The co-founders and owners of the company Passion Escalade, Patrick Brouillard and Amélie Vertefeuille, took advantage of the pandemic context to acquire new land, this time bordered by 400 meters of cliffs rising up to 70 meters, in the municipality of Trois -Rives, in Haute-Mauricie.
“We already had the climbing school, but at the start of the pandemic all the climbing centers were closed indoors, and all people went outside,” said Patrick Brouillard, who s has been indulging in his passion for almost 30 years. His wife and business partner, Amélie Vertefeuille, says the business is not easy. “A lot of power saw jobs, then brushing, we have very small brushes, every inch of rock, you have to brush it,” she added.
To date, the two climbers have opened around fifty routes and estimate that they can open more than two hundred over the entire wall. Each has a name. “The cracks therein [la paroi] and the grain of granite are among the finest in Quebec, ”enthuses Mr. Brouillard.
For the aging community, the arrival of two young entrepreneurs and their project, which is close to a quarter of a million dollars, is greeted like a breath of fresh air. The MRC de Mékinac notably supported them in the development of their business plan, in addition to injecting $ 5,000 into the company, in the form of a subsidy.
The two entrepreneurs still aim to develop their project. A campground is part of the plans and a partnership has already been concluded with the Fédération québécoise de la montagne et de l’escalade, which takes care, among other things, of the insurance of people who come to attack the wall.
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