Meet some amazing virtual climbers!

Although our climbers are unable to tackle the CN Tower’s 1,776 steps this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19, they are unstoppable in pushing their fitness goals for nature! Meet some of these amazing individuals who are “virtually” stepping up for wildlife on April 4th and 5^th.

And don’t forget — it’s not too late to join us with your own fun fitness challenge and share using the hashtag #VirtualCNTowerClimb. Learn how here.

Doug Dorsey

Doug has been climbing the CN Tower for 29 years (just one year short of climbing EVERY year – talk about dedication!) and has raised over $45,000 for conservation efforts across Canada. An avid supporter of wildlife and nature, he is planning to take on his annual fitness challenge by cycling or walking in nature while maintaining safe social distancing practices.

Melissa Grelo

Along with being the host of CTV’s The Social, Melissa is a WWF-Canada board member and a passionate advocate for wildlife and nature. Melissa plans to take on the #VirtualCNTowerClimb challenge by using the elliptical at home while watching Netflix’s Our Planet, an Emmy Award-winning documentary series made in collaboration with Silverback Films and WWF.

Erica Wark & Corey Laurysen

Erica, a celebrated fashion stylist with The Social, and her partner Corey are working to safeguard nature by climbing their building’s stairwell. Together, they’ve raised nearly $6,000 for WWF-Canada’s conservation efforts. Way to go, Erica and Corey!

Dee Simpson

77-year-old Dee, an avid cyclist and outdoor enthusiast, began her virtual climb training by tackling a 22-storey staircase. Each day, she would add a further 20 floors to her climb, taking the elevator back down as fast as she could and racing back up, in an effort to match the CN Tower’s 144 flights. Even more incredible? Dee completed this incredible feat for nature in less than 24 minuntes? In Dee’s own words: “Not bad for a septuagenarian!”

Derek Forgie

Derek is passionate environmental advocate and founder of EcoAllies. Together with his daughter, Ginny, Derek plans on participating in his own virtual fitness challenge for nature by climbing a set of outdoor stairs while practicing safe social distancing.

Nicole Brixhe

Nicole embarked on her first CN Tower Climb for Nature in 2019 — an experience she found extremely rewarding. After witnessing the devastation of the Australian bushfires and overwhelming loss of wildlife, she decided to join the Climb once again. Follow its transition to a virtual event, Nicole challenged herself to climb 144 flights of stairs in her apartment building to match the CN Tower’s 144 flights. A natural wildlife lover, and a huge fan of giraffes in particular, Nicole is determined to protect species and ecosystems by supporting WWF-Canada’s conservation work. “We are dependent [on each other] and must co-exist and treat our planet with the respect it deserves!”

Join the Virtual Climb.