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DAN GOODWIN

a.k.a SpiderDan

Date of Birth: November, 1955 

Location: Cape Porpoise, Maine

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 15o lb 

Building Ascents: 12

Most Notable: World Trade Center, Sears Tower, CN Tower

Highest Bouldering Grade: V7 

Hardest Redpoint Grade: Maniac FA 5.13d/14a 

Hardest Onsight: 5.12b/c 

Hardest Free Solo: 5.12d (Bagatel 1983)

Strengths: Front Levers and Flag Maneuvers

Other Sports: Snowboarding, MTB Biking

Favorite Music: Funk, HipHop, Reggae, Miles Davis

Favorite Movie: Avatar, Pure Formality

Favorite Ski Resort: Chamonix, La Grave, Squaw Valley

Favorite Mountain Bike Trail: The Tahoe Rim Trail

Favorite Climbing Area: Still Searching "There's so many!"

Status: Married to Cynthia Ado

Noteworthy Achievements

Dan Goodwin a.k.a. SpiderDan, is best known for his building and rock climbing ascents, credited as one of the forefathers of Sport Climbing by establishing the world's most difficult rock climb known as Maniac 5.13d/14a in the fall of 1984, free soloing Mickey's Beach Crack 5.12b on national TV,   free soloing both sides of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, and for his role in constructing the world's tallest climbing wall at Snowbird, Utah for the First International Sport Climbing Competition in 1988, where he served as a color commentator for CBS Sports. 

DAN GOODWIN VIDEOS

THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ASCENT

In May 30th, 1983, Dan Goodwin, a.k.a. SpiderDan, scaled the North Tower of the World Trade Center.  But on the 87th floor, things went horribly wrong.  

THE JOHN HANCOCK ASCENT

On November 11, 1981, Veterans Day, Fire Commissioner William Blair ordered the Chicago firemen to knock Goodwin off the building with a gushing fire hose. 

THE SEARS TOWER ASCENT

MAY 25TH 1981, Dan Goodwin made history by scaling the world's tallest building (the Sears Tower) wearing a spiderman suit.  Watch as Dan's suction cups pop off on the 63rd floor with the winds howling over 50mph. 

THE MILLENNIUM TOWER ASCENT

On September 6th, 2010 (Labor Day), nearly twenty years after his historical free climbing ascent of the CN Tower, Dan Goodwin scaled the 58 story Millennium Tower in San Francisco on behalf of those that are battling cancer.  

THE STAN LEE'S SUPER HUMAN ASCENT

On March 1st, 2014, Dan Goodwin scaled the Telefonica Building in Santiago, Chile for Stan Lee's SuperHuman TV series. 

FREE SOLO ~ MICKEY'S BEACH CRACK

September, 1983, after scaling the World Trade Center, Dan Goodwin free solos Mickey's Beach Crack 5.12b for National TV. Location of climb: Stinson Beach, CA

1ST SPORT CLIMBING CHAMPIONSHIP

August, 1988, Dan Goodwin, in collaboration with Jeff Lowe, designed and constructed the world's tallest climbing wall for the First International Sport Climbing Competition at Snowbird, Utah.  

SPORT SHOW IN CHICAGO ~ 1982

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"I believe the day will come when every major university and city across the country will host climbing competitions.  When that happens, it will just be a matter of time before climbing is accepted into the olympics"

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photos by Allen Woodstock

Dan Goodwin - 1982

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  1. First Ascent of the World Trade Center - North Tower (Watch Video below)

  2. First Ascent of the Willis Tower a.k.a. the Sears Tower - formerly the world's tallest building.  Location: Chicago (Watch Video below)

  3. First Ascent of the John Hancock Center Note: Chicago fire department attempted to knock him off building with a gushing fire hose. (Watch Video)

  4. First Ascent of the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada.  Note: Dan free soloed without a rope, both sides with his hands & feet for the Guinness Book of World Records.

  5. First Ascent of the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angles for World Hunger, raising over $100,000.00 

  6. First Ascent of the Renaissance Center in Dallas, Texas to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis, raising $150,000.00  

  7. First Ascent of El Centro Towers (oldest twin towers in South America) in Caracas for Venevision TV.  Note: Dan free climbed all 30 floors w/o rope.

  8. First Ascent of Parque Central (tallest building in South America) in Caracas for Venevision TV 

  9. First Ascent of the Nippon TV Tower in Tokyo for Nippon TV.  

  10. First Ascent of the Millennium Tower in San Francisco (2010) to be a beacon of hope for all cancer patients.  (Watch Video below)

  11. First Ascent of theTelephonica Building in Santiago, Chile (2014) for Stan Lee's SuperHuman TV series. (Watch Video below)

  12. Dan established the world's first 5.13d/14q by capturing the first ascent of Maniac in northeastern Maine. 

  13. Constructing the world's tallest climbing wall in Snowbird, Utah, and was the color commentator for CBS Sports during the 1st International Sport Climbing competition.  (Watch Video below)

  14. Dan drafted the Skyscraper Defense Act after 9/11  Please follow link. 

  15. Stage Four Cancer survivor since 2000.  

  16. Dan is currently the CEO & Founder of Tripleblack ~ an Extreme Sport News & Entertainment Network.

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