Bernice Moss may be 82 years old, but her climb up The Strat’s sky-high staircase on Sunday proved to barely challenge the Henderson resident.

Moss walked up the tower’s 1,455-step staircase as part of the American Lung Association’s Scale The Strat event, an annual challenge that raised over $315,000 this year to support clean air and help people with lung disease. She made climbed all the steps as one of the oldest participants, finishing in just over 40 minutes.

“By the time I got to the top, the endorphins were just jumping everywhere,” Moss said after the event. “It was a hard stair climb, but it was great.”

So what’s her secret to being so healthy at her age? Moss chalked it up to genetics.

The Wenatchee, Washington native said her mother and grandmother both lived to be 96 and 105, respectively, meaning longevity runs in the family. But a steady routine of walking, along with a lifetime of skiing, golfing and playing tennis, seem to have given Moss a leg up in preparing for a life that’s just as long.

“One of my mom’s favorite sayings was, ‘The more you do, the more you can do,’” Moss said. “I never forgot that. So when I get tired, I just do more.”

To prepare for the event over the last two months, Moss said she regularly climbed a 44-step staircase at Green Valley Ranch Resort more than 30 times a day.

When she isn’t training with this makeshift StairMaster, Moss said she spends as much time as she can outdoors. Moss has hiked nearly every trail at Red Rock Canyon and Mount Charleston in the 15 years she has lived in the valley and completes a two to four mile hike every Thursday, she said.

“It’s just exhilarating to be out hiking and being in nature,” Moss said. “Nature’s healing. Every time you walk, your body just says, ‘thank you, thank you.’”

Moss celebrated her climb by returning to Henderson for a meal at Juan’s Flaming Fajitas on Water Street. She said she intends to return to The Strat and complete the climb again next near with even more training under her belt.

“As you get older, you want to keep that fire in your belly,” Moss said. “I don’t see my age as a problem. I don’t see myself in my 80s. I feel 18.”

Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.

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