Camp Hale
The Colorado high country helped end World War II. North of Leadville, at more than 9000 feet, Camp Hale was built for the 10th Mountain Division to train soldiers on skis in thin air. Half a world away, that training came to a test one cold night in February 1945: Germans occupied high ground in northern Italy, along an unclimbable icy escarpment. But for nine hours, the 10th made the climb, in silence, single file. "Sempre avanti" was their motto — always forward. By dawn, they held Riva Ridge and opened a way to help end the war. Camp Hale’s “winter army” didn’t stop there: vets came back and founded ski areas across the country, like Vail and Arapahoe Basin; others used wartime skills to build a culture of outdoor recreation across the globe. Decommissioned in 1945, Camp Hale is today a National Monument, with a story of fortitude.
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Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. See more postcards.
