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 McCown II. Episode includes interview excerpts with Paul Petzoldt, the Teton climbing legend who would join the 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale in 1942 and be put in charge of developing its mountain rescue system.
Episode also includes an extended interview with Dr. E. John B. Allen, professor emeritus of history at New Hampshire’s Plymouth State University and the author of numerous books, including From Skisport to Skiing: One Hundred Years of an American Sport, 1840–1940, on the evolution of skiing in America before the war.
See here for an overview of the characters mentioned in this episode.
Available only to patrons, the Unabridged episode of Episode 2 Part 1 features an exclusive interview with Ninety-Pound Rucksack Advisory Board member Jeff Leich on the explosion of skiing’s popularity in America in the 1920s and 1930s.
The Unabridged episode also includes an excerpt from the working draft of the book, Ninety-Pound Rucksack: The True Story of John McCown, the 10th Mountain Division and the Dawn of Outdoor Recreation in America, that details John McCown’s experience in the 1939 Grand Teton National Park 4th of July ski race.
Patrons are the heart of Ninety-Pound Rucksack. Their support allows us to pursue the show’s journalistic and educational objectives as we inform and inspire the public about the Division’s living legacy. In return, they receive exclusive access to all Unabridged content.
If you haven’t already, please consider becoming a patron. Our goal with Ninety-Pound Rucksack is to inform and inspire the public about the Division’s living legacy. Patrons make that possible. In return, they receive access to all Unabridged content.
The fine research needed to create Episode 2, digs deep into the development of alpine downhill from its roots in the nordic ski pursuits of ski jumping and x country. We take so much for granted today far from a $1 ski lift in the 1930’s. As for transport to the mountain, the rich history of the ‘ski train’ esp. 1936-40 helps primes the pump for skiing to survive and explode upon the return of soldiers of the 10th Mt. Division after WWII. Once again, another episode so very well done !
Thank you, Dave. The history of skiing in America before the war is just as fascinating as that of the Division itself. It’s also remarkable to see how advanced it was by the late 1930s: I’ve been perusing old issues of the American Ski Annual, and you could purchase just about anything one would need for an outing on or off the slope.
Climbing, on the other hand, was very much still in its nascency–but that’s a topic for Episode 3.
Thanks again for listening.
Fantastic series. I’ve known of the 10th Mountain Division since reading an article in Vermont Life back in the early 1980’s. But to learn more about it through this series is phenomenal. In this plastic era of false heroes, hollow braggarts, and men devoid of integrity, much less fortitude and courage, it is so refreshing to know that our species has turned out men like John McCown. If only there were more like him.