Logan Smith is an assignment desk editor at CBS Colorado in Denver with more than 30 years of journalism experience in digital, television and print media.
More than 50 people, many hauling heavy packs, pointed their skis uphill and trudged a mile in a gently falling snow Wednesday night in honor of a Colorado-trained military unit that scored an improbable but significant victory in World War II.
Called the "90-Pound Rucksack," the Feb. 18 event commemorated the anniversary of the 10th Mountain Division's 1945 ascent of Riva Ridge in Italy. That night, soldiers of the 10th climbed the vertical, icy face of the ridge long held by German forces. It was considered a nearly impossible assault due to the steep, technical terrain and the enemy's heavily fortified positions.
Seven hundred men of the 10th climbed five routes of more than 1,500 feet using fixed ropes, pitons, and mountaineering techniques mastered during their high-altitude training at their base, Camp Hale, located near the Continental Divide north of Leadville.
By dawn on the 19th, the 10th has accomplished the what the Germans assumed impossible, and seized control of the ridge. The victory opened the door to a series of Allied advancements that forced the German retreat.
The group that gathered Wednesday evening at the base of Lift 2 at Loveland Ski Area consisted of skiers, snowboarders, veterans, families, and community members. A large contingent of active-duty soldiers from the 10th Special Forces Group, based at Fort Carson, was among them.
Charlie Luceno, a member of several 10th Mountain Division organizations and rucksack challenge veteran, spoke to the group.
"In the 1950s or 60s, (one) could not find a ski area in the United States that was not started by, or had a ski school run by, ski patrol members (who had come from) the 10th Mountain Division," Luceno said.
Indeed, 10th Mountain personnel pioneered many aspects of Colorado's ski industry after serving their military duty. Peter Seibert, a 10th Mountain veteran, became general manager of Loveland Ski Area in 1955. He then co-founded the Vail Resort after hiking the mountain in 1957 with a local rancher.
One of the central ski runs on Vail's front face is a black diamond route named "Riva Ridge."
After Luceno's comments, the work began. Some bore the full 90 pounds of weight on their back. Others, a portion of their body weight. Yet others walked without any weight. The event emphasized participation and reflection rather than competition, per organizers.
With the lights of I-70 traffic receding behind them, the group ascended the designated route to the ski area's Ptarmigan Cabin.
Vail Legacy Weekend takes place next weekend. The two-day event pays tribute to the 10th Mountain Division and features music and live performances, a display of rare WWII-era equipment, the Riva Ridge Ski Down, Legacy Parade, fireworks, and a landing of a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter on Eagles Nest Ridge.