The Soldiers Who Built American Skiing

It Started With a Broken Ankle

In 1936, a man named Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole broke his ankle skiing Mount Mansfield in Stowe, Vermont, and couldn't get help. Nobody came. Minnie Dole lay there in the snow and decided that was unacceptable.

Two years later, he founded the National Ski Patrol. Then the Winter War broke out in Finland, and he watched Finnish ski troops embarrass the Soviet army in the snow. With World War II looming, Dole had an idea: America needed soldiers who could fight on mountains.

In September 1940, Dole secured a meeting with Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall and made his case. Marshall authorized the formation of the first mountain units. The National Ski Patrol, a civilian organization, was formally tasked by the War Department with recruiting soldiers, the first time in history a civilian agency screened applicants for a military unit. They recruited over 7,000 men: world-class skiers, mountaineers, forest rangers, and Olympic athletes.

By 1942, the Army had built Camp Hale in the Colorado Rockies at 9,200 feet, the highest permanent military post of its era. Thousands of soldiers trained there in temperatures that hit 35 below, mastering technical climbing, combat skiing, and cold-weather survival. Some were champion skiers from New England colleges. Some had never seen snow.

February 18, 1945: The night that changed everything

The Climb Nobody Expected to Survive

The Germans held the high ground in Italy's Apennine Mountains. From the fortified peaks of the Gothic Line, they could see every Allied approach coming. Previous attempts by Allied forces to take Mount Belvedere had failed with catastrophic losses.

So the 10th Mountain Division tried something different. On the night of February 18, Major General George P. Hays sent approximately 700 soldiers from the 86th Mountain Infantry Regiment up the sheer cliffs of Riva Ridge: 1,500 to 2,000 feet of nearly vertical frozen rock, in the dark, in full combat gear.

The Germans believed the ridge was unclimbable. They were wrong. Not a single man was killed during the climb.

Wearing white camouflage, carrying rifles and 55-pound packs, they climbed ice and rock on nothing but training and nerve. The Germans never saw them coming. By dawn, the Americans held the ridge.

The next day, with Riva Ridge secured, the Division launched the main assault on Mount Belvedere. The battle lasted from February 19 to 25, costing 923 casualties (192 killed in action), but the Gothic Line was broken. The road to the end of the war in Italy was open.

It cost them dearly. In just 114 days of combat, 992 soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division were killed in action and nearly 4,000 wounded, 4,866 total casualties. Among the wounded: Second Lieutenant Bob Dole, hit by German machine gun fire on April 14 on Hill 913, who would spend more than three years in hospitals before going on to serve in Congress and run for president.

They Came Home and Built Everything

Here's where the story turns from a war story into your story. The skier reading this.

When the veterans of the 10th Mountain Division came home, they didn't just hang up their skis. They published ski magazines. They opened ski schools. They founded resorts.

At least 62 ski areas across the United States were founded, managed, or staffed by 10th Mountain Division veterans.

Pete Seibert, wounded in Italy and told he'd never walk again, placed third in the National Giant Slalom four years later, then co-founded Vail near the site of Camp Hale. Lawrence Jump built Arapahoe Basin with fellow 10th veterans. Jack Murphy managed Mad River Glen and built Sugarbush. Others shaped Stratton, Whiteface, and Aspen.

Before the 10th, skiing in America was an elite niche for the wealthy few. These veterans turned it into a sport for everyone. They democratized the mountains.

Every time you click into a binding, ride a lift, or carve a groomer, you're skiing on ground these men built.

7,000+: Recruited by the National Ski Patrol
992: Killed in action in Italy
62+: Ski areas built by veterans
114: Days of combat in Italy

Key Moments

1936 / 1938: Charles “Minnie” Dole founds the National Ski Patrol
After breaking his ankle at Mount Mansfield in Stowe, VT in 1936 with no help in sight, Dole founds the NSP in 1938, the organization that will recruit America's mountain warriors.

1940: Dole meets General Marshall
In September 1940, Dole convinces Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall to authorize the first mountain units. The NSP becomes the first civilian agency to recruit for the military.

1942: Camp Hale opens in Colorado
At 9,200 feet in the Rockies, the highest permanent military post of its era, thousands of soldiers train in temperatures reaching 35 below zero. The 10th Mountain Division is forged.

February 18, 1945: The assault on Riva Ridge
~700 soldiers of the 86th Regiment climb 1,500–2,000 feet of frozen cliff in total darkness. The Germans thought it was unclimbable. Not a single man was killed in the climb.

February 19–25, 1945: The battle for Mount Belvedere
With Riva Ridge secured, the Division takes the main objective. 923 casualties, 192 killed in action. The Gothic Line is broken. The road through Italy is open.

1946: Arapahoe Basin opens
10th veteran Lawrence Jump builds Colorado's first post-war ski area, almost entirely with help from fellow Division veterans.

1958: Sugarbush opens in Vermont
10th veteran Jack Murphy, recruited from Mad River Glen, builds and operates Sugarbush, opening Christmas Day, 1958.

1962: Vail opens
Pete Seibert, wounded in Italy and told he'd never walk again, co-founds what becomes America's most iconic ski resort near the site of Camp Hale.

Every February: The Rucksack Challenge
At Killington and ski areas across the country, people strap on weighted packs and climb, honoring the soldiers who climbed Riva Ridge on the night of February 18, 1945.

Resorts Built by 10th Mountain Veterans

A partial list of the 62+ ski areas founded, managed, or shaped by Division veterans. * Managed by 10th veterans, not founded.

Vail: Colorado
Aspen: Colorado
Arapahoe Basin: Colorado
Ski Cooper: Colorado
Sugarbush: Vermont
Stratton: Vermont
Mad River Glen*: Vermont
Whiteface: New York
Crystal Mountain: Washington
Snowbasin: Utah
Loveland: Colorado
Winter Park: Colorado

The Rucksack Challenge at Killington

Event: Ninety-Pound Rucksack Challenge
When: Every February 18th
What: Uphill ski/hike with weighted pack
Why: Honoring the 10th Mountain Division
Open to: All levels

The challenge runs simultaneously at ski areas across the country. Strap on a pack and climb. No experience required. Just willingness.

Sign Up for the Rucksack Challenge →

Full Historical Research

32 citations from Army archives, the National WWII Museum, and military historians

The Specialized Evolution of the 10th Mountain Division: From Alpine Origins to Global Light Infantry Dominance

The military history of the United States is frequently defined by its capacity for rapid industrial mobilization and the deployment of massive mechanized forces. However, the 10th Mountain Division represents a distinct deviation from this norm, emerging as a highly specialized response to the environmental challenges of modern warfare. From its conceptual inception in the mind of a civilian skier to its current status as the most deployed light infantry division in the United States Army, the 10th Mountain Division has fundamentally shaped the doctrine of alpine and cold-weather operations.

The Conceptual Genesis and Civilian Advocacy of Charles Minot Dole

The 10th Mountain Division remains unique in American military history as the only division whose creation was driven by civilian advocacy and whose initial personnel were screened by a non-military organization. The geopolitical catalyst for this development was the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939, known as the Winter War. During this conflict, Finnish ski troops, though significantly outnumbered, utilized their mobility in deep snow and dense forests to inflict staggering losses on Soviet mechanized columns. Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole, the founder of the National Ski Patrol (NSP), recognized that the United States military possessed no equivalent capability to operate in such rugged, snow-bound environments.

Dole's advocacy began in early 1940, as he relentlessly petitioned the War Department to recognize that mountains and alpine terrain were not merely obstacles to be avoided, but tactical advantages that could be exploited by specially trained units. In September 1940, Dole secured a meeting with General George C. Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff. Marshall, recognizing the validity of Dole's assessment in the context of a potential European deployment, authorized the formation of the first experimental mountain units. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Army Ski Patrol in November 1940, which would eventually expand into the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment.

The National Ski Patrol was formally tasked by the War Department with recruiting and screening applicants for these new mountain units, the first time in history a civilian agency held such authority over military force composition. Between 1941 and 1944, the NSP recruited over 7,000 men, including world-class skiers, mountaineers, forest rangers, and even Olympic athletes. This created a unique culture within the division, often characterized by high educational levels and a shared passion for the outdoors, earning it the nickname of a "college boy" division.

The Forge of Camp Hale: Training in the High Rockies

To prepare these specialized troops for the rigors of alpine combat, the United States Army required a training environment that could simulate the extreme conditions of the European mountains. In 1942, construction began on Camp Hale in the Pando Valley of the Colorado Rockies. Situated at an elevation of 9,238 feet, Camp Hale was the highest permanent military post of its era, specifically chosen for its proximity to 12,000-foot peaks and its consistent, heavy snowfall.

The curriculum at Camp Hale was designed to be as much a test of endurance as a program of military instruction. Soldiers were required to master technical climbing, long-range patrolling on skis and snowshoes, and cold-weather survival in temperatures that frequently dropped below zero. The logistical demands of mountain warfare also required the revival of traditional pack-animal transportation, with thousands of mules and donkeys being utilized to haul artillery, ammunition, and supplies up steep cliffs where vehicles could not operate.

Training disciplines included: technical mountaineering using pitons, ropes, and rappelling techniques; combat skiing with instruction in Alpine and Nordic techniques by professional instructors; winter survival including building snow caves and shelters in 35-below temperatures; and specialized logistics using the M-29 Weasel snow tractor and mule pack companies.

The physical toll of training at such high altitudes was immense. Soldiers often suffered from altitude sickness and frostbite, and the shallow valley frequently trapped coal smoke from the camp's barracks, leading to a persistent condition known as the "Pando Hack." Despite these hardships, the experience forged the unit into a highly resilient and technically proficient formation. The culminating event of the training cycle was the 1944 "D-Series" maneuvers, a month-long field exercise where 15,000 soldiers lived and fought in deep snow and extreme cold, providing critical data that would later be used to improve the Army's cold-weather clothing and rations.

World War II: The Italian Campaign and the Breaking of the Gothic Line

The 10th Mountain Division's combat history began in earnest in late 1944. Although the 87th Regiment had participated in the Aleutians Campaign (Operation Cottage) at Kiska, where it suffered 17 fatalities due to fog-induced friendly fire and booby traps, the division's true test came in the North Apennines of Italy. Arriving in Italy in January 1945, the division was assigned to the Fifth Army under the command of Lieutenant General Lucian Truscott.

The German defensive strategy in Italy relied on the Gothic Line, a series of fortified positions in the mountains that blocked the Allied advance into the Po Valley. The key German observation points were located on Riva Ridge and Mount Belvedere, which provided German artillery with unobstructed views of the primary Allied supply routes along Highway 64. Previous attempts by Allied forces to take these positions had failed with catastrophic losses.

Major General George P. Hays, recognizing that a traditional frontal assault would be suicidal, authorized a daring vertical climb of Riva Ridge. On the night of February 18, 1945, approximately 700 soldiers from the 86th Mountain Infantry Regiment climbed 1,500 to 2,000 feet of nearly vertical rock in total silence. The Germans, believing the ridge was unclimbable, were caught by surprise. By dawn, the Americans had secured the ridge, which then allowed the main assault on Mount Belvedere to proceed with the flank protected.