The 10th Mountain Division Ski-In will return to Ski Cooper, Vail for its 49th year
The annual Ski-In Daze, which follows in the tracks of war heroes, will take place from Feb. 22 to Feb. 26
Spc. Ashely Low, U.S. Army National Guard/Vail Daily archive
Ski Cooper and the surrounding Pando Valley hold a special value to the descendants of the 10th Mountain Division.
This is why each year, a group of descendants, friends and active duty 10th Mountain Division members converge in the region to celebrate the history and honor the legacy of the first American mountain infantry unit.
This year, the annual 10th Mountain Division Ski-In Daze will take place from Thursday, Feb. 22, to Monday, Feb. 26, at Copper Mountain, Ski Cooper and Vail Mountain. The weekend includes speakers, presentations, flyovers, a memorial service, and of course, lots of skiing.
“Carrying on the legacy of our fathers and the 10th is really, really important to us,” said Denise Taylor, the current president of the 10th Mountain Division Descendants board of directors. Taylor’s father, Marvin Taylor, served in the 10th during World War II. “We have our freedom today because of our forefathers who went and fought for our freedom.”
Returning to their roots
In 1942, it was on that stretch of land between Minturn and Leadville along the Eagle River where the Army built Camp Hale as a training site for 14,000 ski troopers.
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The location for Camp Hale was selected for various reasons: its high altitude and mountain terrain, high annual snowfall, accessibility by railway and road, as well as its proximity to the 11,700-foot Cooper Hill (which would be opened to the public as Ski Cooper following the war).
In October 2022, President Joe Biden officially designated Camp Hale as a National Monument.
The 10th spent two years training at Camp Hale, skiing, snowshoeing and mountain climbing. In 1945, the troopers were deployed to Italy and found victory in the now infamous Battle of Riva Ridge on Feb. 18.
While the 10th Mountain Division’s history began with Camp Hale and Cooper Hill, upon returning from the war, the division went on to influence the entire ski and outdoor industry.
Craig Clark, whose father Earl Clark served in the 10th Mountain Division in World War II and organized a national association for veterans of the 10th, said “64 of the ski resorts around the country were either founded by or run by 10th Mountain vets.”
In Colorado, numerous resorts including Arapahoe Basin, Vail Mountain and Aspen, were all started by 10th Mountain veterans.
Coming together as family
Returning home from the war, the veterans were looking for some way to stay connected to one another. And so, in 1975, the ski-in was started.
“When all this began, it was a way for the veterans to come back to Colorado from around the country. Then, they would ski Summit County for a week,” Clark said. “There were lifelong friendships and degrees of camaraderie that were forged in the crucible of combat.”
Clark’s father, who was an only child, found his family among the men with whom he served in World War II. Growing up, attending the ski-ins and other events, Clark (himself an only child as well) found a similar connection with the families and descendants.
“They all just got together every year to hang out, share stories and just be together,” Taylor said.
“Like our fathers who all became friends for a lifetime, that is what’s happened with a lot of the descendants,” she added.
In 2017, the 10th Mountain Division Descendants took over organizing the event, but the goal has remained the same.
“Coming back to Ski Cooper, coming back to Cooper Hill, is all about keeping alive the legacy of where it started,” Clark said. “That’s what the Ski-In is all about: honoring their memory, legacy and paying it all forward. This group of men — the things that they did, the things that they sacrificed, and the impact they had on our nation after the fact — that’s worth honoring.”
Eagle resident Scott Robinson attended his first ski-in in 2022. His grandfather, George, was among the volunteers to join the 10th in World War II, training at Camp Hale and fighting in the Battle of Riva Ridge. George was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and two service stars for his service.
“He loved the mountains and being outside so joining a ski unit felt like the best way for him to serve,” Robinson said.
Ski Cooper is where Robinson himself learned to ski at age 3, and where he took his son George — named after Robinson’s grandfather — to learn when he turned 3.
“I’ve always felt a strong connection skiing there knowing over 80 years ago, my grandpa was out there skiing the same runs,” Robinson said.
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This connection spans across the region as well: “Whether I’m skiing Vail, Beaver Creek or Ski Cooper, I am always reminding myself that I’m skiing these amazing mountains thanks to my grandpa and the others he served with.”
Robinson has recently become more involved with the 10th Mountain Division Descendants, seeing it now as “my generation’s turn to carry on the tradition and history of the 10th.”
“I want my sons to know their great grandpa served our country and is one of the many people who brought skiing to mainstream America,” he added.
The 2024 Ski-In Daze
The annual Ski-In Daze offers “an opportunity to celebrate and remember the courage, sacrifice and entrepreneurship that came from the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division,” Robinson said.
Gathering for the four-day celebration are first-, second- and third-generation descendants as well as active-duty 10th Mountain soldiers coming in from Fort Drum, New York, and other active-duty special forces.
For Robinson, this year’s event will be particularly special, as he will be attending not only with his two sons, George and Ralph, but also with his father, Burke, and two sisters to celebrate Burke’s 75th birthday.
“Having three generations on the hill together will be amazing and something that I’ll cherish forever,” Robinson said.
The Ski-In Daze will kick off at Copper Mountain on Thursday, Feb. 23. After a day of skiing, there will be an aprés-ski event at JJ’s Tavern in Copper’s East Village, followed by a presentation by Christian Beckwith at Lake County High School in Leadville at 6:45 p.m. Beckwith hosts a podcast called “Ninety-Pound Rucksack,” that tells both the infamous and forgotten stories of the 10th.
The event’s big Cooper Hill Daze event will take place at Ski Cooper on Friday, Feb. 23, which after a morning of skiing will culminate with the “Veterans’ Honor” Serpentine Ski Parade down the Molly Mayfield run.
This serpentine parade was something started by the original group of World War II veterans and continues today.
“It’s really, really moving,” Taylor said.
The group will then host a memorial at the 10th Mountain Memorial at Ski Cooper’s entrance to honor the veterans. This year, it will include a flyover, Taylor said. After the memorial, there will be an aprés-ski and dinner at Freight in Leadville. At the après, Clark will lead the group in “a big old song fest.”
“The 10th Mountain was a singing division. My dad was the main song leader, but they had guys writing songs left and right. That is part of the legacy that we pass down: the music and songs,” Clark said.
On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the ski-in moves over to Vail Mountain for the Vail Legacy Weekend, which includes a 10th Mountain parade, a Black Hawk landing, a Riva Ridge ski down and more.
“It’s a stirring thing,” Clark said, encouraging anyone to come out and join the celebrations.
“You don’t have to be part of the associates, you don’t have to be a descendant. You don’t have to be anything, except have a love of the mountains and have an understanding of where all this came from to fall in love with the story of the 10th. So, come up and ski; watch the mountain get filled with skiers who are there to honor these guys.”
For more information, visit 10thMtnDivSkiInDaze.Wordpress.com.
