Climb High, Stay Warm
ADVENTURE LOCATION
Joshua Tree, California
HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY
I woke up with a heinous
cold and it was 25°F. Our
photographer, Tim Kemple,
wanted to do an early shoot
on this highball boulder called
White Rastafarian, a V2 grade
climb. Alex Johnson (a North
Face athlete) and I got up
without anything to eat and
climbed this line while Tim shot
us. By noon it warmed up quite
a bit – the beauty about being
in the desert! Despite the rough
start, the climbing ending up
being pleasant.
MAIN LESSONS
Layer Up:
The cold-to-hot fl uctuation
during wintertime in the desert is
extreme.
The Desert Is Not-So-Dead:
Joshua Tree had so many
creatures and plants that I don’t
have in Boulder, my hometown.
Seeing them was a real treat.
MY GEAR
The North Face Men’s
ThermoBallTM Full-Zip Jacket and
Beanie, and Petzl Head Lamp
ADVERTISEMENT
#ThermoBall
BEYOND THE CLIMB
The act of climbing is
simple yet, when broken
down, it becomes complex.
No two climbs are ever the
same. Climbing allows me
to travel the world, meet
new people, and climb on
various kinds of rock in
beautiful places.MASTERING MY MOVEMENT
Precise, tense, isolated
and dynamic. My fi ngers,
shoulders, and core are
strong, allowing me to look
like I am moving in slow
motion. I know when to be
controlled and when to be
more aggressive.EVERYDAY DRIVE
Climbing is a giant journey.
Every climb, I learn
something diff erent about
myself. Sometimes it takes
a few tries to get to the top,
and sometimes it takes
weeks, months or years.
There is always a brief
moment of doubt, if what I
am trying is even humanly
possible. Overcoming that
feeling and being confi dent
in my abilities keeps me
present and makes me
feel alive.DANIEL WOODS
BOULDER, COCLIMBER
The Products
PUTTING THERMOBALLTM
TO THE TEST
I used my North Face ThermoBallTM
Jacket during the coldest times of
day, the morning and evening, when
temperatures got into the 20s. It’s
nice to have a versatile jacket that
will keep me warm throughout all
extremes of cold as well as in more
comfortable temperatures.TRAVEL-FRIENDLY,
DURABLE AND FLEXIBLE
Lightweight & Packable:
Stowable in a hand pocket
Heat Trap:
Elastic cuff s for your wrists
trap in heatPACKABLE
AND LIGHTWARM
WHEN WETDOWN
ALTERNATIVE