Val-David, the Cradle of Rock Climbing

Over the years, the pretty Laurentian village of Val-David has forged an enviable reputation for its warm welcome and gastronomy, as well as its cultural and sporting attractions.

Toward the end of the 1920s, as mountaineers were making some of the first climbs out West in the Canadian Rockies, here in Val-David a new sport was being born. In this lovely village, surrounded by mountains of the Canadian Shield and sitting on a bedrock of rare anorthosite, the first rock-climbing on cliff faces began.

Enthusiasm for outdoor activities and sports in both winter and summer has profoundly altered Val-David’s way of life.  The once tiny village and its surrounding countryside has moved on from unprofitable agricultural activities and a landscape disfigured by clearcutting, to become a major Laurentian tourist destination.

Discover how rock climbing has reshaped our community and been so important to the creation of the Val-David/Val-Morin Regional Park. By means of photos, postcards, maps and film clips, come and follow the development of this fascinating sport with us, as it evolved during the last century.