BURSTLast spring, Daniel Woods made the first ascent of The Dark Passenger V14 (8B+) in Ticino, Switzerland. The imposing bloc stands nine metres tall and overhangs by 40 degrees. Woods originally found the line in 2020. He rapped down and gave it a quick brush, finding perfect rock. He thought the line would likely go around V11. He left the project for another time though, as it would require a lot of prep to climb safely.
“[In 2024] I decided to revisit the wall and thoroughly clean it,” said Woods on Instagram. “With the help of a ladder I could see what the bottom section was about. The hold selection was pretty all time. Two perfect pockets led to two perfect pinches. The left hand pinch was sloping and narrow. The right hand pinch was sloping and wide. From this position you explode out left hand to a banana shaped grip that is good but rounded. This is the crux move. Boulder one ends here.
“Boulder 2 is more technical and psychological. The holds are friction dependent and turned in a way that makes the positions feel uneasy. The top-out is not very secure feeling as well. There is a bulge encounter on these sloping pocket [esque] dishes. The final move to get your torso over the bulge to a point where you can stand up is committing. You do this section around 9m off the deck.
“Overall this line climbs like a mini route with no rest. Fatigue built more than I expected for the final lip encounter. I envisioned feeling fresh for the top-out, but instead had numb fingers and a decent pump going. It was my last day though so I went for it and hoped for the best. The experience was exhilarating. It’s been a while since I’ve done a psychologically hard line.”
Woods believes to first boulder problem to be around soft V13. The second boulder is easier, at V10, but there’s a fear element doing the moves so high off the deck. “Best line that I have found and cleaned. Made my Swiss trip,” said Woods. Mellow just released a short film about his The Dark Passenger ascent, which you can watch below.
Woods has over 40 ascents of problems V15 or harder. In 2021, he got the FA of America’s first V17, Return of the Sleepwalker. He has sent a slew of V16’s, including Adrenaline last year. He’s sent multiple 5.15a sport routes, and in his comp climbing days, he took home gold regularly, including at the USA National Bouldering Championships.
Daniel Woods’ FA of The Dark Passenger V14
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