Missoula Firefighters Find a New Gear at Seattle Stairclimb

For more than a decade, Missoula firefighters were the ones to beat in the annual Seattle Stairclimb, which raises thousands upon thousands of dollars every year to fight leukemia and lymphoma.

But after the pandemic, that dominance started to shift And while they are still among the best in the region, that to other fire departments.

Then, a major change happened after the pandemic, with the opening of a new climbing category that is once more putting the Missoula firefighters out front. It's a case of "less is more."

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What is the Seattle Stairclimb?

Every March, firefighters from around the West gather for the climb up the 69 floors of the Columbia Center, the tallest building on the West Coast in a major fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. That's 788 feet of elevation gain.

For years, the Missoula team, led by the astounding Andy Drobeck, would place multiple climbers in the Top 20, with Drobeck winning the event, and placing 2nd multiple times.

READ MORE: Climbing for a Cause

A big change

But in the last few years, the team from Burnaby, British Columbia began to steal Missoula's crown. In fact, this year the Burnaby team took five of the Top 10 finishes, including the first-place run at 11:03.

That's likely in part to not just Burnaby's training, but also Missoula's team to shift to the new "Open" division. It was created last year in response to growing health concerns from some firefighters worried about hazardous chemical exposure climbing in their full turnouts.

In the "Open" class, firefighters climb with their breathing apparatus, helmet, and mask, with the option of wearing additional clothing, like running shoes, shorts, and t-shirts.

Missoula wins the Open Division

At last word, organizers were still sorting out some of the results, but we do know that Missoula Fire Department captured the "Open" Division, with Drobeck finishing first for all men in 10 minutes, 38 seconds (Emily Loging, a young female firefighter from Caledonia Fire, in Minnesota, finished in 9:05, as the top woman finisher)

Second-generation Missoula firefighter Quinlan Roe finished 4th in the "Open" class with a time of 12:38. Ty Whalen was 6th, Heather Swain was 2nd place for women, and 8th overall, with Conner Loveall topping out in 9th. Andrew Pace was 11th, giving the team the top time of 1:16:56.

3 team members from MFD climbed in the regular "Fire" Division, helping MFD to raise over $10,000.

Great showing by all Montana teams

Missoula Rural Fire was also in the thick of things. Max Kottwitz finished 5th in "Open" at 15:29 while Nate Lapinski was 16th overall in the "Fire" Division.

And Capt. Brant Bristol of the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department continues his comeback after being seriously injured when a roof collapsed on him during a fire in 2023. He returned to Seattle last year, and this year placed 8th overall in the "Fire" Division.

If you want to look up results for any Montana fire department, you can check the LLS website.