Steve Clairmont

Steve Clairmont was born on June 30, 1942, to Alexander Alphonse (Sam) and Vuelta (Bella) Clairmont in St. Ignatius, Montana. He grew up in Dixon at the Tribal Agency and was a proud member of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of Montana. After graduation, he spread his wings with a trip to California to fight fire on the Las Priotis fire crew out of Los Angeles under the supervision of Howard E. Marino, a WW2 boxer. This is where he found his calling in Fire & Aviation and after one year on that fire crew, he joined up with the Missoula Smokejumpers in 1962. After 32 years of service, he retired in 1994 with a record 504 career jumps. However, retirement couldn’t keep him away from the lifelong bond and friendships formed with his band of brothers. He continued with work at the smokejumper base, packing and loading until 2015, and rarely missed a Jumper reunion or Rookie party.