News
Ian Welsted returned in January 2019 to complete a route he’d first attempted in 2018 above Bow Lake on the Icefields Parkway, Alta. Welsted was joined by Alik Berg for the first ascent. “Jesse Bouliane and I started the route last spring,” said Welsted. “This year, Berg and I shimmied, chimneyed and enjoyed the short approach across Bow Lake from Num-ti-jah lodge.” They called their route C-Train M5 WI3+. Welsted explained the name as follows: “The C-train, is Calgary’s public transit. Could be riding the C-train or skiing across Bow Lake in a train of people, or alpine scrambling on Crowfoot Mountain. Moderate alpine route open to all not just the elite double-M drytooler, sort of like public transit, open to all. More tongue in cheek, no overhead cables like some other venues and some other streetcar systems. Our original plan was to go to the A-Strain, [the route Andromeda Strain] but it was storming, so we went to the C-train, because we aren’t A-listers or B-teamers, more like C-trainers.”