MOUNTAIN LIFE - Coast Mountains | Winter / Spring 2018

82 MLCM WINTER/SPRING 2018 Like Xwechtáal on the Chief’s mythical first ascent, Koo is a strong and determined climber. Her belay-chat, while relaxed and filled with hilarity, belies an internal drive to try hard and treat her climbing as a vehicle for self-improvement. This is a woman who loves to party, but who also loves to work hard. In her quest to maximize her time on the rock, she’s cut away the superfluities — be it a car or a comfy sleeping pad. And watching Koo locked in a vice-grip struggle with the crux, I’m reminded of Xwechtáal , the first hero to feature in The Black Dyke’s story. “Day by day, he would sacrifice more of himself,” recounted Andy Paull, a Squamish Nation lands rights activist who also carried the totemic name of Xwechtáal . “Eating a bit less, and sleeping with less blankets and clothes. All of this was part of his training to kill the serpent.” Emulating Xwechtáal ’s path seems to be common in Squamish, even if the emulators might never have heard his name. For generations before the arrival of colonial settlers, First Nations men would train their bodies by climbing up the lower slabby sweeps of the Chief before diving into the mouth of the river to bathe and purify. The hordes of rock climbers living out of their tents and vans continue to do the same today. Koo though, is remarkable among these new- age Xwechtáals in that she’s climbing the very route on which her First Nations predecessor enshrined his own legacy. Step-by-step, she’s breaking her goal down into its constituent parts — first by facing up to her fears. I’ve been up on the wall with Koo for four days now, observing her throes. This route would be extremely difficult for anybody, but I know that with persistence and perhaps a little luck, The Black Dyke will go for her. It might take some time, but all great struggles take time. And anyway, Koo’s got a few more seasons to break the existing record. After all, it took Xwechtáal four years to slay his serpent. Watching Koo locked in a vice-grip struggle with the crux, I'm reminded of Xwechtáal, the first hero in The Black Dyke's story. Koo doesn't care who climbs what, so long as they're having fun.