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Luke Zimmerman Sends West Coast 5.14

Luke Zimmerman is a strong Squamish climber who has been focuses the past few years on bouldering. With hard sends of Terminator V12, The Method V12, Vince Pinch V12 and Drive Direct V12, he has also ticked double digits V11s. This summer, Zimmerman ticked Down System 5.14a. “This season I felt I could finally handle the logistics of a hard sport project and decided to take one on,” wrote Zimmerman on Instagram. “Captain America 5.14b was my main objective. After not so many attempts I found that a finger injury was being aggravated by the opening moves and I had to walk away.”

For those unfamiliar with Cheakamus north of Squamish, Down System is a well-known 5.14a just right of The Big Show wall where Captain America is. It was first climbed in 2002 by Jordan Wright and starts with a V11 problem through a bulge into a power endurance section. The final crux of the eight-metre six-bolt line is a big move to a pinch. Zimmerman notes that the route is 24 moves and there are no easy ones. “The video here shows a close attempt the day before I sent,” wrote Zimmerman. “I should have done it on this try. Everything felt really solid but I somehow bobbled the redpoint crux and was off. Click on the video to watch.

A video posted by @zukelimmerman on

“When I actually sent it wasn’t solid at all. It felt heinous. Maybe it was conditions or maybe it I just wasn’t climbing as well but every move felt harder than it ever had. On my first attempts that day I couldn’t even link the crux off the dog. Then somehow, I managed to get through the crux and absolutely sketch my way to the top. While styling it would have been nice, climbing it this way was pretty cool. It definitely stands out as one of the biggest fights I’ve ever been in and just an awesome experience. As always thanks to my incredible wife for the support .. and for putting up with all the nervous pacing.” Follow Zimmerman on Sendage.com here.

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