Ninety-Pound Rucksack

Latest Episodes:

Paradise: Episode 05 Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

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 Epic Story of the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division and the Assault on Hitler's Europe, and Lance Blyth, the Command Historian of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and an Adjunct Professor of History at the United States Air Force Academy.

Available only to patrons,the Unabridged version of Episode 5 features the complete interviews with Jenkins and Blyth, as well as historic photos, a transcript of the episode and a complete chronology of events leading up to the ski training that began in Paradise Valley in Mount Rainier National Park in February 1942.

Patrons are the heart of Ninety-Pound Rucksack. Their support allows us to pursue the show's journalistic and educational objectives as we detail the Division's living legacy. In return, patrons receive exclusive access to Unabridged content for all episodes.

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 Ski Patrols: Episode 04 Mar 23, 2023

Show notes

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 working on a screenplay about McCown for over two decades.

For show notes and additional resources, including an overview of characters introduced in this episode, please visit our website.

For those who want more, an unabridged version of Episode 4 is available exclusively to our patrons. Please consider becoming a patron. By becoming a patron, you not only get access to all unabridged episodes, including historic photos and bonus content not available anywhere else; you allow us to pursue the show's journalistic and educational objectives as we inform and inspire the public about the Division's living legacy.

Thank you to our patrons for supporting the podcast and helping us to continue producing engaging and informative content.

The Drumbeats of War: Episode 03 Feb 04, 2023

Show notes

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.

The episode also includes an overview of Minnie Dole's Herculean efforts to establish a ski division, as well as the way world events—and America's climbers—helped persuade military leaders that maybe we really did need a mountain division after all.

See here for show notes and resources.

Available only to patrons,the Unabridged episode of Episode 3 also includes:

Unabridged versions of both interviews
A complete chronology of events leading up to General George Marshall's decision to conduct exploratory ski patrols in the winter of 1940-41.
A narrative account of the involvement of The American Alpine Club members H. Adams Carter, Bob Bates, Bill House, Walter Wood Jr. and Dr. James Grafton Rogers in the lobbying efforts for a mountain division.

The State of The Art Part 2: Episode 02 Part 2 Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

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 experiences of John Andrew McCown II, includes interviews with Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard; Chris Jones, the author of Climbing in North America; and Howard Koch, a veteran of the 10th who learned to climb with fellow 10th soldier David Brower before the war, and who fought alongside John McCown on Italy's Riva Ridge during it.

Please consider becoming a patron. Patrons allow 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, patrons receive access to all Unabridged episodes, including exclusive content, supporting documentation, historic imagery and unique interviews.

The State of the Art Part 1: Episode 02 Part 1 Nov 29, 2022

Show notes

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.

Show notes and resources: https://christianbeckwith.com/ninety-pound-rucksack-podcast/state-of-the-art-skiing-part-1/

The Winter War: Episode 01 Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

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/

Ninety-Pound Rucksack Teaser Oct 11, 2022

Show notes

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.

The Genesis of Ninety-Pound Rucksack Aug 29, 2022

Show notes

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.

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