Eighty years ago this week, American soldiers cloaked in darkness began a strenuous climb up a snowy Italian ridge. They would take that ridge — a position that would help the Allied forces defeat the Nazis. Riva Ridge wasn’t just an important moment in World War II but in Colorado history. The 10th Mountain Division learned to fight in the state’s imposing, craggy peaks.
And it all began with a man named Minnie.
Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole, a Massachusetts-born outdoorsman who had helped start the National Ski Patrol in 1938, was instrumental in creating and training the 10th Mountain Division. Minnie’s grandson, Trux Dole, will join descendants of the division in festivities this week across Colorado's mountains.
Minnie died when Trux was just a kid, so he never got to know his grandfather as the outdoorsy dynamo who helped shape the course of the war. He did know the family stories, however, like how his grandfather couldn’t watch the war from the sidelines, even though he was past fighting age. Minnie drew inspiration from Finnish soldiers on skis who had used their backcountry skills to defeat Soviet Union troops, despite being outnumbered.
“And he thought, ‘Oh my gosh, if Britain falls, we're next and we need some kind of mountaineering, winter warfare to deal with defending our country,” Trux said.
Minnie “was persistent and had some connections, and had a generally good demeanor,” Trux said, so he was able to convince the U.S. War Department to start the 10th Mountain Division. He also insisted that ski patrol recruit the men.
In Minnie’s mind, “it was a lot easier to train mountaineers and alpinists and skiers to be soldiers than the other way around,” Trux explained.
The division had never seen combat before Riva Ridge. They positioned themselves in houses and at 7 p.m. started their climb. Though they were “completely green,” Trux said, they were able to surprise the Germans and take the ridge, gaining crucial high ground.
“And the artillery and the spotters and the machine guns and all that kind of thing could be pointing down on anybody trying to attack any of the other hills,” he said.
What would later become important in Colorado is that Riva Ridge also included the early use of a mountain tram. Engineers set up the device to evacuate the wounded and ferry up more ammunition and supplies.
“So now anytime I get on one of those high-speed quads, I think back to that,” Trux said.
Generations after the war’s end, reverberations from the 10th Mountain Division can still be felt in today’s ski industry. Many of the men who fought in the division became the forefathers of the sport, founding ski resorts and ski schools.
Also upon their return, the kind of gear the division had used went into surplus, and so all of a sudden specialized boots, tents and outerwear were available and affordable to the everyday person. Division veterans would go on to create such outdoor gear companies as Gore-Tex and Outdoor Research.
All of these facets of the division’s history are honored this week with events at Colorado ski areas, including at Ski Cooper, which will host its 50th annual Ski-In Daze Friday, with descendants of the 10th Mountain Division, current military members and National Ski Patrol.
Like in years past, Trux will be there.
“You bring the past, the present all together and it's an amazing experience,” he said.
Celebrations will continue through the weekend at Vail Mountain Resort, with a torchlight parade and ski cup, among other events.
For Trux, this is a time to connect to the 10th Mountain and ski patrol, who’ve been “an extended family for as long as I can remember,” he said. Even though his grandfather died in the 1970s, both entities recently dedicated a sign to Minnie and rededicated his grave.
Minnie Dole’s desire to be of service — and be outside — is still felt by his grandson.
“I think the legacy is the love of the outdoors in the mountains, at the end of the day,” Trux said. “It really just boils down to that.”
