Vail celebrates famed 10th Mountain Division
Chuck Roberts, a reenactor with the 10th Mountain Division Living History Display Group, glides down a mountain at Ski Cooper using original 10th Mountain skis, boots and poles in 2007. Andrew Wineke, The Gazette file
Vail Ski Resort is celebrating the work of the 10th Mountain Division this week with events that include original veterans.
A reunion breakfast and rededication of Minnies Mile was held Tuesday with a few original 10th Mountain vets, according to a release by the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame.
Read about the 10th Mountain Division and the 10th Mountain Division Living History Display Group in a 2007 Out There article.
Charles Minot "Minnie" Dole, founder of the National Ski Patrol System in 1938, is widely acknowledged as the Father of the 10th Mountain Division. He conceived an idea that a trained ski/mountaineer division would be advantageous to America's defense during World War II. The War Department accepted Dole's idea and on Nov. 15, 1941, the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Mountain Regiment was activated. A written contract between the American Ski Association and the Army made the National Ski Patrol an official recruiting agency, and Dole was given the task to recruit 25,000 men in 60 days for the 87th Infantry.
The 10th Mountain Division trained at Camp Hale. Many of those early members returned to Colorado after the war and started area ski resorts.
10th Mountain vets Earl Clark and Dick Over were scheduled to share stories of their training at Camp Hale and the war during a gathering at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Vet Sandy Treat is scheduled to share his stories from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday during one of his regular fireside chats at the Ski & Snowboard Museum. The museum is located on the third level of the Vail Village Parking Structure. It is open daily and admission is free, although donations are greatly appreciated.
For more information, call the museum at 970-476-1876.
Read about the skis (below) and other gear used by the 10th Mountain Division skier soldiers in a 2007 Out There story.
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