VMC 2nd try: nemesis-alarm (25.07.2015)

Two weeks ago me and Phil climbed the first 3 pitches of VMC Direct (5.10+/7-, 9 pitches), but we rapped of as team members did not feel in good health. Today me and Dan planned to send this proud line through the tallest section of Cannon.

Even though I had been up the route already, I slept nervously the night before, waking up with thoughts about falling at hard moves. These thoughts kept churning in my head during the 2h30min drive up to Cannon. But as always, they disappear once we start climbing. Me and Dan decided to swing leads so that I could try the cruxy 2nd pitch, and he got to try the beautiful 3rd pitch that I climbed last time.

1. pitch (5.7/4?): Up a ramp, Dan took down this pretty fast.
2. pitch (5.10+/6+ e.l. 7-): A physical and cruxy pitch. Wet! Got smoothly through a small overlap and in under an overhang. Placed a cam and put a sling on a fixed nut before comitting. Undeclings under a granite overlap with bad feet. Almost managed to get through but pumped out and took a solid whipper! Pulled gear and got me through it. Climbed the remaining dihedral (ca. 5.10/6) to the belay.
3. pitch (5.10+/6+): No hard single-moves, but sustained techy dihedral-climbing. Dan took an alternative version with underclings past a flake (wet), then steep face-moves.
4. pitch (5.9/6-): broken rock up to underclings, mantle over to face. Clip a bolt and enjoy delicate but not desperate, super-exposed face-climbing.
5. pitch (5.11/7-): Dan pulled off the hard slab from the belay. He managed to find some crimps up there somewhere. Then some wandering with dubious gear and deteriorating rock quality to a belay under a steep section.
6. pitch (5.10/6. Feels harder!): Where did this pitch go? I only saw a pin and then no obvious openings up the steep wall above us. After a while we figured out that we had to use the undercling above us. But it was wet, footholds were lousy, the pin was under me, and over us only "a sceary and hard pitch with poor protection". I could not get through the wet undercling, and Dan had also had enough of wet underclings for the day.

We played it safe and bailed. VMC's nemesis status has been established!

Back down we climbed a dry and fun 3pitch 5.6/5.9/5.8 climb, feeling skilled, brave and comfortable.

VMC demanded respect once again. We'll be back!