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Des grimpeuses au sommet / Women Climbers Soaring to New Heights

  • May 6, 2021
  • Ned Morgan
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Les doigts ensanglantés d’Émilie sondaient le granite. Le vent fouettait sa corde. Son souffle était court. Perchée une centaine de mètres au-dessus de la Baie Éternité, la grimpeuse se répétait qu’elle pouvait y arriver — qu’elle vaincrait La Cavale, une voie d’escalade classée 5.13b du Cap Trinité. « C’est un terrain super aventureux. Il n’y a que quelques bolts [ancrages]. Tu mets tes protections au fur et à mesure », se rappelle-t-elle.

grimpeuses au sommet Quebecs Women Climbers New Heights Emilie and Ava The Opal Squamish PETE HOANG
Émilie Pellerin et Ava Dcado sur L’Opal, une route reconnue pour sa difficulté technique à Squamish, C.-B. / Émilie Pellerin and Ava Dcado on the famed technical route The Opal in Squamish, B.C. PETE HOANG

Une parcelle d’aventure parmi tant d’autres pour l’athlète Émilie Pellerin, qui a choisi de grimper au gré de ses pèlerinages plutôt que sur les circuits de compétition. Toujours est-il qu’elle élève constamment la barre de l’escalade extérieure au Québec, comme plusieurs de ses consœurs qui brillent par leurs performances. La prolifique Annie Chouinard cumule également les ascensions ardues, notées 5.14, telles que Come On, à Orford. Du haut de ses cinq pieds un pouce, elle surmonte sa distance aux prises grâce à sa volonté de fer, sa créativité et un entraînement ciblé.

« La façon dont les femmes sont capables de bouger les hanches, leur souplesse, c’est à leur avantage », perçoit Matthieu Des Rochers, directeur sportif à la Fédération québécoise de la montagne et de l’escalade (FQME). Il insiste sur la concentration et l’équilibre dont font preuve celles qui défient la gravité. Mélissa Lacasse, qui a enseigné l’escalade pendant une quinzaine d’années, rappelle qu’au-delà des capacités physiques, l’aspect technique est déterminant pour quiconque. Sans une excellente capacité d’analyse, pas de prouesses aériennes ! Avec tant de cordes à leur arc, on aimerait évidemment voir plus de grimpeuses de haut niveau gravir les parois de la Belle Province. Mais où sont-elles cachées ?

Plus de grimpeuses, oui mais

Les centres d’escalade intérieure du Québec sont pris d’assaut par la gent féminine : elles représentent grosso modo la moitié de la clientèle, selon la copropriétaire du centre d’escalade Allez Up, Geneviève de la Plante. Or, ce n’est pas le cas en plein air : en mai 2020, elles ne formaient que 38 % des abonnés aux sites d’escalade extérieure de la FQME. Pourtant, le Québec regorge de falaises et de montagnes qui ne demandent qu’à être explorées ! Nous n’avons qu’à penser aux parois rocheuses qui font la signature des Laurentides, de Charlevoix, du Saguenay et du Bas-Saint-Laurent.

grimpeuses au sommet Quebecs Women Climbers New Heights Predator 5.13a Rumney NH Photo Benoit Leblanc
Annie Chouinard à la conquête de Predator ( 5.13a) à Rumney, New Hampshire. / Annie Chouinard conquering Predator (5.13a) in Rumney, New Hampshire.
BENOIT LEBLANC

Puisque l’escalade a longtemps été associée à l’alpinisme, un monde autrefois réservé aux hommes, certains diront qu’il ne faut pas s’étonner. Que les changements prennent du temps. Émilie et Mélissa sont catégoriques : ce n’est certainement pas le machisme au pied des parois qui empêche les femmes de se surpasser. « Ce sont des exceptions, les moments où j’ai senti que je n’avais pas ma place », tranche Mélissa, selon qui la communauté d’escalade au Québec est l’une des plus ouvertes qu’elle ait rencontrée.

Stimuler la relève

Développer des aptitudes dès un jeune âge semble être le nerf de la guerre afin que les femmes excellent dans ce sport de haute voltige. Bonne nouvelle : les adeptes ont la piqûre de plus en plus jeune, témoigne Mélissa, qui y voit un lien étroit avec l’arrivée en 2009 des compétitions provinciales organisées par la FQME. D’ailleurs, les grimpeuses de moins de 12 ans forment désormais la majorité des femmes qui compétitionnent. Leur directeur sportif y va même d’un « Ça donne espoir ! ».

Bon, tout n’est pas gagné. C’est ici que l’adage: « ce que le singe voit, le singe fait » prend tout son sens. Pour Matthieu, il est évident que développer une représentation équitable autour des adeptes d’escalade est indispensable — ce qui implique plus d’assureurs, d’entraîneurs et de juges femmes, entre autres.

grimpeuses au sommet Quebecs Women Climbers New Heights Shigu China 5.12b Photo Julian Reinhold
Émilie Pellerin défie la gravité sur cette voie d’escalade classée 5.12. / Émilie Pellerin defies gravity on a 5.12 route. JULIAN REINHOLD

C’est ce qu’avait en tête Geneviève de la Plante lorsqu’elle a fondé Bring in the girls (B.I.G.) en 2019. L’organisme à but non lucratif a pour objectif de développer une meilleure parité dans les postes décisionnels en escalade. Pour y arriver, une poignée d’ateliers d’ouverture de voies, soit la configuration des prises sur une paroi, ont été offerts aux grimpeuses à travers le Canada l’année dernière. « C’est par là que les styles en escalade se développent. C’est clair que si c’est toujours les mêmes ouvreurs qui font ça, c’est limitant », expose Geneviève, qui souhaite aussi voir davantage de femmes parmi les entraîneurs. « Elles [les grimpeuses] abandonnent à 15-16 ans au ratio du double des gars. Il faut qu’elles puissent être capables de parler de leurs difficultés à leur coach, et c’est peut-être plus facile entre femmes. »

Une relève qui répond à l’appel, une vision partagée et les moyens pour y arriver : tout ce qu’on espère, c’est qu’en continuant sur cette lancée, on verra davantage d’Émilie, d’Annie et de Mélissa de ce monde prendre leur envol et atteindre de nouveaux sommets. Parce qu’elles sont diablement fortes.


Émilie’s blistered fingers probed the granite wall. The wind whipped her rope around. Her pulse was racing. Perched a hundred metres above Baie Éternité, she kept telling herself that she could do it—that she would conquer La Cavale, a 5.13b-climbing route on Cap Trinité. “This is a really treacherous route. There are only a few bolts. You secure yourself as you go,” remembers the climber.

Although she ventured on this climb just for kicks away from the competition scene, Émilie Pellerin is one of Quebec’s most accomplished female rock climbing athletes and is pushing the limits of what it means to take to the sky. And she’s not alone—Quebec boasts several other talented female climbers. The seasoned Annie Chouinard also has several harrowing 5.14 climbs under her belt, including the challenging Come On in Orford. She makes up for her five-foot-one-inch reach with her iron will, creativity and focused training regimen.

grimpeuses au sommet Quebecs Women Climbers New Heights Emilie Pellerin JAN NOVAK
Émilie Pellerin à la recherche de sa prochaine prise. / Émilie Pellerin, what’s the next move? JAN NOVAK

“The way women can move their hips, their flexibility, is a real advantage,” notes Matthieu Des Rochers, Sports Director for the Fédération québécoise de la montagne et de l’escalade (FQME). He mentions the incredible focus and balance they display on their gravity-defying climbs. Mélissa Lacasse, who was a rock climbing coach for over 15 years, adds that beyond physical abilities, having technical foresight is key—if you can’t break down the climb, then you won’t get very far. With so much going for them, our only wish is to see more high-level female rock climbers scaling the rock faces of la Belle Province. Where are they hiding?

More female rock climbers? Great, but…

Indoor rock climbing gyms in Quebec are actually overrun with women. In fact, they make up more than half of the clientele, according to Geneviève de la Plante, co-owner of the indoor climbing gym, Allez Up. However, outdoor rock climbing is a whole different ball game. In May 2020, women only accounted for 38 per cent of the FQME members subscribed to outdoor rock climbing sites. How can that be when Quebec is teeming with so many mountains and cliffs that are just begging to be explored? Go see for yourself—the Laurentians, Charlevoix, Saguenay and Bas-Saint-Laurent, to name but a few, are filled with notable rock walls.

Since rock climbing has long been associated with mountaineering, a male-dominated world, many aren’t rushing to conclusions just yet. Change takes time. Émilie and Mélissa are unanimous: Chauvinism isn’t preventing women from putting themselves out there. “I can’t recall that many times when I felt out of place,” states Mélissa. As a matter of fact, the rock climbing community in Quebec is one of the most open and welcoming she has ever encountered.

grimpeuses au sommet Quebecs Women Climbers New Heights Annie Chouinard Pure Imagination 5.14c Red River Gorge KY Photo Tiffany Nardico
Annie Chouinard à l’œuvre sur la voie Pure Imagination, classée 5.14c, à Red River Gorge, au Kentucky. / Annie Chouinard redefining strength on a 5.14c route in Red River Gorge, Kentucky. TIFFANY NARDICO

Passing the Torch

Developing skills from a young age is what seems to be the crux of excelling at the sport. There is some good news—climbers are getting younger and younger according to Mélissa, who noticed a shift when the FQME started organizing provincial competitions in 2009. Rock climbers under the age of 12 currently make up the majority of the women who compete. Matthieu Des Rochers even drops a “things look promising.”

But the battle isn’t won just yet. The old saying “monkey see, monkey do” really holds true to its meaning here. Matthieu believes that creating a fair representation within the rock climbing community is key—it’s going to take a lot more female coaches, routesetters and judges to tip the scales.

That is exactly what Geneviève de la Plante was thinking when she created Bring In The Girls (B.I.G) in 2019, a not-for-profit organization that aims to create more gender equality among decision-makers in the sport. To do so, a series of workshops for routesetting—the placing of grips on the climbing wall—were offered to female climbers across Canada last year. “That’s how different rock climbing styles take root. Things become stagnant if there is little or no variety in route setters,” explains Geneviève, who also wants to see more female coaches out there. “They [female rock climbers] are twice as likely to quit the sport between the ages of 15–16 than their male counterparts. They need to be able to talk to their coach about what they’re struggling with. It would probably be easier woman to woman.”

A new generation heeds the call, a shared vision and the means to get there—the sport now has a solid common ground to build upon. Hopefully, this newfound momentum will give us more Émilies, Annies and Mélissas ready to soar to new heights. Because they’re freaking good at it.

Excerpted from Vie en montagne, summer/fall ’20.

Flirter avec le froid : Cold River Surfing on the St. Lawrence

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