Two of Quebec City’s Top Climbing Gyms
Quebec City is a hot spot for climbers in the province with countless strong athletes and a number of top training facilities. If you ask any seasoned climber what two gyms they recommend, chances are they would tell you Centre d’escalade Délire or Délire Escalade. Both are owned by Vincent Legare, Jeff Beauliu and Lisa Lajoie. touched base with Legare on the one-year anniversary of Délire Escalade.
When did the first and second gym open? We opened the first facility in 2008 with highly motivated partners Lajoie and Beaulieu. Lajoie managed finances, logistics and materials. We didn’t have a lot of money to start, so Beaulieu and I built the gym. We opened Délire Escalade in Ste-Foy in April 2015 and celebrated our one-year anniversary with a style competition.
How many climbers call your gym home? I couldn’t give you an answer right away, but what I can say is that since the new gym opened last year, we have built a bigger and stronger community. We try to hold events as much as possible to help the community come together. You know, climbing is a lot about partners and friends and if you can get a good group of partners, you are going to climb a lot and for a long time.
Is climbing in Quebec more popular than ever? I would say that indoor climbing is more popular than ever. With a lot of brand new gyms in the province, it pushes more people into the sport. I also think that people are searching for an activity that brings them more than just training for the sake of training. They are looking for this particular activity where they meet people, get in shape and have a load of fun. What are some local rock climbing areas nearby? Climbing immediately around Quebec City is not awesome, but let’s say that if you are willing to drive for over an hour, you will get to these incredible places. Lac Long has lots of excellent traditional climbs up to 5.11. The Sanatorium has plenty of sport routes between 5.12 and 5.14, I would say the area is best for mutants or youth climbers. Another local favourite is Kamouraska, which is primarily a sport climbing area. Routes range from 5.5 to 5.14. Lastly is Gros Bonnet, which has a number of long and sustained three- to f ive-pitch routes that were developed by local coach Fred Desgranges. If you’re into bouldering, there are plenty of blocs around.