The story of the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division
and the dawn of outdoor recreation in America

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Review Ninety-Pound Rucksack Christian Beckwith

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PODCAST EPISODES

Camp Hale, Part 2: Episode 12

Patrons listened to this episode in advance. Click here to become a patron and get exclusive access. In Part 2 of our deep dive into Camp Hale, we explore the rocky beginnings of the mountain...

Camp Hale, Part 1: Episode 11

The Origins of Camp Hale: How the U.S. Army scouted, selected, and developed Colorado's high-altitude Pando Valley site to create a training ground for mountain warfare. Patrons listened...

The Old And The New: Episode 10

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...

Gear Heads, Part 2: Episode 09

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...

GEAR HEADS, PART 1: EPISODE 08

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...

The 10th, Then & Now: Bonus Episode

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...

Mountain Intelligence: Episode 07

Featuring original and previously unpublished research, Episode 7 reveals the untold story of H. Adams Carter, the Harvard Five, and their groundbreaking efforts to make the 10th Mountain...

Ninety Pounds of Rucksack: Episode 06

This Abridged version of 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...

PARADISE: EPISODE 05

This Abridged version of Episode 5 explores the 10th Mountain Division's halcyon days: the pivotal period from late 1941 until early 1942 when the War Department activated America’s very first...

The Ski Patrols: Episode 04

Episode 4 takes a deep dive into the US Army's experimental ski patrols of 1940-1941, and the events that led to the activation of the 1st Battalion (Reinforced), 87th Mountain Infantry at...

The Drumbeats of War: Episode 03

This Abridged version of 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 Chris...

The State of the Art: Episode 02 Part 2

Episode 2, Part 2 delivers a deep dive into the state of American and European climbing before the war, as well as how the rise of the Third Reich caused some of the best German and...

The State of the Art: Episode 02 Part 1

Episode 2 Part 1 provides a sweeping overview of the history of skiing in America as told through the experiences of one of the 10th Mountain Division’s greatest unsung heroes, John Andrew...

The Winter War: Episode 01

This Abridged version of Episode 1 looks at how the 1939 Soviet invasion of Finland catalyzed the creation of the 10th Mountain Division… with a little help from the National Ski Patrol System,...

The Genesis of Ninety-Pound Rucksack: Episode 00

How a search for the roots of Teton mountaineering led to a podcast (and book) about the US Army's 10th Mountain Division and the dawn of outdoor recreation in America. “As is well known,”...

ABOUT NINETY-POUND RUCKSACK

The story of the 10th is famous for good reason. Not only did its insertion into the war help end Germany’s occupation of Italy; post-war, its veterans founded and developed ski areas across America, started companies like NOLS and Nike and launched the fields of avalanche science and wilderness rescue.

Ninety-Pound Rucksack is a podcast that examines the stories that made the unit famous as well as those history has forgotten. Equal parts real-time research, intimate conversation and revelatory journalism, Ninety-Pound Rucksack explores not only the conventional wisdom about the 10th, but the transformative power of the mountains to forge a collective identity among the mountain troops—and to ignite a passion for the outdoors that reshaped American society in the process.