La Vire du Curé Dallaire

Absolute testpiece that has it all: slabs, corners, spliters, squeeze, OW, chimneys, overhangs. Each pitch features it's own challenge and personnality. So much so that we decided to name each of the pitches!!

Looks like a lot of people have had their adventure on this one as we removed more or less 20 pounds of slings, pitons (made of metal and wood!) and dubious stuff that was used to bail throughout the ages.

Hats off to Serge Angelucci, Stephane Perron and the other few climbers (if any) that has managed to free climb the route while it was dirty!!

The route has been fully cleaned in 2025 over 7 days of efforts (5 of which solo by Jeff Beaulieu)!

All anchors have been upgraded and are now either on powerbolts with rap-rings or glue-ins. Enjoy!

P1 "Le Confessionnal" 5.10+ 45m. Follow the 4 brand new shiny bolts on the slab above the man built tree/rock ledge. The first bolt is just above a very old bolt (I'm guessing it's from the original FA by André Robert and Pierre Vézina of their route Le Dièdre Robert-Vézina in July 1971). The engagement remains the same as ever (5m or so). If you are a purist disgusted by the new bolts, have a taste of the original start of the route that has been used in the last 50 years and use the "stairs" full of weed, turf and trees just left of the bolts (sort of gully) common with Fox Victor India. After the 4th bolt, do a weird balancy move to reach a comfy ledge (all in all the slab and this move is about 5.9ish). Do 2-3 moves to reach an old piton on the right side of the "fridge". Clip it with an alpine draw. Then unclimb 2 moves and traverse left to reach the main crack. Follow the beautiful crack/diedral/arch feature until the anchor (30m more of climbing). Quite the warm up! Bring 10 alpine draws or you'll be fighting awful rope drag (abandon 5 by clipping them into the anchor because after this pitch you won't need them anymore). You'll need another rope to rappel to the ground (45m required). Leave it there until you descend since it's useless above.

P2 "2 Je vous salue Marie" 5.10- 30m. Follow the blocky structure to reach a very neat finger crack (10-). Re-establish on a ledge. Ignore the anchor used in Fox Victor India (clip it with an alpine draw though) and continue left on more blocky terrain (5.8) to reach another ledge and an anchor under a pillar made by 2 parallel cracks. It is safer to belay from here because the start of the next pitch is tricky.

P3 "Le Goupillon" 5.10 25m. Climb the magnificent double cracks over a small roof. Beware the tricky-to-protect start and enjoy the rest.

P4 " La Traverse du Chapelet" 5.10- 20m. Climb up a small diedral (common with La Cavale) but then do a downclimb traverse left following the small arch feature. Upon arriving on the anchor ledge, the leader should continue up in the next pitch to place a piece high (or in a small alcove up and right of the belay (0,5 or 0,75 required) to protect the second(s). Otherwise the second could hit the big tree in case of a pendulum fall.

P5 "Le Notre Père" 5.10 10m. Another nice (but short) crack pitch. There was 1 bolt used for bailing there so we only backed it up! Now the belayer can see the climber all the way in the crux pitch and it's more convenient to rappel from here to the Goupillon anchor (using a directional bolt that was put on the wall on the climber's right).

P6 " Le Sermon" 5.11+/12- 35m. What a beast! Bring 2x #4 and 1x each of #5 and #6 and at least 2x #3 (a third could be useful). If you lead this pitch with only a #3 like Perron did, or a 3.5 like Serge, you are on another level!! You do you. First 5m is hand. Then it widens to almost chimney (you wish you could enter, but you will most probably be denied that pleasure). Make good use of the providential rests and weird stances that can be found along the way. Be recharged as you get to the large fist portion of the crack (Serge, Perron and Jeff's fists might be wide enough to jam the crack, but I was desparately laybacking there!). Then you get to an alcove. Don't let up your efforts though, the fight is only starting as you try to get through the final 10-12m since the crack narrows to 0,5 just as the anchor comes into view. Endurance and technical testpiece crack for sure. Le Sermon should make you swear a couple times before it's end. Might be 11+ or 12- (I would put it 12-). One of the greatest pitches I did so far on the Cap!! Leave all the big gear clipped on the anchor except for a #4, you'll pick them up on the way down.

P7 "Le Saint Ciel" 5.10+ 30m. Another beast to ramp up the pleasure of the day! Get yourself stuck in the short but physical offwidth (#4 required) and follow the obvious path above you. Be weary while protecting your lead since the crack sometimes closes (weird jamming required) and make use of the face holds that appears as you get to a very specific point on the pitch where you should start to feel the awesome void that embraces you as the Fjord and the Bay slowly appear between your legs (they were previously hidden by the tall trees under you). Breath the total exposure as you try to figure out the weird beta (hard to understand after being so immersed in the crack climbing art since the beginning of the day)! You'll probably feel a little bit confused or at least impressed. After you mantle on the right at the end of the crack, you'll see the anchor 5m above you, just right of a surprisingly big pine that grew in the hand size crack. Carefully thread the last meters to circle around the vertical and blank wall.

Rappels are as follows:

P7 to P6.
P6 to P4 using the directional bolt (there are actually 2 biners there). Note: There are no rap rings on P5.
P4-P3 (if you go down to P2 the rope will get stuck behind a big boulder and you will have to climb up to free it. Be warned!!)
P3 to P1
P1 use the additional rope you left there to get to the ground.

Just right of the original start of Fox Victor India. Look for a man built tree/rock ledge at the intersection of the 2 paths (from the boat landing and from the ledge of the routes on the left section)

10 alpine draws.

6-8 regular draws

Double rack to #2 and set of nuts (we didn't use any nuts...)

2-3x #3

2x #4

1 #5 and #6