Germans said this Italian cliff couldn’t be climbed — Idaho ski instructors proved them wrong

Sun Valley Skiers’ Daring Riva Ridge Assault

In 1943, the US Army took a bold step: they built a ski troop. The 10th Mountain Division sought men who could ski, not men they had to teach.

From Sun Valley, 43 men signed up, led by ski school boss Friedl Pfeifer. They trained at Camp Hale in Colorado, high up at 9,200 feet.

Then came their big test. On a dark night in 1945, over 1,000 troops climbed 1,600 feet up Italy’s Riva Ridge with heavy packs. The Germans thought no one could climb it.

They were wrong. The ridge fell by dawn with just one US loss, helping crack Hitler’s line.

The Ketchum memorial plaque tells their story today.

Ski Pros Traded Slopes for Combat Boots

When the US Army needed mountain fighters in 1943, they didn’t teach regular soldiers to ski. They went straight to the experts.

After watching Finnish ski troops beat Soviet forces during the Winter War of 1939-40, military leaders knew they needed people who already knew how to fight in snow and mountains.

The National Ski Patrol helped find candidates at ski resorts across America. They looked for men with skiing and climbing skills rather than training beginners.

Sun Valley Heroes Answered the Call

Friedl Pfeifer, an Austrian immigrant who ran the Sun Valley Ski School, became a US citizen just to join the fight. He wasn’t alone.

A total of 42 men from Idaho’s Wood River Valley signed up for the 10th Mountain Division, including ski teachers, resort workers, and local mountain men.

Sun Valley Lodge even hosted Army film crews making training videos about mountain warfare. Today, visitors can find a memorial plaque in Sun Valley listing all the local men who served with this elite unit.

Rocky Mountain Boot Camp Pushed Men to the Limit

Soldiers trained at Camp Hale, Colorado, a tough training ground 9,200 feet up in the Rockies. The men faced temperatures as cold as minus 30 degrees while learning to fight in mountain areas.

They spent days rock climbing with full gear, skiing while carrying weapons, and learning how to stay alive during winter nights in the wild.

Many Sun Valley ski teachers became trainers, showing fellow soldiers the skills needed to move and fight in mountains.

Mountain Men Learned to Do the Impossible

For almost two years, the division practiced skills most soldiers never needed. They got good at climbing steep cliffs in total darkness while carrying heavy packs.

The men learned to move quietly through snow, set up spots on windy ridges, and use weapons with frozen fingers. Training focused on working in conditions most military leaders would think impossible.

By late 1944, they could climb with weapons, bullets, and 55-pound packs in pitch darkness.

War Called Them to Italy’s Frozen Mountains

The division went to Italy between December 1944 and January 1945, with nearly 20,000 soldiers coming to face German troops dug into the Apennine Mountains.

Hitler’s forces held what they called the Gothic Line, a defense that stopped Allied moves across northern Italy.

American commanders needed someone who could break through these mountain defenses to open the way toward the Po Valley. The 10th Mountain Division got the job.

Germans Thought No One Could Climb That Ridge

Riva Ridge stood 1,600 feet tall, with almost straight-up cliffs covered in ice and rock. German commanders thought nobody could climb it, so they left only small lookout posts on top.

The ridge gave a perfect view of the valley below and guarded the way to Mount Belvedere, a key spot. American generals knew that any hope of breaking through the Gothic Line meant taking this "impossible" ridge first.

The mountain troops had to do it.

Midnight Mission Required Perfect Silence

The 86th Mountain Infantry Regiment got orders to climb Riva Ridge on February 18, 1945. Planners picked a night attack to surprise the Germans, who wouldn’t expect anyone to try the climb in darkness.

Over 1,000 soldiers would scale the ridge at the same time using multiple routes, all without lights. Each man carried a 55-pound pack plus weapons and bullets.

One wrong move meant falling to death.

Climbers Scaled Icy Cliffs in Total Darkness

At midnight, the soldiers began their climb in freezing weather.

Using ropes, ice axes, and methods practiced at Camp Hale, they moved slowly up the 1,600-foot face. The men stayed completely quiet, knowing that a single sound could alert German guards.

The darkness helped hide them but made finding handholds on the icy rocks very dangerous. Hour after hour, they inched upward toward enemy spots.

Americans Appeared Where Germans Thought Impossible

By dawn, American troops reached the top with the Germans completely unaware.

German guards woke to find over 1,000 American soldiers who seemed to appear from nowhere up the "unclimbable" cliffs. The ridge fell quickly to American forces with only one US death during the entire night attack.

German commanders couldn’t believe what happened. The spot they thought safe because of the steep cliffs had been taken in just one night.

Mountain Troops Cracked Hitler’s Defensive Line

Taking Riva Ridge allowed the attack on Mount Belvedere the next night, February 19. These combined attacks finally broke Hitler’s Gothic Line positions that had held for months.

German forces started pulling back from mountain spots they had successfully defended against earlier attacks.

The 10th Mountain Division’s success opened a path for Allied forces to move into the Po Valley and northern Italy, helping speed the end of the war.

Ski Warriors Came Home to Build America’s Resorts

The cost was high. The division fought for 114 days in the Italian mountains with 992 killed and 4,154 wounded.

Sun Valley’s 42 men are remembered on a plaque honoring their service. After the war, veterans of the 10th Mountain Division changed American skiing forever.

Friedl Pfeifer helped develop Aspen, while his fellow soldiers founded ski areas across the country. Their military experience in the mountains became the foundation for America’s modern ski industry.

Visiting Ketchum, Idaho

You can learn about the 10th Mountain Division’s World War II history at the Wood River Museum of History and Culture at 580 4th Street East in Ketchum.

The museum is free and open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, with rotating exhibits on regional ski history and the division’s influence.

There’s also a memorial boulder in Sun Valley Village center that you can visit year-round. Take the free Mountain Rides bus between Sun Valley Village and Ketchum.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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