New Slawinski Route Tribute to Guy Lacelle
Raphael Slawinski and Eamonn Walsh have made the first ascent of a spectular line, Lacelle Qui Reste (WI6, 40 meters), on Mt. Wilson in the Canadian Rockies, on December 30.
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Lacelle was perhaps the most accomplished ice soloists of all time, and a frequent partner for Slawinski. “One of the things that had always impressed me about Guy,” says Slawinski, “was his open mindedness and acceptance of new developments in climbing (like M-climbing). Another was his kindness to all living things, as demonstrated for example through his vegetarianism. I try to keep his example in these and other matters in mind.”
Slawinski, with Lacelle, first saw the climb on Mt. Wilson in 2004. “We speculated about the massive approach, the rock climbing below the pillar, the integrity of the column itself—but never got around to trying it. The pillar didn’t form again, and on December 10, 2009 Guy died in an avalanche,” he says.
“This winter the pillar was back, dropping over a rock band halfway up the mountain, gracefully tapering toward its base. I thought about how much a pure ice line like this one would have appealed to Guy. It seemed appropriate to attempt it with Eamonn, another pure spirit.”