From the moment Jack saw Voiles en Voiles, he was desperate to climb. The soaring pirate-boat-themed climbing structure captivated him; he watched children climb for a while, and when Dave said each child could chose an activity, Jack’s eyes lit up. He usually takes his time deciding and weighs options. He’s a careful and calculated child. He likes to consider all possible outcomes before making a decision. Not today!

We signed the waivers and he got suited up, and then he was free to explore the course. He spent over two hours and could have stayed longer, but Maria and Danny were finished waiting, and Jack had climbed so long that it was dark by the time he finally came down.

I can’t believe how HIGH he was. It was nerve-wracking just watching him, but his huge smile was worth a few gray hairs on my head.

Instead of buying souvenirs, we are teaching the children to collect memories and experiences. This was Jack’s souvenir; this awesome experience created seeds of bravery and a sense of adventure. It pushed his risk taking and physical strength to new levels, and he climbed down feeling exhilarated and accomplished. This experience will stay with him for a long time- much longer than any Montreal tee-shirt we could buy.

TIPS if you go:

1. Make a reservation to avoid waiting in line.

2. Go around dinner time. It was crowded all day, but right around dinner time it emptied out and was significantly less crowded.

3. Go to the bathroom before suiting up! First you have to wait your turn to get down off the ropes. Then you have to unharness, then walk allllll the way down the pier to the bathrooms. It’s a lot of time wasted when you could be climbing!