History Highlight: The Legacy of the 10th Mountain Division

The Origin of the 10th Mountain Division

At the onset of WWII, skiing was a burgeoning sport in the United States. It started taking off in the 1920’s and 1930’s with advances in technique and equipment. One avid skier, Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole, who had created the National Ski Patrol in 1938, petitioned President Roosevelt that the United States needed to train its own mountain troops to keep pace with contemporary militaries.

After a year of petitioning by Minnie, the first battalion of mountain troops was established, which would go on to become the 10th Mountain Division. The National Ski Patrol was designated to recruit for the 10th Mountain Division, making it the only U.S. military unit ever to be recruited via a civilian agency, and allowing them to recruit some of the best skiers, mountaineers, climbers, and athletes from multiple nations into a star studded unit.

Training and Combat

After the Unit’s founding, the troops headed to Washington State, where they trained extensively on Mt. Rainier, carrying 90-100 lb packs up and down Rainier and claiming some of the peak’s earliest ski descents. In November of 1942, the 10th Mountain Division moved to Camp Hale in Colorado. Camp Hale was chosen to house the 10th Mountain Division due to its harsh environment, high altitude, and proximity to the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. 

At Camp Hale, troops trained nonstop in the disciplines of mountain climbing, skiing, cold weather survival, and traditional arms training. They rock climbed on nearby walls and skied heavily at Cooper Ski Hill (which later became Ski Cooper). The division spent 1942-1944 rigorously training until they were finally challenged in March-April 1944 with completing their final month-long test (the “D-series”) to determine the unit’s readiness. This test was successfully completed through one of Colorado’s harshest blizzards. Soon they would be tested again, this time in the heat of combat.

At the end of 1944, the 10th Mountain Division was sent to Italy to expel the Germans from northern Italy. These elite troops were just what the Allies needed to turn the tide in the region. After a series of daring and brutal battles, the 10th Mountain Division pushed all the way north into the Italian Alps. The mountain troops were in such great physical shape that they easily overtook retreating Germans. It was here in the Italian Alps that the war ended for the 10th Mountain Division, and they were soon sent back stateside.

The Legacy of the Division

Although the 10th Mountain Division has a stellar combat record, it is the post-war years where they truly left their mark, especially in outdoor recreation. As the mountain troops left the horrors of war behind, they returned to the place they had always loved, the mountains. They returned with a reinvigorated passion for the outdoors as well as new and refined pieces of gear, used during their time in the army. Items like portable stoves, down mummy-style sleeping bags, metal-edged skis, nylon ropes, and synthetic tents to mention a few. Outdoor recreation in the United States boomed from products made by companies started by 10th Mountain troops or simply by the very gear they had used that was now flooding army surplus stores. 

The Legacy of the Men

The men of the 10th Mountain Division also played prominent roles in outdoor recreation across the nation. 

• Paul Petzoldt, a renowned mountaineer, helped found Exum Mountain Guides, the first professional guide service in the United States. He also played an instrumental role in Outward Bound, established the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and the Wilderness Education Association (WEA). 
• Jim and Lou Whittaker created Rainier Mountaineering, Inc (RMI) a premier guide service that continues to operate today. 
• Jim Whittaker went on to become the first American to summit Mt. Everest in 1963. Fritz Benedict established the famed 10th Mountain Hut system in Colorado after seeing the European hut system. 
• David Bower served as the first executive director for the Sierra Club who is credited with helping pass the Wilderness Act!

The Ski Legacy

The 10th Mountain Division left its most lasting impact in non-other than the realm of skiing. Over 2,000 of the original troops went on to have a direct role in the birth of the ski industry here in the United States. They designed, built, and ran much of the ski industry in the early days. Some 62 resorts in the USA were founded, managed, or had their ski schools directed by veterans of the 10th Mountain Division. 

• Arapahoe Basin established in 1946 by Lawrence Jump was the first ski resort started by a 10th Mountain veteran. 
• Friedl Pfeifer and Percy Rideout started Aspen Mountain
• Pete Seibert co-founded Vail
• Bill Heal began Mt. Bachelor

Even if 10th Mountain troops didn’t directly found a ski resort, their presence was felt in the local ski communities across the country that birthed the modern ski industry. 

The Legacy that Remains

Although the 10th Mountain Division remains to this day, the original veterans from WWII left deeply rooted impacts on outdoor recreation and the ski industry. This legacy can be felt every time you click into your backcountry skis, zip up your down mummy bag, make dinner on a portable stove deep in the mountains, or simply next time you enjoy a lift ride to the top of your favorite ski resort. There isn’t much that their legacy hasn’t touched in the outdoor realm one way or another.

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Cited sources:

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Photo Citations:

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