Regarding pondweed, my friends have a giant rake attached to a rope. They throw the rake out into the pond, then pull it back by the rope. They also have a little rowboat which I imagine helps. This method has worked for them for decades, and when I have worked in their garden, it is REALLY fun to have all that pondweed.
Regarding hugelkulture slope, there's a picture in sepp's book of a woman leisurely picking from a hugel with a basket... I think wearing a pink shirt. The idea is that the hugel is perfectly proportioned to her body so she can reach the garden- even at the top- without bending or leaning over much. Folks in wheelchairs should also ideally be able to reach the garden easily. The extreme slope is for maximum surface area
and accessibility. If you don't care about that, it doesn't really matter. If you do, you're aiming for a hill that you can stand up straight at the base of, reach out your arm over, and touch the crest with your finger tips. That's STEEP! To achieve this, I recommend pinning branches on newly built and seeded beds (all in the same day- you will need an excavator) as described by a few people above. That's how Sepp taught us in Montana and he strongly emphasized that doing it differently is NOT his way.
I myself am enamoured with the Sepp Way, but I believe it will take me practice before I can recreate it by myself. Remember that he has been experimenting with this stuff on his giant farm for a loooong time. The way he explains is his favorite for the above reasons. Now you get to find your favorite. Looks like a bunch of folks have shared theirs in this thread. I always love to read Bryant's take on things, for example. So inspiring!
