FAQ

The stadium was a fun, safe way to host our Climb event and raise funds for our critical mission. It has always been our plan to return to our original structure of the Fight For Air Climb; a straight up Climb of your life! We can’t wait to climb back in the building with you all.

You can register online by specifying your participation type. You can climb as a team, an individual, or join us as a volunteer. Then follow the prompts to complete your registration. Please feel free to reach out to event manager Kaelyn Gates with any questions.

Online registration prices for regular participants are as follows:
$25 Early Bird price through December 31, 2023
$35 Regular Registration price through March 17, 2024
$50 Day of Registration

Online registration prices for ultimate participants are as follows:
$24 Super Early Bird price through November 14
$35 Early Bird price through December 31, 2023
$35 Regular Registration price through March 17, 2024
No day of registration for the ultimate course will be permitted.

Registration is free for the first 100 firefighters or first responders thanks to our sponsors!

Registration fees are non-refundable. If you are unable to make the event, funds raised will support the American Lung Association’s mission. You may request to transfer your registration fee to the next event date, but please note that registration fees are non-refundable.

The Ultimate Climb is a fun way to further challenge yourself. Ultimate climbers will climb the steps in the building TWICE (64 floors, 1,382 steps)! This group of climbers will go first thing in the morning and will have dedicated time to complete their climb challenge two times (climb up, take elevator down, climb back up). We will offer this challenge to both civilian and firefighter participants.

To participate, please register as an Ultimate Climber or Ultimate Firefighter when registering. Please note there is an additional registration fee and a $250 fundraising requirement for this challenge. Stay tuned for more information and perks for being an ultimate climber!

This year, due to construction at the Tower, we are planning to end on the 32^nd floor. That is about 25 flights and 594 steps! The average time to climb the Seneca One Tower has been around 12 minutes when we climbed 37 floors last in 2018!

If you choose to take on our extra challenge as an ultimate climber, you will climb the stairs twice, completing 64 floors or 1,188 steps!

We are excited to share that Practice Climbs are returning to our event along with us returning to the building! Save the date for the following Practice Climb dates:

• January 10, 2024 | 4 - 6 PM (ET)
  National Take the Stairs Day Practice Climb sponsored by Independent Health!
• February 24, 2024 | 10 AM - 12 PM (ET)
• March Practice Climb - Date and Time TBD

We wanted to allow an alternative to firefighters looking to compete against other firefighters for our Firefighter Challenge while also allowing them to opt out of wearing gear that could create additional occupational exposures. Firefighters will climb in full gear and Firefighters - No Gear will compete without gear.

Firefighters - No Gear will compete in their own awards category alongside other First Responders for fairness purposes of the additional weight that gear gives. However, this is a great alternate to still compete to represent your fire department and raise critical awareness for the occupational exposure firefighters and first responders face!

Start times will be sent out on Wednesday, March 20th by 5 p.m.. You will receive an email link to the start times. Start times will also be posted to our website and in our Buffalo Fight For Air Climb Facebook Group.

Please arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to your start time. Start times will be released on Wednesday, March 20th by 5 p.m. and will be emailed out and posted on our website. Arriving more than 30 minutes before your start time gives you time to check your gear and warm up.

When you arrive at Seneca One Tower, please enter the building through any of the ground level doors. You will take the elevators or escalators up to the Lobby. Check in and registration will be located in the lobby area!

If for some reason you cannot complete the climb, someone at the nearest water station can assist you.

Ample parking is available near the building. There is street parking available (tip: download the BuffaloRoam app for quick pay to park options). There is parking available in the underground garage (beneath Seneca One) accessible from Washington Street. There is also a connected parking ramp across Washington Street (enter at 50 Exchange Street).

Please note that there is an event at KeyBank Center at 11 a.m. that may impact parking. $5 parking rates are available for all Climbers and Volunteers at the Exchange Street Parking garage. Just tell them you are Climbing!

We are going to be having an After Party at Southern Tier Brewery at 7 Scott Street, Buffalo, NY 14203 (the old 716 restaurant). Southern Tier is one block south of Seneca One Tower and is in easy walking distance.

Registered Climbers who reach their fundraising minimum are invited to join the After Party after they Climb from 9 a.m. - end of awards. Awards will occur around 12:30 p.m. Food will be served through end of awards so all event participants will be able to eat regardless of their start time. We will have guest passes available to purchase at the restaurant.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate spectators anywhere other than the lobby of the building. No spectators or guests will be allowed past the lobby elevator bank entrances including at the Finish Line. We ask that you and your guests please respect this as Seneca One Tower is a full functional venue with private businesses that has been gracious enough allow us access to host this event!

The minimum fundraising requirement is $100 per person. Climbers have until event day to raise the money. and if, for some reason they haven't met the minimum they will be asked to pay it before participating.

The registration fee does not count toward the fundraising minimum. But don’t worry, we are here to help, and we have plenty of fundraising ideas and tips to get you started!

Thanks to the generous support of people like you, the American Lung Association saves lives by fighting for healthy lungs and healthy air. Today, our fight is more important than ever, and 90 cents of every dollar raised by our organization goes directly to education, research and advocacy.

Donations can be sent to the American Lung Association office:

Fight For Air Climb - Buffalo
c/o American Lung Association in NY
PO Box 295
Hamburg, NY 14075

If you are part of a team, please be sure to include your name and team name.

Many companies will offer to match an employee's contribution to a charitable organization. For questions regarding your company’s matching gift programs, please contact your employer’s HR department or community giving department.  You can also use our company search tool below to see if your employer offers a matching gift program, as well as find information on how to get started.