Looking for info on Val-David, QC

Heading up to Val David (Val-David?) for the first time in a couple weeks. I'm a relatively new trad leader.  Its rare that I get to climb cracks (I spend a lot of time clipping bolts at Rumney) so I probably wont be getting on the ultra classics.  What are the best crags for the .8/.9 climber around the town of Val-David? Also interested in whatever beta you have re. restaurants/ markets/ bars/ mountain biking.

Get the Shiva Burgerrrrr (!!) from Le Baril Roulant (rooms/beds available on premises if also looking for a place to stay, haven't stayed myself--just know food/booze selection's AMAZING here!):

http://barilroulant.com/menu/ 

and...breakfast from C'est La Vie Café (!!):

http://www.cestlaviecafe.net/

Guidebook--in either French or English--available for purchase at visitor's center, where you go to get your day passes. (btw, there are bolts to clip if you get trad burnout.) 

Good luck with weather! (I've been to Val-David three times now, and all three times...ugh, RAIN :( usually just intermittent, has never been a complete washout. Val-David itself is a great little town, though. And Montreal's only an hour away.......)

I haven't been there for many years, so I can't say anything about the current local 'amenities'. I do recall that the valley area was quite densely built up--many 2nd homes for folks from Montreal but the surrounding hills were even more densely forested.

I climbed on 3 separate areas in the immediate Val David area, and I know that more have been developed in the years since. Mt. Condor is a short, fairly steep cliff band low down and close to the road. The routes are single pitches--and shortish ones, on good rock. My recollection is that most routes went up obvious crack and corner lines and that there was a good spread of grades. Most of the routes should be easy to top-rope as well. There is also a nice pinnacle there with at least one moderate route on it as well as some steeper, harder ones. Another section is Mt. Ceasare (probably spelling it incorrectly) which consists of a number of buttresses and slabs on a wooded hillside. Most offer single pitch climbs, though I think there are a few slightly longer ones as well. There were more easy and moderate routes than in the other sections but they were scattered about. Back then all were trad or top rope. The final area we visited was Mt. King which was the tallest and most impressive of the 3 areas, with many 2, and possibly some 3, pitch routes. It was a bit further from the road but still not that far. While I believe that there were a few easier and moderate routes, most climbs were 5.9 or above. The rock and climbing in all 3 of those areas was excellent. Definitely a worthwhile place to visit--and Quebec in general, definitely feels more like Europe than North America.

My wife and climbed in Val David in July. 

Gripped magazine recently published an article describing moderate trad routes in the area. 

We lead easy routes on slabs and cracks. 

Rock quality is excellent. Many areas are well equipped with top anchors. 

We found the moderate routes a bit runout. 

Have fun.

food in Saint Adele, Saint Saveure and Val David is excellent. 

L'Aguille area is also pretty nice for moderate read climbs and getting on top of the Needle itself is kinda neat and can be done via a bolted 10a or a nice 5.9 finger crack, among other routes. Mont King also has a few good moderates. Bastard and Sceptre are the ones I most remember being good. If you want an easy multipitch Arabesque is good fun and has loads of variations.

But definitely buy or at least flip through the guidebook at the Chalet. Aside from Mont King it's all fairly close together. Not sure if the still do but they used to be pretty generous with the paper copies.

The climbing in Val David proper (Val Da to local climbers) is located in a regional park - le parc régional de Val-David-Val-Morin, secteur Dufresne. There is an access fee of $10 that can be paid at the Anne-Piché chalet.  All crags are accessible from the chalet.  Paul Laperrière's 2015 guidebook is the most complete and up to date, with photographic topos and decent approach information.  The guide has an English introduction and topos are pretty much self-explanitory... It can usually be puchased at the chalet and at the Roc & Ride boutique in town.

L'aiguille at Mont-Condor and L'Amphithéatre and Staircase at Mont King are probably the neatest sectors that have easier routes. If you're looking for really easy, try Mont-Césaire, especially L'Arabesque, which has some interesting long routes.  If you're tired of placing pro, Joker, in the Dame de Coeur area, has some unique sport climbs (5.10 - 5.12). In general, be wary of the guidebook grades - a lot of routes in Val Da were put up a long time ago.  5.7 was much harder in the 30s...

If you're sticking around for a while, you might not want to limit yourself to Val Da itself.  There are many other interesting, albeit smaller, crags in the area.  Check out paroislaurentiennes.weebly.com for ideas.

Great food in Val David and nearby Ste-Agathe.  For really nice x-country single track, consider checking out Chanteclerc in Ste-Adèle.  

Hope this helps. Enjoy!

Important fact: Val-David is in Quebec, Canada.  Not in the Northeastern States.

Nick Brennan wrote:

Val David (Val-David?) 

Pretty much everyone just calls it Val-D :)

Possibly relevant facts;

- The cracks tend to be a bit wavy rather than laser cut so they take a wider range of gear for the size they climb, i.e. - no need to bring 3 #2s on a hand crack, almost guaranteed the #1 and #3 will fit somewhere - I climb there quiet often and have always been happy with a single rack 0.2-3 + a set of nuts + black-pink-red tricam. 

- a 60m single will get you up and down pretty much everything

- the only real top-rope access is at a crag called staircase (mt king) - expect big groups and top-rope partys here on weekends.

Go climb the needle. its awesome :)

Wow this is exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you for the awesome replies! I was worried this post would be lost/ buried in the cavernous international forum. Hence its appearance here. 

iof you are an ice climber Quebec feels like the north east ;) lots of Quebec friends up at the lake and smuggs.