DANIEL WOODS ON AMERICA’S PRO-CLIMBER MIGRATIONS TO EUROPE //

In case you haven’t noticed, many of America’s pro climbers have been making their way to Europe lately, often for months at a time. Some bawllas, including Jon Cardwell, Dave Graham (who in late September ticked Abyss, one of three 9a’s [5.14d] at France’s Gorges du Loup), Joe Kinder, and Daniel Woods (who recently climbed his hardest route to-date, KinematiX, another of Gorges du Loup’s 9a’s) are touring French rock hot spots. Another crew, including Emily Harrington, Matt Segal, Alex Honnold, Cedar Wright, and others, took a deep-water soloing trip to Mallorca, Spain. And rumor has it that Chris Sharma recently bought a house in Spain, too. So what gives? We emailed Woods for the inside scoop. . . .

Where are you right now?
Gorges Du Loup, in France.

How old are you?
20 What’s the drinking age over there? I don’t know, but I haven’t had any problems getting alcohol!

Seems like there are a ton of pros out in Europe right now. What’s the draw?
New routes going up at existing areas, and just traveling around, trying to send new routes we haven’t done yet.

Is the US tapped out?
The US is definitely not tapped out. I’ll be spending time climbing there in the spring, in areas like Hueco, Arkansas, the South, the Red, southern Utah, etc.

What is the sickest thing that’s gone down over there?
Seeing Enzo [Oddo], this kid from France who’s only 14, send Punt X! [another Gorges du Loup 9a]

Do your sponsors hook up these trips?
Or are you on your own? The North Face, La Sportiva, Petzl, and Organic all hook it up and make it possible for me to travel around to these amazing places.

Who’s the coolest Euro you’ve met over there, and why?
Phillipe, the “king of the crag” of Deverse. Really cool guy, super friendly, and wears a sick jean jacket to the cliff! He’s helped us out a lot with Beta, and in general is a cool dude. Click here to watch three videos of climbing on some of the gorgeous French limestone at the Gorges du Loup's Deverse Sector by Anna Gatta, Philippe Gatta and G. Richter courtesy of PhilippeGatta.fr

Other than the climbing, what makes Europe so cool?
So much history here, and the lifestyle is very laid-back (except for the driving); great wine and cheese; and the McDonalds are so much better in Europe! The only thing that sucks is the Euro to the dollar: 1.4?!