The Calgary Tower and it's 802 stairs

The annual Alberta Wilderness Association’s Climb and Run for Wilderness is back for another year. What this is is an opportunity for you to climb each and every stair of the Calgary Tower as well as raise funds and awareness for the Alberta Wilderness Association.

You have the opportunity to climb as a team and compete against other teams for best team spirit or most climbs, as an individual and again compete for the most climbs or you can even sign up for the race. With the race you run 1km then up the 802 stairs.

No matter what you do, if you select the multiple climb registration, you get to climb the stairs as many times as you would like over the course of the day, 8:30am until 1:30pm. Once you get to the top of the stairs you get the opportunity to see the view from the top of the tower, then take the elevator down. The elevator can really help with your knees.

Participants range from young children to senior citizens, and there are a number of quite elderly participants every year. They take their time up the stairwell, then take a break before going again. Yes, they climb up all of those stairs, multiple times, and voluntarily.

Yes, people willingly sign up to do this, and it can be a lot of fun. There are bands that will perform at the base of the tower for those who are cheering, taking time out to catch their breath or are making their way back up. Often you will find rescue animals so you may be able to see exactly why the funds are being raised.

If you are up for a challenge, and in the Calgary area on April 16th, why not give this challenge a try. If nothing else, it’s great bragging rights.

Happy sweating!