The Vail Ski Condo(s) And My History Lesson

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I went to visit my buddy who lives in Denver. He owns a Vail ski condo(s). He needed to go up there to get a lease signed by his new tenants. I went along for the ride. We left on Friday evening and stayed over night. On Saturday morning he let me use his car to drive around the area while he met with his tenants.

It was great driving around in this area. It was springtime and all the trees and foliage was in bloom. I would simply pull off the road whenever I saw a place I wanted to take a hike. I saw up ahead as I was looking for my next hike a large wooden sign. As I came closer I saw a large monument. I parked and walked up to the sign. It read that it was dedicated to the U. S. Army division tenth mountain division formed in’40.

This was the area that the mountain division trained for battle in Europe. It was formed to fight in mountain areas like in Finland and Norway. But it ended up fighting the Germans in Italy in World War two. At the time of its formation the U. S. Had no fighting capability for mountain warfare. So they formed this division. Many men joined simply because it seemed like a glamorous idea.

This was camp hale that I had stepped into. I do not know what its relationship was to the town of Vale. The troops that arrived at camp hale were amazed. They did not know that such mountains existed. And the ones who were used to skiing were impressed with the equipment they trained with. Some said these were the finest skis and bindings they had ever seen. The bindings could be dangerous though.

It was a more hazardous than recreational skiing because they each carried a fifty pound pack. And the fine bindings were bear trap bindings that did not come off. If you did not know how to fall you could break a leg. It was very rugged training.

The men went through mountain survival training and worked in altitudes higher than- thousand feet at times. Some nights the temperature dropped to under twenty five degrees below zero. The older troops were more experienced and instructed the younger soldiers on how to survive like rubbing bacon grease on the face and fingers to help prevent frostbite.

The mountain division surprised the German army in’45 by reaching them in what the Germans thought was an inaccessible area of mountaintop in Italy. The Germans had the strategic advantage over the U. S. Infantry up to that point. The mountain division engaged their enemy and was able to defeat them allowing the infantry to move forward.

It was sobering to stand in the area where the mountain division trained. This division had one of the highest rate of casualties of any U. S. Division. Here brave soldiers practiced survival methods in the snowy mountaintops of world war two. I drove back to my friend’s ski condo with a lot more appreciation for the brave men of the tenth division.

BC real estate offers ski condos that are perfect for a little family time. It includes everything such as kitchen appliances, and also offers great scenery as well. If you’re planning a vacation for this winter, remember to visit us.

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