As a 70-year-old rock climber, Dr. Sandra Wieland is turning the old adage "over the hill" on its head. To celebrate her birthday, the psychologist from Victoria joined friend Susan Breiddal, 56, and Squamish Rock Guides' Jasmin Caton in climbing the Chief on Thursday (Aug. 7).Just four years after the pair took up climbing as a way to experience nature and keep fit, they were on the Dihedral Wall on their way to conquering the 700-metre monolith. They had been nervous for weeks but committed to overcoming the degenerating "self-talk" that conjures negative thoughts high on the rock. "The only thing you look at is the rock," said Wieland of battling fears of great height and exposure. "You're looking at where is that little bit to hang on to and where is that crack. It's when you're at the top of the pitch and Jasmin is going up the next pitch that you sort of look down and say 'what the hell am I doing here?'""We could be knitting socks," chimed in Breiddal with a laugh."I don't think so," replied Wieland bluntly.They knew from the start that the biggest challenge was going to be a 10c pitch near the top, which is just outside of their comfort zone. They weren't sure they'd have the strength left to pull themselves up the lower crack and upper chimney, said Wieland, adding that Caton's encouragement convinced them that they could do it.Caton also calmed their nerves by telling them the worst that could happen is she would have to pull them up the final section by rope. But Wieland would have none of it, she said."I didn't want to be pulled because that's not the way to do the Chief."So the women jammed and navigated their way to the top and their awaiting husbands, who had hiked the backside with a bottle of champagne. "That was the most incredible part of the climb - doing that 10c," said Wieland.Breiddal sees many people get inspired by Wieland. They approach her after various climbs to tell her how amazed they are to see a woman her age taking on substantial routes with such vigor. "You don't get where she got without a lot of energy and feistiness," said Breiddal.Age was a fleeting issue for Wieland. She first contemplated taking up the sport after repelling down a 24-metre canyon while on vacation in Moab, Utah. But repelling is one thing, climbing quite another.She told her son, a climber, that she'd start climbing if she was younger. His reply was simple. "He said 'what's this younger bit?' and so I started looking for someone to climb with," she said.Wieland and Breiddal started climbing indoors with no plans for taking it further. But they were soon drawn to the great outdoor climbing destinations. Still, they never thought they'd add the Chief to their list. Wieland believes climbing has gotten her, at 70, in the best shape of her life. "That seems strange, doesn't it?"
