Nature came out on top at biggest CN Tower Climb yet
More than 5,500 people woke up early on April 21st and 22nd to make the journey up (and up and up) the CN Tower’s 1,776 steps for WWF’s annual Climb for Nature. Together — with support from more than 26,000 donors, sponsors and volunteers — climbers raised a record-breaking $1.53 million for our conservation efforts!
“This is the most funds raised in the CN Tower Climb for Nature’s 32-year history, which is a testament to how deeply people care about nature and wildlife,” said Megan Leslie, WWF-Canada’s president and CEO.
Tyler Kruschenske, who had the fastest time of the weekend at 10:55, enjoys the fitness challenge and the fact that “there’s just something so unique about going up Canada’s tallest structure.”
Lisa Nagy, the fastest female climber this year at 13:04, told us at the top of the tower why the cause is so important to her. “Nature is everything,” she said. “The climate crisis impacts us all. Nature impacts us all. It’s important.”
For others, like Active Girls TO founders Kristen Calibaba and Tayla Talmage, the best part of the climb was “doing it together.”
“If you’re contemplating doing it and you’re not sure, find someone you love, and just encourage each other along the way,” says Talmage. “The comradery is amazing. There are people with pom-poms everywhere. Everyone is cheering you on. It’s a really amazing vibe.”
Likewise, 65-year-old grandfather Joseph Valentini and his grandson Dakota Myers-Gordon saw the CN Tower Climb as an opportunity to spend time together, and possibly set a record.
As did Mikhail Grabovski, the former Toronto Maple Leaf who climbed with his children, Leeliah and Jaegar. “Ice is important because I’m a hockey player,” he added, and told us he climbed to help fight climate change to conserve the cold that Arctic wildlife (and hockey) depends on.
Esther Berman, a blind climber who was looking for a challenge she could undertake independently, said “the best part of the experience was having a big crowd doing it at the same time as me. Nobody knew anyone in the staircase but the fact that as you go by, people will be like ‘you’re doing great, keep going.’ And I would say the same thing to people when I would pass. It was just really friendly and encouraging to see this challenge bring everyone together.”
What all our climbers have in common is a love for nature and a desire to create a brighter future for our planet. Though the challenges facing nature are bigger than the CN Tower is tall, the comradery and dedication of our remarkable climbers came out on top. Together, we can create a future where wildlife, people and nature thrive. Thank you to every climber, donor, sponsor and volunteers for making this our biggest Climb for Nature yet.
Download your top of the tower photos here and let @wwfcanada know what inspired you to climb using the hashtag #WWFClimb.
