Daniel Woods Upgrades Drew Ruana Highball to V15
Originally graded V14, a hold break has upped the difficulty of Freakshow
Daniel Woods has made the second ascent of Drew Ruana’s Freakshow in Pinecliffe, Colorado. Established in 2022 and originally graded V14, Woods broke a key hold warranting an upgrade to V15. Freakshow is a massive boulder problem with around 40 feet of climbing from start to finish. The line starts deep under a roof, pulls that roof, traverses across the lip, and then enters a tall vertical wall that slowly tilts to off-vertical. The topout is 25 feet up but the landing below slopes away leaving around a 45-foot drop to the ground.
Woods breaks down the climb into three sections. A steep V10/11, a V13 with two cruxes on small crimps and pinches, and a final V8 up the high vertical face. “I broke a key hand hold on the vertical section,” said Woods on Instagram. “This created a new crux which I think levels the climb up.”
“The style is both powerful and technical,” he added. Fun ride with this one.” Woods is one of the best boulderers of all time. He made the first ascent of the United States’ first V17 in 2021, Return of the Sleepwalker in Red Rock, Nevada. He’s established and repeated many V16’s including Hypnotized Minds, The Process, Off the Wagon Sit, and Grand Illusion, among others. He’s no slouch on a rope either, climbing La Capella 5.15b and several 5.15a’s.
Drew Ruana’s first ascent of Freakshow
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