Bernard Poisson in 1959

Bernard Poisson was the author of the first rock-climbing guide about Val-David.

Bernard first learned about this vertical world of ours through the Scouts during an excursion near Niagara-on-the-Lake. Later he was inspired by a French guide book on rock climbing. In the Scouts, he met someone else who was into rock climbing, Gérald Gagnon, who became his climbing buddy.

Some years later, Bernard met up with Claude Lavallée and other CMC members. This is how he almost unintentionally got together with other people as ambitious as he was, to work on the development of rock climbing in Québec, and especially in Val-David. he is also remembered for opening up numerous routes in the Laurentians, including the celebrated “Le Toit de Ben.”