Camp Hale, Part 1: Episode 11
Ninety-Pound Rucksack
In Episode 11 of Ninety-Pound Rucksack, host Christian Beckwith explores the origins of Camp Hale, the high-altitude training ground where the mountain troops were transformed into the elite mountain warfare unit of the U.S. Army. The episode covers the decision-making process behind the camp’s selection, the incredible logistical challenges of building it, and the impact Camp Hale's development had on both the 10th Mountain Division and the nearby town of Leadville. Show Notes and Resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/camp-hale-part-1-episode-11/ Key Points: Origins of...
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The Old And The New: Episode 10
Ninety-Pound Rucksack
In Episode 10 of Ninety-Pound Rucksack, host Christian Beckwith explores how John McCown and his fellow citizen-soldiers overcame traditional military doctrine to prepare for mountain warfare—and in the process, reshaped the Old Army into one of the mightiest forces the world had ever known. Show Notes and Resources: The episode includes interviews with Ninety-Pound Rucksack Advisory Board Members: : Command Historian of (NORAD) and (USNORTHCOM); Adjunct Professor of History at the . : “living historian” for the . : military historian and museum...
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Gear Heads, Part 2: Episode 09
Ninety-Pound Rucksack
Illuminating a pivotal moment in both military and outdoor recreation history, this groundbreaking episode reveals the collaborative efforts of America’s leading mountaineers to equip the 10th Mountain Division for war. Featuring original research and exclusive interviews, the episode details the audacious climbs and expeditions used to test the mountain troops' gear—and that revolutionized the American outdoor recreation industry in the process. Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-episodes/gear-heads-part-2-episode-09/
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Gear Heads, Part 1: Episode 08
Ninety-Pound Rucksack
Episode 8: Gear Heads, Part 1 is the first segment of our two-part mini-series that examines the equipment, clothing and food developed, at great expense, for the 10th Mountain Division. Not only did this development make the soldiers’ ability to train for cold-weather and mountain offensives like Riva Ridge possible; post-war, it catalyzed the explosive growth of America’s nascent outdoor recreation industry as well. Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-episodes/gear-heads/
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Bonus Episode: The 10th, Then and Now
Ninety-Pound Rucksack
With this special bonus episode, the 10th Mountain Division’s commanding officer, Major General Greg Anderson, and its Command Sergeant Major Nema Mobar identify some of the lessons learned from the Division’s World War II inception and the relevance of those lessons to its efforts to rebuild its military mountaineering identity, culture and capacities. What has changed between the original division and its contemporary counterpart, and what remains the same? What has the current division learned from its own history and how is it using those lessons to guide its rebuilding process? And...
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Mountain Intelligence: Episode 07
Ninety-Pound Rucksack
Featuring original and previously unpublished research, Episode 7 reveals the untold story of H. Adams Carter, the Harvard Five, and their groundbreaking efforts to make the 10th Mountain Division the best-trained, best-fed, best-equipped mountain unit in the world. Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-episodes/mountain-intelligence-episode-07/ The Harvard Five—Carter, Bob Bates, Terry Moore, Charlie Houston and Bradford Washburn—were pioneers of American mountaineering during the 1930s. When World War II erupted, they harnessed their extensive...
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Ninety Pounds of Rucksack: Episode 06
Ninety-Pound Rucksack
Episode 6 follows the mountain troops to Mount Rainier National Park where, in the middle of February 1942, they began their ski training at one of the best places a soldier could ever learn to ski—a place called, appropriately enough, Paradise. Show notes and resources: the Unabridged version of Episode 6 features the following exclusive interviews: an interview with professional trainer and world-renowned alpinist on the training protocol put together for the mountain troops by The American Alpine Club an interview with, the first woman to ski the...
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Paradise: Episode 05
Ninety-Pound Rucksack
Episode 5 explores the pivotal period from late 1941 until early 1942 when the War Department activated the 87th Infantry Mountain Regiment, America’s very first test force for cold-weather and mountain warfare, and it prepared to train in Paradise Valley on the flanks of Mount Rainier. Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-episodes/ninety-pounds-of-rucksack-episode-05/ The episode includes interviews with McKay Jenkins, the author of , and Lance Blyth, the Command Historian of (NORAD) and (USNORTHCOM) and an Adjunct Professor of...
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The Ski Patrols: Episode 04
Ninety-Pound Rucksack
Episode 4 takes a deep dive into the US Army's experimental ski patrols of 1940-1941, as well as the events that led to the activation of the 1st Battalion (Reinforced), 87th Mountain Infantry at Ft. Lewis, Washington—the unit that would eventually become the 10th Mountain Division. The episode also explores John McCown's 1941 expedition to British Columbia's Coast Range, which he made before enlisting with the mountain troops, and features an interview with writer Will Holland, who has been working on a screenplay about McCown for over two decades. For show notes and additional...
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The Drumbeats of War: Episode 03
Ninety-Pound Rucksack
The Drumbeats of War: Episode 3 explores the 10th Mountain Division’s backstory in the lead-up to America’s entry into World War II. The episode includes abridged interviews with , the Anschutz Curator of Military History at History Colorado, on the history of Germany’s mountain troops, and , the former director of the , on the resistance the idea of an American mountain division faced from within the War Department. The episode also includes an overview of Minnie Dole’s Herculean efforts to establish a ski division, as well as the way world events—and America’s...
info_outlineWith this special bonus episode, the 10th Mountain Division’s commanding officer, Major General Greg Anderson, and its Command Sergeant Major Nema Mobar identify some of the lessons learned from the Division’s World War II inception and the relevance of those lessons to its efforts to rebuild its military mountaineering identity, culture and capacities.
What has changed between the original division and its contemporary counterpart, and what remains the same? What has the current division learned from its own history and how is it using those lessons to guide its rebuilding process? And how can America’s climbers and skiers, inspired by the service of our forebears, support the division as it strives to reconnect with its roots?
Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-podcast/10th-mountain-division/