Climb and Run for Wilderness is a signature event, held annually at the Calgary Tower to increase public awareness of wilderness, wildlife and wild water in Alberta. The Climb and Run for Wilderness provides learning opportunities combined with athletic challenges to climb the 802 stairs and earn funds for Alberta Wilderness Association. The event attracts participants from 2 to 102 years old, with a diverse range of athletic ability. A family day, a corporate challenge day, a fun time, and a serious opportunity to test one's personal best are all combined in this Earth Day event. The event is known as the best Earth Day event in western Canada and attracts more than 1000 individual participants and 150 volunteers annually.
The 21st annual climb will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2012! Mark your calendar now!
Please see the climb and run page for more information about the event.
LATEST NEWS
Another part of this years climb - Now's the time, to write and rhyme!
In celebration of Louise Guy, a truly remarkable woman who at 92 was a role model to young and old alike, AWA is proud to announce its 2nd Annual Climb and Run for Wilderness Poetry Contest. The Louise Guy Poetry Prize is part of our annual Earth Day celebration, held in honour of Louise Guy. Her athletic strength and endurance was exceeded only by her appreciation for wildness, wildlife and wild water and how willingly she gave her beautiful smile for the joy of others.
We would like you to use wildness as the theme of your poem. Wildness means many different things to everyone and all interpretations are welcome entries. We welcome poems that celebrate the spiritual well-being of wildness, the brutal reality of it, and the gentle constantly changing and adapting force it is.
It is a competition for all ages and each year we will have the winning poem transcribed and displayed on the walls of the Calgary Tower stairwells as a lasting tribute to Louise, her intellect, her strength and her love. The winning poem will also be published in the Wild Lands Advocate, AWA’s outstanding wilderness news journal.
The Climb and Run for Wilderness Poetry Contest
Entry Deadline - April 12, 2012 at 10 a.m. MDT.
Please head over to our Poetry Contest page for more information, and details on how to enter a submission.
(1/27/2012)
Can you believe it's already that time of the year- 14 weeks until the 21st Annual Climb and Run for Wilderness!
It must have been Christyann's New Years resolution to start planning the Climb and Run for Wilderness even earlier this year! With 14 weeks to go we've already begun making our lists and checking them twice (no wait, that was Christmas). Well whatever holiday it may be, it's time to dust off those running shoes, and circle April 21st, 2012 on your calendar!
Online registration is now open and some early birds have already signed-up. So if you are looking to catch the proverbial worm and get a head start on your fundraising, no time like the present to start!
Since joining AWA I have been continually blown away by the time and energy our volunteers provide so willingly. Whether its putting on a cowboy hat and joining us at the Gala, washing a seemingly endless stack of wineglasses after the Annual Lecture, or counting cash till the wee hours of the morning at a casino, our volunteers continue to go above and beyond, always with a smile. And we are always looking for new faces to join the ranks! If you are interested in volunteering for this years Climb, please submit an online application form.
We will once again be holding the Wild Alberta Mural Competition, continuing to add colour and creativity to the stairwell of the Calgary tower. Each year we see new and meaningful tributes to Alberta's wildlife, wild water, and wild spaces, to remind each of us why we are climbing - to celebrate Earth Day. And I know from experience, it never hurts to have something to admire when your lungs are burning, and your legs suddenly weigh a ton!
If you are interested in adding your art to the tallest gallery in the West, you can find details on how to submit an entry.
Now we wouldn't be known as one of the Best Earth Day events in Canada without the Wild Alberta Expo! The expo is a great opportunity to educate and create awareness of our environment and the opportunities citizens have to learn, participate, and take action. We hope you will come and showcase your work!
For more information, or to submit an application to be an exhibitor, please click here.
So if you are looking to once again experience the thrill, warmth and laughter that always accompany the Climb and Run for Wilderness, please join us on April 21, 2012 for our 21st year!
In the meantime, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter @Climb4Wild.
Or, as always, feel free give us a call, or stop by our office!
(1/13/2012)
Registrations are now open for the 21st Climb and Run for Wilderness on Saturday April 21, 2012
We're not quite at Christmas yet, to be sure, but we've all been bowled over by the number of people who have already asked about registering for the 2012 Climb and Run for Wilderness.
So, we've heard, and have responded by opening up our registration system a month early. That's right - registrations are now open for the 21st Climb and Run for Wilderness, to be held on Saturday April 21, 2012!
This includes:
We are also accepting applications for volunteers and for the mural competition at this time. See the forms page to download appropriate application forms.
A couple of important dates to keep in mind:
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Mural competition deadline for entry is Friday March 9, 2012
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Wild Alberta Expo registration deadline is Friday March 23, 2012
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Mural competition painting day is Saturday March 24, 2012
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Climb and Run for Wilderness is Saturday April 21, 2012
Keep tuned for more information as we get things rolling, and have a very happy holiday season!
(12/8/2011)
20th Annual Tower Climb draws record numbers, raises more than $135,000 !
More than 1,100 people tackled the 802 steps of the Calgary Tower Saturday to raise record-breaking dollars and awareness for the Alberta Wilderness Association during its 20th annual Climb & Run for Wilderness fundraiser.
Conservation-minded couch potatoes and extreme athletes joined forces to raise more than $135,000 to promote awareness about wildlife, particularly the grizzly bear - an icon for the health of Alberta’s wilderness, other wildlife and wild water. Last year, about $119,000 was raised.
“Our 20th anniversary was filled with meaningful opportunities to recognize the inextricable links between health and a healthy environment,” said AWA executive director Christyann Olson.
“It’s such a pleasure to celebrate Earth Day with so many outstanding athletes, volunteers, politicians and other supporters. We’re thrilled with the individuals who travelled so far and our tried and true friends who came back for yet another wonderful year.”
The six-hour event drew both individuals and more than 20 corporate teams including runners, walkers, climbers and even a competitor who was carried to the top in a wheelchair. Participants – who ranged in age from infants toted on climbers’ backs to 96 years - completing 1,938 ascents.
Along with the tower climb, many people also took part in the Run for Wilderness, a one-kilometre race through the city core to warm up for the stairwell. Twenty-two people also took part in a time trial race up the tower stairwell (160 metres or 525 feet) on Friday morning to launch Earth Weekend.
For the second year in a row, student Jonathan Heinz took home the prize as the fastest racer and climber with a time of seven minutes and 50 seconds. He also scaled the tower more times than anyone else – 31 trips. The fastest female racer was Jane Ebbern, who finished in nine minutes and 25 seconds. Other awards went to different age groups and categories (see below).
“It’s a good cause and a good challenge,” said Calgarian Aryn Mything, who ran up and then back down the stairwell 12 times with friend Wendy James. “That’s 20,852 stairs – up and down,” said James.
Business analyst Ken Myers travelled from Philadelphia to climb the tower 19 times. Why 19? “Because I didn’t have time to do 20,” said the athlete, who climbs buildings competitively and is training for an ultra-marathon in Germany in a year.
The AWA board of directors cut the ribbon on the start gate at 8:30 a.m. for the multiple climb challenge. Shell, the event’s platinum sponsor, had five teams in the running. The prize for most climbs went to the team QuIC Mountain Goats, which collectively climbed the tower 70 times.
Entertainment throughout the day featured local performers and included everything from martial arts demonstrations to belly dancers to clowns, mascots and face-painters. More than 30 groups took part in the Wild Alberta Expo fair, with the Ranchlands Elementary School Tree Huggers winning the coveted Barbara Sherrington Memorial prize for the best overall exhibit.
OTHER AWARD WINNERS INCLUDED:
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Andrew Gillis (most climbs by males age 15-18)
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Gillian Taylor (most climbs by female age 15-18)
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Jared Gillis (most climbs by male youth 14 and under)
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Mahni Bruce (most climbs by female youth 14 an under)
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Val Scholefield (most climbs by senior female, age 75 and older - seven)
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Bob McPherson (most climbs by senior male, age 75 and older - three)
The AWA is grateful to its many sponsors, 150 volunteers and the hundreds of supporters who made this event such a success. Please see our website for a complete list of winners and updates on funds raised.
More Information:
AWA executive director Christyann Olson
(403) 863-2412
Nigel Douglas, conservation specialist
(403) 283-2025
www.climbforwilderness.ca or www.AlbertaWilderness.ca
(4/18/2011)
Racers