10th together again

I shared the mountain at Ski Cooper Friday morning with members of the 10th Mountain Division. The veterans, famous for their missions in World War II, visit Cooper every year to reminisce about their training there in the 1940s. As the locals griped about the snow conditions - hardpacked and bumpy - those from the 10th were in their element. Many of the guys, including Tiny McWade, live and ski in New England. "Heck," Tiny said, "We call this New England powder." Tiny (shown here) had just completed a run down the mountain carrying a 20-pound flag. He and his friends (now in their 80s and 90s) said they were just glad they didn't have to wear the seven-foot hickory skis that were standard equipment for the unit. (Check out the leather boots, cable bindings and canvas gaiters worn here by a reenactor on Friday.)