Few stories from the "greatest generation" are as unforgettable -- or as little known -- as that of the 10th Mountain Division. Today a versatile light infantry unit deployed around the world, the 10th began in 1941 as a crew of civilian athletes with a passion for mountains and snow. In this vivid history, adventure writer Peter Shelton follows the unique division from its conception on a Vermont ski hill, through its dramatic World War II coming-of-age, to the ultimate revolution it inspired in American outdoor life.

In the late-1930s United States, rock climbing and downhill skiing were relatively new sports. But World War II brought a need for men who could handle extreme mountainous conditions -- and the elite 10th Mountain Division was born. Everything about it was unprecedented: It was the sole U.S. Army division trained on snow and rock, the only division ever to grow out of a sport. It had an un-matched number of professional athletes, college scholars, and potential officer candidates, and as the last U.S. division to enter the war in Europe, it suffered the highest number of casualties per combat day. This is the 10th's surprising, suspenseful, and often touching story.

Drawing on years of interviews and research, Shelton re-creates the ski troops' lively, extensive, and sometimes experimental training and their journey from boot camp to the Italian Apennines. There, scaling a 1,500-foot "unclimbable" cliff face in the dead of night, they stunned their enemy and began the eventual rout of the German armies from northern Italy.

It was a self-selecting elite, a brotherhood in sport and spirit. And those who survived (including the Sierra Club's David Brower, Aspen Skiing Corporation founder Friedl Pfeifer, and Nike cofounder Bill Bowerman, who developed the waffle-sole running shoe) turned their love of mountains into the thriving outdoor industry that has transformed the way Americans see (and play in) the natural world.

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That said, along with McKay Jenkins "The Last Ridge" and Bob Bishop's and Flint Whitlock's "Soldiers on Skis" you have what I think is a wonderful tryptych on America's Mountain Soldiers.

"Climb to Conquer" compares favorably with "Last Ridge." Shelton's book is I think, a touch more readable. Shelton moves the action along quickly. The photo section isn't as good as "Last Ridge" (though neither can compare to "Soldiers on Skis" for that matter). The book also suffers for lack of maps. Shelton does a wonderful job describing the 10th's objectives and obstacles and how they overcome them, but some maps would help keep readers abreast of what is going on.

"The Last Ridge" is, I think more conforming of a straight narrative historical account and "Climb to Conquer" is written much like a catchy magazine article (but in this case, it's a good thing).

Each book has it's strengths. Jenkins' book is highly informative, but Shelton's will probably read faster. Both are warmly recommended. I can't pick out which is better. That is best left to the readers. However, it's nice to see America's Mountain troops get the recognition they long deserve.

Grant Waara

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Perfect mix of skiing, mountaineering and combatFeb 13, 2005
By Mannie Liscum
Climb To Conquer: The Untold Story of World War II's 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops is an engaging story of one the US Army's most specialized organizations of WWII. Outdoor and skiing enthusiast Peter Shelton has done the men of the 10th Mountain Division justice with Climb To Conquer. Unlike the more recent, Boys of Winter by Charles J. Sanders, Shelton's book is a solid piece of historical literature.

Climb to Conquer is divided into four basic topical sections:

1) The Prologue and first seven chapters (with the exception of chapter 5) are dedicated to telling the story of how the "US Ski Troops" were conceived, formed and trained. Shelton thankfully opts not to present Climb To Conquer with the who's-who of skiing approach that Sander's took with his book. Instead Shelton gives background information about the genesis of the ski troops (initial Army outfit being the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment) and its most vocal and active proponents (C. Minot "Minnie" Dole and no less than Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall) within a context of the pre- and post-Pearl Harbor US military without cluttering it with unnecessary name dropping and ski-laden references.

2) The second section, which can be seen as being comprised of Chapters 5 and 8-13, is the "battle meat" of the book. While Chapter 5 sits physically in the middle of the first topical section of the book it in fact tells the story of the first armed actions of the 87th Mountain Regiment on Kiska - one of the Aleutian Islands. This is a fascinating story told well by Shelton. Charged with driving Japanese defenders from the Island, the 87th spilled its first blood on Kiska. Unfortunately Kiska represents a tragedy in the history of the 10th Mountain Division since the casualties sustained were not the result of Japanese defenders (who had vacated the island weeks earlier in a stealthy escape through a US Navy blockade worthy of its own retelling) but rather from friendly fire of fellow 87th soldiers. Confusion and chaos reigned on Kiska and none of the survivors forgot their terrible experiences.

Chapters 8-13 detail the exploits of the 10th Mountain Division as it entered the ETO in late 1944. Shelton does a good job describing the actions of the 10th (and other units of the US Fifth Army under Maj. Gen. Mark Clark) in the Italian Appennine Mountains, through to the Po River Valley, and the final race with the Wehrmacht to their supposed Alpine Redoubt in the Austrian Alps. Shelton's prose in the "battle chapters" is such that it holds the readers attention and draws then along with the story. Very well written from a pure reading standpoint.

3) The third section of the book is represented by a single chapter (14) and details the time men of the 10th spent in the European mountains after their fighting was over. While there is not a lot of text associated with this section it provides an interesting tie-in to the final section of the book.

4) The fourth and final section (Chapters 15 and 16) of the book describes the exploits and accomplishments of the veterans of the 10th at home after the war. Again Climb To Conquer, unlike The Boys of Winter, does a good job detailing how men of the 10th were instrumental in the establishment of the US ski industry. As was the case with his discussion of the formation and training of the mountain troops, Shelton places this final section within the larger context of how these things came to pass in many ways because of the training and combat experiences of the 10th veterans. Sanders failed to do this with The Boys of Winter. Moreover, Shelton doesn't limit his post-war accolades of the 10th Vets to their influence on the ski industry but rather makes a strong point of the critical importance of their work on environmental and conservation issues. These were mountain-men who had seen the devastation of man in war and vowed to protect nature's beauties. This final section provides the most unique sub-story to the history of the 10th Mountain Division.

Concluding remarks: While the sub-title (The Untold Story of World War II's 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops) of Climb To Conquer is misleading - this is certainly not an untold story as many books about the 10th have proceeded Shelton's book, Peter Shelton has crafted a sound piece of unit history that also represents a noteworthy human story. Climb To Conquer is an easy-to-read, hard to put down and a solid 4 stars.


1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

Half way through ... just finished...same reviewJul 07, 2011
By Robert L. Mahlstedt
Guess I'm too spoiled with "Horse Soldiers" and "Lone Survivor" and "Unbroken" ... I am half way through this book and bored to death. Way too much background information and no action or war story whatsoever...a very dry history of the Mountain Division troops...maybe when they finally get to Italy and into the war the story will pick up.

OK, because I lived in Colorado for 25 years I found the information about the post-war development of Colorado ski resorts interesting. But honestly, this is a book only for those intimately involved in the 10th Mountain Division's history. And to make matters worse there were NO maps to help the reader understand where and why the action was taking place. Big mistake!

I'm kinda glad I read the book but could not recommend it to anyone...too many better books out there with too little time to read them all!!

Don't miss this bookSep 02, 2011
By Mark S
Part adventure, all history, reads like a novel. If you like skiing, strategy, personal stories of inventive people who strive to make the world better and safer - this is for you.

A compelling story well-toldApr 14, 2010
By spiderlegs
I read this book some time ago. I will acknowledge that I even know some of the characters portrayed in this book due to my life-long involvement in the ski industry. But that takes away nothing from the intensity of the undertaking these young Americans encountered during World War II. The intensely personal accounts from several of the players--not just amongst themselves, but in later years' contact with some of the "enemy" makes for very emotional reading. A well-written and told story that certainly brings home the absurdity of fighting wars.