WWII Ski Soldiers & CIA-Led Tibetan Fighters Once Trained at This Colorado Camp

Camp Hale, Colorado

World War Two needed soldiers who could fight on frozen mountains and ski into battle. The answer was Camp Hale, built 9,200 feet up in the Colorado Rockies.

Here’s how a quiet valley became home to America’s mountain troops and hosted a secret CIA training mission.

The Birth of America’s Mountain Warriors

Finnish soldiers on skis beat Russian forces during the 1939-1940 Winter War by moving quietly through forests where tanks couldn’t go. Charles Minot Dole saw this and told the U.S. Army to train similar troops.

Army Chief George Marshall said yes after Greek mountain soldiers beat much bigger Italian forces. The new unit first trained at Mount Rainier, then moved to Camp Hale in Colorado.

Building a Mountain Base

Workers finished Camp Hale in seven months, spending $30 million. They built 226 barracks, 33 offices, a 676-bed hospital, 5 churches, 100 dining halls, and 3 movie theaters for thousands of troops.

Building the base killed 70% of the valley’s wetlands. Workers drained the land and made the winding Eagle River into a straight ditch. They also added horse barns, a bakery, shooting ranges, and underground weapon storage.

Getting America’s Ski Troops

The Army first looked for good skiers from college teams, ski clubs, and ski schools to form the 10th Mountain Division. When they needed more soldiers, they used the slogan “college boys to cowboys” to find outdoorsmen.

The Tough Training

Soldiers carried 90-pound backpacks while learning mountain climbing, skiing, and how to survive in cold weather at nearly 10,000 feet. The hard D-Series training in 1944 put over 30% in the hospital with frostbite and broken bones.

Many soldiers got the “Pando Hack,” a cough from coal smoke stuck in the valley. The training was so hard that veterans later said real fighting was easier.

The Training Ground

Cooper Hill sat three miles south at 11,700 feet and served as the main ski training area. Now called Ski Cooper, it had steep hills and deep snow perfect for winter war practice.

The Army built housing for ski teachers from real ski resorts and put in a T-bar lift. Here, soldiers learned downhill and cross-country skiing needed for mountain fighting.

The Women of Camp Hale

240 women from the Women’s Army Corps came on May 27, 1943, working as drivers, mechanics, supply workers, secretaries, and in communications. Another 200 women did office work for the 10th Mountain Division.

The Army put these women in special buildings at First and B Streets. Their work kept this remote mountain base running while the men got ready to fight overseas.

From Training to Combat

The 10th Mountain Division went to Italy in late 1944 and January 1945. On February 18, 1945, they attacked Mount Belvedere, then fought at Riva Ridge against German forces dug into the mountains.

In 114 days of fighting, they beat five top German divisions. The fighting cost nearly 5,000 American casualties, including 978 soldiers who died. After the war ended, the division moved to Texas in November 1945.

Camp Hale’s Secret Mission

From 1959 to 1964, the CIA secretly trained 259 Tibetan fighters at Camp Hale to fight Chinese forces taking over Tibet. To keep it secret, officials told people the area was for atomic bomb testing.

Military police guarded the closed area. Tibetan fighters learned guerrilla warfare, how to use bombs, Morse code, map reading, and spy work. After training, they either walked back into Tibet or parachuted into remote areas.

Birth of the American Ski Industry

Camp Hale veterans started at least 62 ski resorts across America after the war. Lawrence Jump started Arapahoe Basin in 1946, while Friedl Pfeifer helped build Aspen Mountain, which opened on December 14, 1946.

Pete Seibert, who trained at Camp Hale, started Vail Ski Resort in 1962. These veterans also started ski schools, equipment companies, and the National Outdoor Leadership School, changing American skiing forever.

A National Monument

President Biden made Camp Hale a national monument on October 12, 2022, protecting 53,804 acres including Camp Hale (28,684 acres) and the Tenmile Range (25,210 acres).

Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, plus Governor Jared Polis, pushed for this protection. Surveys showed 86% of Colorado people wanted it. This was Biden’s first national monument.

Visiting Camp Hale

Camp Hale sits on U.S. Highway 24 between Red Cliff and Leadville in central Colorado. While most original buildings are gone, concrete foundations remain visible across the valley floor.

Information signs guide visitors through the site, marking important spots including training areas and former CIA operations. The area offers year-round activities for camping, hiking, skiing, hunting, wildlife watching, and off-road vehicle use.

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