OURAY – It’s probably the dirtiest, smelliest, most worn out T-shirt known to human kind, but year after year it is one of the most sought after auction items at the Ouray Ice Festival. Known as the “Got Stump? T-shirt,” the now-famous, never-been-washed, Ouray Ice Festival traveling trophy has had quite a life in the company of some of the world’s best ice climbers. And to date it has raised over $25,000 for the Ouray Ice Park.

The saga of the Got Stump? T-shirt began back in 2003 when festival auctioneer Malcolm Daly purchased the T-shirt from a friend who was selling them as a fundraiser for his Disabled Olympic Triathlon project. A week later, donning his new shirt at the ice festival’s annual live auction, Daly was coerced into selling the shirt off his back.

“I’m always one to want to raise money for the ice park, so what the hell?” he said. Daly proceeded to ask the crowd if anyone would give him $20 bucks for it. “Every hand went up in the room.” Amazingly, the dirty shirt was sold to Chris Folsom for $140 – the first sale of what has become a famously expensive dirty T-shirt.

At Ouray Ice Festival 2004, Daly once again found himself playing the role of auctioneer when Folsom tugged on his sleeve and handed him the wadded up Got Stump T-shirt to sell again. After Daly retold the story auctioning off the T-shirt the year before, it took less than two minutes to get an offer of $1,000 for the shirt. The bidding then stalled momentarily while a group of locals gathered at the back of the room pooled their money for the next bid.

“Sure enough, the next bid was for $1,400 and that is where it stopped,” Daly said.

It was then decided that the shirt should become a traveling trophy and be given to a deserving person to take care of for one year. That year Warren MacDonald received the shirt, with two stipulations: He must not wash the shirt and he would need to personally return the shirt to the next year’s ice festival

In 2005 the T-shirt auction was moved to the Wright Opera House to accommodate the increasingly popular event. With a full house of people, the bidding got up to more than $2,000. Then Daly intervened with a proposition, asking the crowd how many people would be willing to donate $100 to give the trophy to Jeff Lowe. Twenty-five people immediately raised their hands, bringing in a final bid of $3,000.

In 2006 the shirt was auctioned off for $3,600 and given to Kim Czismazia, who had recently had hip surgery. In 2007 the T-shirt proceeds more than doubled, bringing in $7,500 after Daly announced the money would go toward building new beginner/kid appropriate routes above the ice park’s upper bridge.

Another $10,300 was raised in 2008, bringing the Got Stump? T-shirt fundraiser total to $25,940 since its inception. All proceeds have gone to support the Ouray Ice Park.

Don’t miss this year’s Got Stump? T-shirt action. Hosted by Timmy O’Neil, the live auction will take place on Saturday, Jan. 9, 8:30 p.m. at the Ouray Community Center, 320 6th Ave. in Ouray.