Quebec Climbers Free Remote and Big Mixed

There’s big ice is northern Quebec and every season a few keen climbers make the long trip to climb new and old routes.

This year, Jean-François Girard, Carl Darveau and Dzao Plamondon visited and made the first free ascent of a big granite roof that connects two thin ice sections called Speedy Trap at Sainte-Marguerite Headwall near Sept-Îles.

The route was first climbed a few years ago by Damien Côté and Benoît Marion with points of aid at M9 A0 WI6+.

In February of 2016, Nick Bullock and Bayard Russel visited the area and climbed a number of lines, including the 180-metre Speedy Gonzales WI6+ to the left of Speedy Trap.

They then attempted Speedy Trap but did not free it. Bullock wrote in his blog here, “We attempted this line knowing nothing about it, but since climbing the route I have been informed it is called Speed Trap and is possibly still waiting to have a complete and clean ascent.

“Knowing this now, I’m glad I didn’t lead it clean. Good job on doing this route whoever you are because its a corker.”

Girard wrote a story about their first free ascent and about the other climbs they did on escaladequebec.com, where you can read here.