The Story of an Iconic Canadian Roof Crack
Le Toit de Ben is a classic 5.13 in Quebec, a new film about the route's history was just released
Le Toit de Ben in Val-David is one of Canada’s most famous roof cracks. It was first climbed by aid in 1958 by Bernard Poisson and Erwin Hogson. They used wood pegs, a homemade chest harness and a hemp rope.
The first free ascent of the 10-metre horizontal crack was in 1987 by Quebec climber Francois Roy. It became the first 5.13 in the province. It’s been repeated by many top climbers, including Sonnie Trotter and Mason Earle. In 2010, Canadian Nathalie Malo ticked the first female ascent of the burly climb.
Val-David is home to some of Canada’s first rock climbs. Swiss climber John Brett was an engineer living in Montreal in the late 1920s. An avid skier, he visited the trails around Val-David in 1928 and found the many granite walls. In 1932, he climbed the first recorded rock climb in Quebec and called it La Valse. Throughout the 1930s, he continued to climb new rock routes, including Fatman’s Misery and Valse Normale, both in Val-David.
A new film about Le Toit de Ben was just released with the description reading: “Autumn 1958. Val-David, the cradle of climbing in Quebec. Two daring young climbers embark on the ascent of a route that seemed unattainable, resembling a roof suspended in the air, defying all the conventions of the time. It only takes one attempt for the lead climber to leave his mark: henceforth known as Le Toit de Ben.” Watch below.
Le Toit de Ben
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