Kurt's Korner - Almost Retired

Here's the latest from Kurt:

We have made great strides in the "carry Kurt's pack" issue.

With me all but retired (note to Ken – not reporting trad climbs is now AGE discrimination – a protected class by the US government), I'm pleased to report that the climbing community has at last recognized it's time to step up to the plate. Kate and Michael carried 2 ropes and hardware up to the Heap last Monday, leaving me with a load of only shoes and harness, which I was able to handle, though just.

The following weekend, Tim and Michael carried the gear and set up climbs at Rattler. They also did an Age Belay Check, which I passed, although it was close given I'd just ridden my bike from Georgetown Lake, possibly due to concern over my ability to operate a vehicle given I'm nearly retired –or possibly not.

And finally, this Monday, Kate and Michael again carried my gear in to the Heap, plus each took one of my climbing shoes. Today Michael and I leave for Lander, and with Michael's connections at North Face, I'm sure they will have already arranged for porters.

Life is good.  

Editor's Note: Every effort was made to facilitate the author of this post and publish his material in a timely manner. We hope this will serve to mitigate risk of protests from the AARP, lawsuits from equal rights lawyers, and denial of service attacks from forgotten ARPANET nodes. (Never underestimate the extent of Kurt's resources.)
 

Still Here

We're still here! Heavy workload and unexpected pile-up of general Life have thwarted blog writing the last month and a-half. Here are a few things that have come along.

Dane captured Claudine in action, face-to-face with the crux at the top of Cougar Bait (5.11d). This gives an up close look at the "skyscraper" ledge and the amount of effort it takes to get through the tenuous heartbreaker section right at the end of the route.

The "rodeo move" -hang on! credit: Brandon

Many of you have no doubt seen evidence of a new route going up left of Big Science. Dane and Ken started it this winter, and Dane has since worked on it with Scott Goodwin, among others. The route is named Dark Matter. Here are a couple of pictures from early exploration of the direct start out the mouth of the small cave. Scott later managed to boulder this opening at around V7. The route is still in-progress. We'll let you know when it's ready (in the fall maybe?).

Finally, Kurt, for some time now, has placed Ken's Local Climber's status on suspension. Kurt cites Ken's frequent association with Bozeman climbers, as well as his numerous visits to areas either out of county or out of state. Not to disappoint, here's a picture of Ken taken a couple weekends ago by a Kurt agent in the Circuit Bouldering Gym, Portland, Oregon. (Shout out to Sam and Kirsten.) Following that is a link to a terrific blog post by writer and Bozeman climber Kelsey Sather that's worth checking out. Regular readers of this blog will recognize Kelsey and Leslie from Ken's Ten Sleep posts last year. Yes Kurt, more out-of-area climbers. We hope all this doesn't drive you to an early retirement!

COMMENCEMENT OF (YET ANOTHER) TEN SLEEP SEASON
There is a distinct line between dirtbag and scumbag. --Kelsey Sather

Leslie Hittmeier Videos

UM photojournalism student Leslie Hittmeier has posted a few videos on Vimeo. They are poignant with beautiful tempo. The videos feature Montana athletes and remind us of why we are drawn to the mountains and the lifestyles they engender.

View here: http://vimeo.com/lesliehittmeier