Feature By Butte Sports
Original Article: Butte’s Lester Brings Passion To Mountaineering
By JP Tamietti
Special to Butte Sports
Chances are, you’ve never heard of Butte native and professional athlete Robert Lester, and even fewer of you have seen him complete.
That’s because Robert does not compete in a stadium, on a field or at the court, his sport takes place in the mountains. Lester is a mountaineer, meaning that he uses climbing, hiking and skiing to ascend and gain the summits of mountains. Every mountain offers unique challenges Lester must overcome, from rock climbing thousands of vertical feet to hiking incredible distances and even skiing the steepest of slopes.
Lester started mountaineering out of his love for skiing.
“I wanted to ski these amazing lines that I could see on other mountains from ski resorts,” he said. “To be able to ski the terrain I wanted I needed to be able to get to the top of these distant mountains.”
Lester’s greatest passion has always been skiing. Growing up skiing Discovery Ski Area, that passion was undeniable. After graduating Butte High in 2015, Lester moved to Bozeman to attend Montana State Studying Snow Science. In the Snow Science Program Robert learned about, glaciers, mountains and avalanches all subjects that have helped advance both his knowledge and skill in Mountaineering.
After graduating from MSU last spring, Robert has committed himself to mountaineering. Well-known Butte athlete Sam Rauch and owner of Grit Training Center says, “Robert Lester is the ideal athlete for mountaineering. Not only does he have strong physical traits and the right body type for the sport, but also has an incredible mind that helps him conquer challenges and solve problems in the mountains.”
Lester has been mountaineering and adventuring all across North America, including in the Beartooth mountains, on Mount Rainier and in Grand Teton National Park; skiing and climbing mostly with Butte native Joel Hiebert and Michigan transplant Justin Hodges. Lester is excited for upcoming adventures in the mountains.
“I’m always trying to learn more, practice skills, and become a better athlete and then go test myself in the mountains and hopefully inspire others while I’m out there,” he said.
