched in 2025 with enhanced downturn and EvoWrap tensioned midsole.
His full current sponsor roster includes The North Face (apparel, his longest partnership since approximately 2008), Evolv (shoes), Organic Climbing (crash pads), Friction Labs (chalk, he prefers the "Gorilla Grip" medium chunk blend), and PhysiVantage (supplements). Past sponsors include La Sportiva, Petzl, Gnarly Nutrition, and Cickle (his first sponsor at age 11).
Daniel Woods Wife: Courtney Sanders
Woods married fellow professional climber Courtney Sanders after proposing at Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder around 2010. Sanders, originally from Nashville, Tennessee, was a former soccer player and raft guide who progressed remarkably fast in climbing, sending V10 and 5.13a within her first two years. She competed on the IFSC Boulder World Cup circuit, climbed multiple V11 (8A) problems, and was sponsored by La Sportiva, Adidas Outdoor, and So Ill.
The couple divorced around 2017, a year Woods has described as his worst, also marked by a DUI and an MCL injury. Sanders has since transitioned to a career as a senior mortgage loan officer in Colorado.
Daniel Woods and the Mellow Crew
Woods' closest climbing relationships center on the Mellow collective, a climbing media group he co-founded in October 2018 with Shawn Raboutou (described as "the CEO"), Jimmy Webb, Giuliano Cameroni, Keenan Takahashi, and filmmaker Kevin Takashi Smith. Their YouTube videos blend a skate-film aesthetic with world-class bouldering. Alex Honnold has said of them: "The next generation needs its inspiration. The Mellow crew provides it."
Jimmy Webb is Woods' closest climbing partner. They met at Hueco Tanks around 2010 and have traveled the world together. Woods has called Webb "a genius with movement and body awareness," and the two share a competitive chemistry that pushes both of them. Their careers are intertwined: Webb made the first ascent of Sleepwalker V16; Woods made the second ascent, then established the V17 sit-start extension.
Paul Robinson is another long-time collaborator. Dave Graham has been a peer since the mid-2000s. Nalle Hukkataival shares membership in the exclusive V17 club and has climbed with Woods across multiple continents. Woods trained with Kilian Fischhuber and the late David Lama in Innsbruck in 2008, a formative experience for his competition career.
Daniel Woods Net Worth
Net worth estimates for professional climbers are notoriously unreliable, but the $1 to $2 million range appears most plausible for Daniel Woods given his two decades of major sponsorships (The North Face, Evolv, La Sportiva), competition winnings across nine national titles and multiple World Cup medals, product collaborations (Evolv Phantom, Woods Board), and content creation. That is meaningful for a career in a niche sport, though modest compared to mainstream athletics. He has been receiving paychecks from climbing since he was 14 years old.
Daniel Woods Instagram and Social Media
Woods is active on Instagram at @dawoods89 with approximately 234,000 followers. He launched his own YouTube channel (@dawoods89) in April 2025 and is also available on Cameo at cameo.com/dubz89. His content through the Mellow collective on YouTube has been a primary way fans have followed his outdoor climbing for the past several years.
Is Daniel Woods Still Climbing in 2026?
Yes. As of mid-2025, Woods is firmly in "veteran legend" territory but shows no signs of slowing down. His February 2024 first ascent of Adrenaline (V16) proved he can still establish world-class problems at 34. In spring 2025, he put up The Dark Passenger (V14), a nine-meter highball in Ticino, Switzerland, and launched his own YouTube channel.
His primary ongoing project is Alphane (V17) in Chironico, Switzerland, first ascended by Shawn Raboutou in 2022 and since repeated by Aidan Roberts, Will Bosi, Simon Lorenzi, Jakob Schubert, and Sean Bailey. In a July 2025 video, Woods described Alphane as having "consumed more seasons than any climb I have seriously tried" and called it a nemesis. He remains motivated: "The process that I have had with Alphane will mentally make me a better climber."
At 36 (he turns 37 in August 2026), Woods is among the oldest elite boulderers still operating at V16+. The cutting edge of V17 climbing is increasingly dominated by climbers a decade younger, including Will Bosi (26), Shawn Raboutou (24), and Aidan Roberts (26). But Woods' longevity is exceptional and his total body of work is unmatched.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is Daniel Woods?
Daniel Woods is 5'7" (170 cm) tall and weighs approximately 134 lbs (61 kg). Despite being compact, his 72-inch (183 cm) wingspan gives him a +4 inch ape index, one of the most favorable among elite climbers.
How old is Daniel Woods?
Daniel Woods was born on August 1, 1989, making him 36 years old as of early 2026. He turns 37 in August 2026. He is among the oldest elite boulderers still operating at V16+.
What is Daniel Woods' ape index?
Daniel Woods has an ape index of +4 inches (+10 cm), meaning his wingspan of approximately 72 inches is four inches longer than his height of 5'7". This gives him a wingspan-to-height ratio of roughly 1.06. You can calculate your own and compare it to Woods and other pros on our ape index calculator.
What shoes does Daniel Woods climb in?
Daniel Woods climbs in the Evolv Phantom, a shoe he co-designed with Evolv. He wears a size 8 (street shoe 9.5) and has said "I do not climb in any other shoe." He previously climbed in La Sportiva Solutions for roughly a decade. An upgraded Evolv Phantom Pro launched in 2025.
Has Daniel Woods climbed V17?
Yes. Daniel Woods made the first ascent of Return of the Sleepwalker (V17) in Red Rock, Nevada on March 30, 2021. It was the first V17 in North America and remains the most repeated V17 in the world. As of 2025, he is projecting a second V17, Alphane, in Switzerland.
Who is Daniel Woods' wife?
Daniel Woods was married to professional climber Courtney Sanders. They married around 2010 after he proposed at Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder, Colorado. The couple divorced around 2017. Sanders competed on the IFSC Boulder World Cup circuit and has since transitioned to a career in mortgage lending.
What is Daniel Woods' net worth?
Daniel Woods' net worth is estimated in the $1 to $2 million range, based on over two decades of sponsorships from The North Face, Evolv, and others, plus competition winnings, product collaborations, and content creation.
What does Daniel Woods eat?
During his V17 project, Woods adopted an approximately 80% vegan diet with occasional wild-caught salmon. He eliminated dairy (he is lactose intolerant) and cut out alcohol and caffeine. His supplement regimen includes collagen, whey protein, fish oil, turmeric, lion's mane mushroom, and BCAAs.
How does Daniel Woods train?
Woods trains primarily at Movement Climbing Gym in Boulder, Colorado. His sessions last about three hours and include dynamic warm-ups, hard bouldering, and endurance circuits called "up-down-ups." He does not lift weights, believing strength-to-weight ratio is paramount. He also co-designed the Woods Board spray wall for training.
