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Kelowna woman wins dream trip to Alaska’s Mount Denali

Aiyla Forgie wants to climb North America’s highest mountain in honour of her mom
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A Kelowna woman’s dream to honour her mother is going to become a reality after winning a competition hosted by Lotto Max.

Aiyla Forgie is one of the five winners of the Lotto Max Dream Studio 2021 prizes across B.C. The contest asks participants to submit a 30-second video to answer, “What’s your dream?”.

This year, Lotto Max received more than 230 entries, with Forgie’s one of a few selected to win and become reality.

“I’m shaking, I can feel my heart beating so fast,” Forgie said after she found out she won.

Forgie lost her mother unexpectedly in April 2020, and since then, she has wanted to honour her memory by summiting Alaska’s Mount Denali and spreading her ashes there.

Her mother didn’t travel very much but always appreciated her daughter’s hiking trips, encouraging her to continue having those adventures.

“She was always the one person who, it didn’t matter how big or how crazy my dream was, she was always like, ‘OK, yeah you can do it,’” Forgie said.

“Even though this is such a huge, crazy feat, I know that I can do it because I still have that piece of her in me — believing in me.”

Forgie’s Lotto Max Dream Studio 2021 prize includes an all-expenses-paid trip to Mount Denali and a Mountain Equipment Co-op gift card worth $13,000.

After her Mount Denali trek, Forgie said her next goal is to climb the six highest mountains on six other continents, ultimately completing the Seven Summits.

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@twilamam
twila.amato@blackpress.ca

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Twila Amato

About the Author: Twila Amato

Twila was a radio reporter based in northern Vancouver Island. She won the Jack Webster Student Journalism Award while at BCIT and received a degree in ancient and modern Greek history from McGill University.
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