Welcome to the Ski Cooper
National Day Site

"Our History"

Come Ski in the Tracks of the 10th  

Since 1978 National Day at Ski Cooper has been a way to celebrate the history and spirit of the National Ski Patrol and the famed 10th Mountain Division. Both can trace their heritage to Charles “Minnie” Dole. He founded the National Ski Patrol in 1938 and at his urging the famed 10th Mountain Division was founded in 1941.

The Ski Cooper Patrol and the Ski Cooper Area management invite you to come to Leadville, Colorado this March to join with fellow Ski Patrollers from across the nation to honor the memory of Minnie Dole and “Ski in the Tracks of the 10th”. In many ways this is a pilgrimage to one of the historic places where a Ski Patroller from anywhere in the country can get in touch with both the roots of NSP and the proud tradition of al those who have served this nation as members of the armed forces.

Dole’s Vision: A Mountain Infantry on Skis

As part of your pilgrimage to you can visit the site of Camp Hale, the World War II home of the 10 th Mountain Division. In fact veterans of the 10th Mountain have been making that same pilgrimage every year since war’s end to gather for their annual reunion. Many of those troops were experienced skiers and mountaineers who were personally recruited by Dole.

Though National Day 2008 marked the date of the last official 10 th Mountain Division reunion, it is still possible to meet remaining veterans or their families on the Ski Cooper slopes on National Day. In the days of Camp Hale the troops trained on the Cooper Hill downhill run, which boasted the longest T-bar in the world! Yes, you can ski in their tracks!

You may well have a relative who served with the 10th Mountain Division or know someone who did. Many Ski Patrollers served in the 10 th. Countless Patrollers have served in every branch of the U. S. Armed Forces and continue to serve. To Ski in the Tracks of the 10th is to honor them all.

A memorial to all who served in the 10th Mountain Division & 99th Infantry is located just at the entrance of Ski Cooper.

From Cooper to Aspen,
Vail, and Beyond!

Anyone who skis in Colorado and beyond can make a connection with Camp Hale, Cooper Hill, and the 10th because many veterans of the Mountain Division went on to make the modern ski industry what it is today.

Dole’s vision for a National Ski Patrol can now be seen coast to coast, on any snowy slope protected by a Red-Jacketed Ski Patroller. Our aim is to gather as many Red Jackets as we can for our 2009 celebration of all the men and women who serve NSP so very well.

Home

Click the I to email a question
or seek additional information