You can read the full tribute to Climbers We Lost in 2023 here.

Kyle Rott, 36, November 25

A well-traveled ice climber and guide, Kyle Rott found joy and fulfillment in the mountains and landscape of Montana. After beginning climbing in high school, Rott fully embraced a simple lifestyle, working to live and living to climb. “He talked about climbing with incredible knowledge and passion,” his sister Sydney Chapman said. “He was so excited about it all even when it was not his turn to climb.”

Born February 11, 1987, in Denver, Colorado, Rott grew up in Aberdeen, South Dakota. In 2005, he moved to Missoula, Montana, where he quickly fell in love with climbing and became part of the local community. He loved Hyalite Canyon, the best ice climbing spot in the state and one of the best in the nation. His other favorite places to climb included the Black Hills, Yosemite Valley, and Devil’s Tower. 

Rott built his life and work around his love for the sport. “He was homeless by choice for the majority of the last two decades in order to live the way he did and pursue his passions in climbing,” Chapman said. “He rejected the norms of our current society and wanted to live simply and freely.” His various jobs included farm and nature conservancy work, guiding, and working with animals. The siblings grew up visiting an uncle’s farm in South Dakota, and it was one of Rott’s favorite places. 

Chapman described Rott as curious, kind, and quiet, with a thirst for knowledge. “He loved learning about everything. He had a deep respect for a person’s craft,” she said. His interests were broad, ranging from bluegrass music to gardening to backcountry skiing.  

We all know the type of climber who is more excited to get people on the wall than they are to send, and Rott was one of those gems. “He was involved in so many people’s climbing experiences,” says Chapman. “He made it possible for people to climb who otherwise wouldn’t be able to. He believed in people.” Chapman has been heartened by the sheer number of people who have contacted her to share how Rott was a special part of their climbing journeys. “Many people have said to me that he felt like part of their family. It takes a very special person to make so many people feel so loved and cared for,” she said. 

On November 25, Rott passed away from a head injury he sustained after he fell while climbing near Grotto Falls in Custer Gallatin National Forest in Montana. He will be missed by his mother Janet Rott, his sister Sydney Chapman, his grandmother Janice Rott, and his many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends, as well as the climbing communities in Bozeman and Yosemite Valley. “The impact he had on masses of people is evident,” Chapman said. “I think his legacy will live on in the people he impacted and the kindness he showed those people.”