Thirty-three skiers and snowboarders stayed after hours at the White Pass Ski Area on Tuesday, Feb. 18, to honor the United States Army’s 10th Mountain Division by braving the cold, wind and darkness to climb the slopes on foot with 90 pounds of gear strapped to their backs.
The Ninety-Pound Rucksack Challenge is an annual ski mountaineering event that honors the legacy of the 10th Mountain Division on the anniversary of its historic World War II ascent of Italy's Riva Ridge and its post-war contributions to American skiing.
For the first time, the event was brought to White Pass.
The 10th Mountain Division is a light infantry division in the United States Army formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit. On Feb. 18, 1945, the 86th Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division launched a daring nighttime assault on Riva Ridge in the Italian Alps. The unit climbed through the night in harsh weather with rucksacks of gear weighing 90 pounds. Their success helped break through the Nazi Gothic Line, marking a turning point in World War II for the Allied powers.
Exactly 80 years after the Riva Ridge advance, climbers set out from the White Pass base lodge at 5 p.m. with the goal of reaching Pigtail Peak. As the evening’s last minutes of daylight faded out, headlamps came on. Sporting snow shoes and skis, participants made their way up the steep, roughly 1-mile long, Cascade ski run.
“The whole idea was that the Nazi forces wouldn't expect it. You gain a lot of tactical advantage moving at night through the snow,” White Pass Marketing Director and event organizer Andy Mahre told The Chronicle. “Thats why we run it in the dark. This isn't a race. There's no entry fee. The idea here is we’re just honoring the 10th Mountain Division and what they did and what they continue to do.”
Although he didn't storm Riva Ridge himself, former White Pass Ski Area General Manager Nelson Bennet, who died in 2016, served in the 10th Mountain Division during his time in the military.
“He actually trained with a couple of guys who were on the Riva Ridge mission. It's cool to see that full circle back to here running the event on its 80th anniversary,” Mahre said.
White Pass ski instructor and U.S. Army veteran Nathan Arrigoni couldn't pass up the opportunity to honor the famous infantry division.
“Its definitely going to be physically demanding, but I am very excited about it,” he said. “I'm very glad that they are supporting this for the military and giving back to the community. It's heartwarming.”
A little over an hour after the party left the lodge, the first climbers began to appear from the darkness to summit Pigtail Peak. Although tired and cold, climbers stayed in high spirits after reaching the top, sharing high fives, hugs and shots of whiskey to celebrate.
After a short celebration, and a moment to unload gear from their rucksacks, climbers posed for a group photo with a 10th Mountain Division flag before firing up their headlamps to ski and snowboard back down to the main lodge.
Upon arriving back at the lodge to return their headlamps, climbers were greeted with free White Pass merchandise and a nice warm seat in the lodge to regain the body heat lost to the freezing temperatures.
“It was fantastic. It's great to be out here with a great group of people,” Brice Gribble said while attempting to catch her breath earlier in the night at the summit of Pigtail Peak. “I get into the backcountry quite a bit, but at night time, this is pretty special.”
Learn more about the White Pass Ski Area and stay up to date on events and conditions at https://skiwhitepass.com.
