Hamilton’s Walter Decker, 99, completes CN Tower climb for 3rd time

A 99-year-old man from Hamilton is celebrating his third time conquering the 1,776 steps to the top of the CN Tower over the weekend.

Walter Decker set a new world record as the oldest climber to take on the challenge, beating his own record set when he took on the CN Tower steps for a second time back in 2016.

He was joined by his son, grandson and two great grandsons at the United Way ClimbUP on Saturday, where he raised over $3,000 for those struggling to meet basic needs such as housing, food and mental health support.

They climbed up the tower in just 70 minutes and 20 seconds — though he stressed it would have been under an hour if media interviews hadn’t slowed him down.

The newly 99-year-old has been climbing the stairs once a week for the past 10 years.

It all started when his second wife passed away in 2013 as a part of his grieving process. He needed something to keep him busy and the stairs proved to be just that.

“I was grieving, I needed a diversion. Stair climbing seemed like something that appealed to me.” Decker said.

Since then, he has become Hamilton’s stairmaster, climbing around 228 of them every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.

The advice he has for anyone facing challenging times? Never give up.

“A lot of people start doing something and because they experience pain, they give up… never give up.”

With files from The Canadian Press

READ MORE: Hamilton man, 98, to take on CN Tower Climb for the 3rd time