Three months. Sixty-five days. One boulder. And one really, really tough line.
Today, Daniel Woods, a pro climber based in Boulder, Colo., put up “Return of the Sleepwalker,” a proposed 9A/V17. If accepted, it will be the first in the U.S. and one of the first in the world.
“It’s all just a game people … and I play the game,” Woods wrote online. “The game is how comfortable can you become with your own insanity.”
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Woods is one of the few climbers in the world to have climbed both a 5.15 and V16, the top grades in two climbing disciplines.
Located in Red Rock, Nev., “Sleepwalker” is a V16, ranked one of the hardest lines in the U.S. and the world. For Woods’ proposed V17, “Return of the Sleepwalker,” he added a sit start as opposed to a stand start. That change alone added about five V13 moves to an already difficult V16. Many pro climbers — Tommy Caldwell and Emily Harrington included — are already in agreement on social media that Woods’ line looks like a true V17.
“Love how this thing requires a ton of power resistance and accuracy,” wrote Woods about a month into his V17 project. “Basically, there is no room for error. Accuracy, flow, and tension have to be flawless. Wild game with this one. [Definitely] some of the best set of moves I’ve done out there.”
Woods put up the second ascent of the original Sleepwalker 2 years ago, which you can watch below:
