South Whidbey firefighters prep for Columbia Tower climb with IAC training

A couple of firefighters from South Whidbey have a big climb ahead of them. Will Piepenbrink and Jon Gabelein, both volunteer firefighters with South Whidbey Fire/EMS, are planning to tackle the Firefighter Stairclimb on March 8. The annual event is the largest climb in the world and takes place at Seattle's Columbia Tower.

By Ben Watanabe • February 18, 2015 4:43 pm
South Whidbey Fire/EMS volunteer Jon Gabelein treks up the steps of the Langley Fire Station to demonstrate the climb he'll do at the Columbia Tower in Seattle in March. He's practicing and raising funds Saturday
South Whidbey Fire/EMS volunteer Jon Gabelein treks up the steps of the Langley Fire Station to demonstrate the climb he'll do at the Columbia Tower in Seattle in March. He's practicing and raising funds Saturday

A couple of firefighters from South Whidbey have a big climb ahead of them.

Will Piepenbrink and Jon Gabelein, both volunteer firefighters with South Whidbey Fire/EMS, are planning to tackle the Firefighter Stairclimb on March 8. The annual event is the largest climb in the world and takes place at Seattle’s Columbia Tower.

Before the two South Whidbey men put one foot in front of the other – 1,311 steps total – to take on Columbia Tower’s 69 flights of stairs, they are training at home, at fire district workout rooms and at gyms.

From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 21, Gabelein will hit a stair stepper at Island Athletic Center in Freeland for three hours’ worth of training. Most workouts are closer to one hour, maybe. Even the Columbia climb, with all 50 pounds of firefighting gear, has only taken Gabelein about 20 minutes to finish.

“It’s all uphill, every step of the way,” Gabelein said.

“I’m going to have to get in real good shape here in the next few days,” he added.

The Coupeville Elementary School teacher has done the Columbia climb for more than five years in a row. So many, that he lost count and wasn’t sure if it was six or seven years.

A cancer survivor, Gabelein suffered from bone marrow cancer as a teenager. When he became a volunteer firefighter, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Scott Firefighter Stairclimb seemed a natural place to lend his time and effort.

Though not officially a South Whidbey Fire/EMS event, Chief Rusty Palmer said the fire district leadership supports and encourages its members to take part in activities like this and represent their community.

“We support those guys,” said Palmer, who in past jobs took part in marathons and Relay for Life.

“The stair climb is pretty unique,” he added.

As a way to train and gain some donations and awareness, Gabelein will be front and center at Island Athletic Center. Instead of being tucked away somewhere out of sight, out of mind, the center will allow Gabelein to don his gear and step away near the entrance with a boot to collect cash and some informational flyers.

During the Columbia climb, he’ll be limited to only the air he can carry – two tanks with about 4,500 psi called “45-minute tanks.” That figure of 45 minutes of oxygen seemed out of touch to Gabelein, who said that when fighting fires it usually runs low after 20 minutes.

In addition to the exercise and misery of hiking 69 flights of stairs, the fire and heat-resistant jacket and pants make for a toasty body.

“The heat is an issue,” Gabelein said. “As we wear the heat-protective stuff, it keeps the heat out but also keeps it in.”

Past years saw Gabelein accept water cups down his jacket instead of down his throat to cool off, but he found that the water weight got trapped in his boots and made his legs awfully heavy.

This year, he’s planning on taking a lesson from “The Tortoise and the Hare.”

“Slow and steady wins the race,” Gabelein said.