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Seibert: The spirit of the 10th Mountain Division

Pete Seibert
Valley Voices
Pete Seibert Jr. currently sits on the Vail Town Council, forging a path for Vail's future, which his father started with the mountain's founding in 1962.
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My dad, Peter, rarely talked about the war. One winter day in 1989, he called me and asked for a ride to Camp Hale. Once there he slung a heavy pack onto his back, strapped on his skis, and set off for the Jackal Hut, all alone. Maybe he was seeking the solace of the mountains; or reliving memories of the place that seeded his destiny. I often wonder what it was like for the other hut guests when Pete Seibert joined them for the night.

In early 1942, the Army built Camp Hale south of Red Cliff to train fighters for mountain warfare. The 10th Mountain was a different bunch: skiers recruited from Ivy League colleges, refugees and skiing greats from northern Europe, boys from Georgia who had never seen snow. Allured by the glamorous idea of being a fighting mountain ski trooper, they came with the spirit of adventure and patriotism.

Their heroism, victories, and sacrifices during the three-month assault that broke the enemy lines in northern Italy are infamous. They silently scaled a 2,000-foot sheer rock cliff in the middle of the night to surprise and defeat enemy troops atop a mountain called Riva Ridge. They defeated road-tethered enemy units by traveling cross-country to cut off the foe. They built miniature ski trams to evacuate their wounded from mountaintops. For 10th Mountain troops, then and today, the impossible doesn’t exist.



Though Pete wore his battle scars all his life, what he really brought back from the war was a different kind of spirit — one that knew no limits. That attitude, along with a love of the outdoors grown from years of mountain training at Camp Hale, helped make snowsports and outdoor recreation what it is today.

Earl Eaton, who had helped build Camp Hale, showed Pete the mountain that would become Vail. Pete, Earl and other 10th Mountain veterans like Jack Tweedy, Ben Duke, and later Sarge Brown and Bob Parker, brought their pioneering attitude to Vail. They carved the resort out of a quiet sheep pasture in six months.

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It had taken just seven months to build the entire Camp Hale, so building The Lodge at Vail, MidVail, three ski lifts; opening the expansive bowls and cutting runs — one they named Riva Ridge — in six months? No problem.

No snow the first year? No problem. They brought in native Utes for a snow dance, and it snowed.

No skiers? Bob Parker fixed that. Similar scenarios of ingenious creation were happening throughout the nation as Americans took to the outdoors, led, and inspired by many veterans of the 10th Mountain Division.

This is Vail’s heritage, and our legacy for future generations. It is the spirit that helped build our country and community. Today we can support a new national monument that commemorates the legacy of the 10th Mountain Division. I believe Vail’s Founders would say, “Yes! We can do this!”

Please join me and support the designation of the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument. Learn more and sign the petition today at coreact.com.

Pete Seibert Jr. came to Vail in 1962 as a young boy when his father founded the Vail ski area. He currently serves on the Vail Town Council.


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