Bill Belcourt

USA

A crusty old alpinist who’s only getting crustier, Bill Belcourt, the Climbing Hardgoods Manager here at Black Diamond, failed to write his own intro, so we’re doing it for him. Years of alpine climbing have morphed Belcourt into an unsocial beast who mostly grunts and laughs (grunt=mad, laugh=not too mad), except when it comes to climbing gear and then he’ll cast off on a two-hour discourse on the most minor of details. We keep him in a straw-floor cage where he chews on old ice tools and nagging co-workers and is hooked up to an IV of 15-year-old double malt to keep him from going Bruce Banner on us. We poke at him through the cage with long sticks and bring school groups by to mock his aged, decrepit, balding carcass. A total right-brained, maniacally obsessive gear junkie, Belcourt has been at it at Black Diamond for nearly 20 long years and by the looks of him, he’ll probably make it another 20.

Year you first started at Black Diamond? 1990

Memory/story of your first week at Black Diamond? Nothing comes to mind.

What does working at Black Diamond mean to you? It means making a contribution to the sports that have defined me.

If you weren't working for Black Diamond, what would you be doing? Flying helicopters

Worst job you've ever had? Working at a pallet factory; I saw 22 guys get fired, quit, or get taken to the hospital in the first month

Do you have any pets? A cat.

Favorite sports/activities? Paragliding, climbing, skiin.

Favorite climbing/skiing area and why? The Wasatch Mountains for skiing because of the compactness and complexity of the mountain range with amazing access to it; and the Canadian Rockies for climbing for the variety and bang for the buc.

Best climbing/skiing experience? Too many to list.

What's your dream trip? Where? With who? A climbing and flying trip to the Himalayas with my crew.

Guilty pleasure? Paragliding.

BD gear you use every time you go climbing/skiing? Pretty much all of it.

What/who inspires you? Anyone pushing it hard for nothing.

What's in your iPod? Not really sure, a buddy of mine loaded it up for me and it’s all a surprise.

Strangest place you've ever woken up? Face down in the talus with a mouth full of dirt and a broken neck.

Strangest person you've ever woken up with? A dead man.

Three things you'd never travel without? A fast car, sunglasses, and enough sarcasm for everyone.

Superstitions? No. A sense of irony, yes.

What's your dream job? I have it now.

If you could steal one thing and not get caught, what would it be? Dick Cheney’s car.

If you could have dinner with three people (dead or alive) who would they be? Miguel Pinero, John Lee Hooker, Robinson Jeffers.

Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Just scars, which are the original tattoos.