In Part 3 of our Camp Hale series, host Christian Beckwith explores America’s military mountaineering experiment during the pivotal winter of 1942–43. Following Second Lieutenant John McCown, the episode traces early training frustrations, the media frenzy that made the “mountain warriors” famous, and the disastrous Homestake Peak Maneuvers—an exercise so plagued by frostbite, blizzards, and failures it drew comparisons to Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow. Interviews with Lance Blyth, David Little...
Jul 25, 2025•1 hr 44 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In Part 2 of our deep dive into Camp Hale, host Christian Beckwith explores the rocky beginnings of the mountain troops’ high-altitude military encampment. From the soldiers’ grueling acclimatization to the challenges of uniting skiers, mountaineers, and draftees under the harshest of conditions, Episode 12 uncovers the untold stories of struggle, frustration and resilience that emerged from the smog-filled valley. We also rejoin John McCown as he embarks on his first journey to Camp Hale, witne...
Jan 27, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In Episode 11 of Ninety-Pound Rucksack , host Christian Beckwith explores the origins of Camp Hale, the high-altitude training ground where the mountain troops were transformed into the elite mountain warfare unit of the U.S. Army. The episode covers the decision-making process behind the camp’s selection, the incredible logistical challenges of building it, and the impact Camp Hale's development had on both the 10th Mountain Division and the nearby town of Leadville. Show Notes and Resources: h...
Sep 16, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In Episode 10 of Ninety-Pound Rucksack, host Christian Beckwith explores 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 the world had ever known. Show Notes and Resources: www.christianbeckwith.com The episode includes interviews with Ninety-Pound Rucksack Advisory Board Members: Lance R. Blyth : Command Historian of North American Aerospace Defense C...
Jul 23, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 10
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 Mountain Division for war. Featuring original research and exclusive interviews, the episode details the audacious climbs and expeditions used to test the mountain troops' gear—and that revolutionized the American outdoor recreation industry in the process. Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwi...
Mar 25, 2024•2 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 9
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 only did this development make the soldiers’ ability to train for cold-weather and mountain offensives like Riva Ridge possible; post-war, it catalyzed the explosive growth of America’s nascent outdoor recreation industry as well. Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-...
Jan 12, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 8
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 from the Division’s World War II inception and the relevance of those lessons to its efforts to rebuild its military mountaineering identity, culture and capacities. What has changed between the original division and its contemporary counterpart, and what remains the same? What has the current division learne...
Jan 11, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 8
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 Division the best-trained, best-fed, best-equipped mountain unit in the world. Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-episodes/mountain-intelligence-episode-07/ The Harvard Five—Carter, Bob Bates, Terry Moore, Charlie Houston and Bradford Washburn—were pioneers of American...
Oct 26, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 7
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 soldier could ever learn to ski—a place called, appropriately enough, Paradise. Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-episodes/ninety-pounds-of-rucksack/ Available only to patrons, the Unabridged version of Episode 6 features the following exclusive interviews: Bonus Episode 1: an interview wi...
Jul 27, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Episode 5 explores the pivotal period from late 1941 until early 1942 when the War Department activated the 87th Infantry Mountain Regiment, America’s very first test force for cold-weather and mountain warfare, and it prepared to train in Paradise Valley on the flanks of Mount Rainier. Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-episodes/ninety-pounds-of-rucksack-episode-05/ The episode includes interviews with McKay Jenkins, the author of The Last Ridge: The E...
Jun 07, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Episode 4 takes a deep dive into the US Army's experimental ski patrols of 1940-1941, as well as the events that led to the activation of the 1st Battalion (Reinforced), 87th Mountain Infantry at Ft. Lewis, Washington—the unit that would eventually become the 10th Mountain Division. The episode also explores John McCown's 1941 expedition to British Columbia's Coast Range, which he made before enlisting with the mountain troops, and features an interview with writer Will Holland, who has been wor...
Mar 23, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 4
The Drumbeats of War: 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 Juergens, PhD , the Anschutz Curator of Military History at History Colorado, on the history of Germany’s mountain troops, and Sepp Scanlin , the former director of the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Museum , on the resistance the idea of an American mountain division faced from within the War Department. Th...
Feb 04, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 3
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 Austro-Hungarian mountaineers to emigrate, influencing climbing and skiing in America and contributing to 10th Mountain Division’s fighting skills. Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-episodes/the-state-of-the-art-climbing-part-2/ The episode, which is told through the experi...
Dec 22, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 2
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 o...
Nov 29, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 2
This episode explores 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 United States Army, and a couple of twenty-something climbers from The American Alpine Club. Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-podcast/the-winter-war/ Please consider becoming a patron. Patrons allow us to pursue the show's journalistic and educational objectives as we inform and...
Oct 19, 2022•57 min
Ninety-Pound Rucksack is a podcast about the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division and the dawn of outdoor recreation in America. Join host Christian Beckwith, former editor of The American Alpine Journal and founding editor of Alpinist Magazine, and an advisory board of the 10th Mountain Division’s foremost experts as we immerse ourselves in the living legacy of America’s original mountain warriors.
Oct 11, 2022•2 min
In this episode, podcast host Christian Beckwith details 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.
Aug 29, 2022•21 min
