Feb 25 | Wise Words From Daniel Woods

By The North Face

A couple of weeks ago Daniel Woods finally sent The Game (V16), a much-tried boulder problem that had been eluding him for almost two years. We caught up with Daniel to gain some insight and advice on sticking with it when a boulder problem just shuts you down.   

 

TNF: What advice can you give to climbers who have been shut down by problems, over and over, yet still return day after day to try them?

DW: Getting shut down in climbing is part of the game. You will have a lot more failure than success, but once you achieve success it is the best feeling in the world. I use my failures as motivation to improve. My advice is to expect failure, and use it as motivation to reach success. If all the moves are possible then the climb is possible. I find it is also good to work things then take a break and come back to them. If you try and try without stopping then that is when you are most likely to get discouraged. If you keep it fresh and return back, motivation will stay at an all time high.

TNF: What keeps you motivated?

DW: Finding a climb that challenges me keeps me motivated. I actually love getting shut down because it makes me want to try so much harder. Even discovering subtle differences in a move gets me psyched. I love climbing in that matter. You will always find something exotic that keeps you interested. I love doing new moves and involved rock climbs that require full body power and finger strength. Climbing always has me coming back for more. I am never satisfied with anything. Even now I want to go find a boulder that is harder than The Game.

TNF: What is the longest you have worked on a boulder problem/route?  Which one?

DW: The Game is by far the longest I have projected anything. It took me 17 days over two years. It started out being pretty futuristic in my head, to realizing now that it was possible. Before The Game, the longest I had worked a climb for was seven or eight days.