Fort Greely

Fort Greely/ Big Delta

1948 to Early 1990's

Name of Ski Area:	Fire Tower Ski Hill, Tower Hill, Fort Greely Biathlon Trails, Sand Lewis Hill Jump
Location:	Delta Junction, to the south on Fort Greely (formerly called Big Delta)
Type of Area:	Ski Hill, Ski Trails (Biathlon), Ski Jump
Dates of Operation:	1948 to Early 1990s
Who Built It?:	U.S. Army
Base/ Vertical Drop:	Vertical: ~100 feet
Lifts:	2 Rope Tows
Facilities:	U.S. Army base, 20 meter ski jump, 10 miles of cross country ski trails
History:	From a 13 February 2005 article in the Anchorage Daily News about Hank Dube entitled "Military Mountaineer" by Judy Ferguson of Big Delta: "Because Big Delta [Alaska] offered more of a training ground than Colorado - glaciers, tundra, arctic rivers, extreme temperatures - Big Delta's Allen Army Air Field, the forerunner of Fort Greely, in 1948, became the official Army Arctic Indoctrination School Detachment, the forerunner of the Northern Warfare Training Center." "Newly drafted Finnish and Swedish officers taught recruits cross-country but not downhill skiing. When Peter Gabriel arrived in 1950 as the training administrator for skiing and technical adviser, he told them, "If you go uphill, you have to go downhill also." Big Delta's Cold Weather and Mountain School became only the second lab the Army had for testing men, clothing, skis, boots and bindings for military arctic readiness." "When military skiing was pioneered in the late 1940s and '50s, Fort Greely's training center was the only show in town for the world's arctic-trained troops."
	A call to Hank Dube unveiled information about the lost ski sites at Fort Greely. Hank came to Fort Greely 1957, stayed until 1959, left and returned for good in 1967. Hank mentioned that in the 1950s there was a 20 meter ski jump on Sand Lewis Hill just north of Fort Greely's main entrance. The ski hill, called Firetower Hill, was a small practice hill. It was located to the SE of the Allen Airfield runway, behind the hanger and to the west of Jarvis Creek. The vertical of this hill was about 100 feet. It was a good hill to teach soldiers how to ski, a "starter hill". Once soldiers got the feel for their skis they would "graduate" to the Gunnysack Hill ski area to the south near the Black Rapids Glacier. The first rope tow was put in operation on this hill in 1967. This initial rope tow is still at this ski hill site (as of 2005). In the 1980's Hank built another rope tow on this hill - so there were rope tows up each side of the hill. Soldiers could ride up one side, ski down the other, turn around and then do the reverse trip up and down. Hank also mentioned that there were about 10 miles of cross country ski trails on base at Fort Greely. South of Fort Greely, in the Black Rapids Glacier area, the Northern Warfare Training Center (NWTC) now has its operations base. The NWTC is based out of the U.S. Army's Fort Wainwright just south of Fairbanks. The NWTC currently uses Gunnysack Hill for their training operations. For more information on the NWTC, click here.
Sources of Information:	Hank Dube; Major Jeffrey G. Fishack, NWTC Commander; A 13 February 2005 article in the Anchorage Daily News about Hank Dube entitled "Military Mountaineer" by Judy Ferguson of Big Delta. Also see Judy Ferguson's Outpost web site; Thomas Mlinar; Phil Jordan; George H. Wolcott; Michael P. Wolcott; Richard Powers; Louis Pastori; Dan Pastori; Guy Hehn; Tracy Bank (granddaughter of Melvin R. Brown); Michael P. Hogan; Richard Pinney; Clyde Batavia; Richard Drake
Photos:	Does anyone have pictures of skiing at Fort Greely (or current pictures of the vicinity) that they would like to contribute to ALSAP ?

~ PHOTOS ~

[Left] This 1960 shot shows Hank Dube executing a Royal Christie on Firetower Hill at Fort Greey. [Right] Hank is shown racing slalom at Gunnysack Hill in 1962.

(click on these images to expand them)

[Photo credit and copyright: Hank Dube and Judy Ferguson]

Famous military mountaineer and skiers Peter Gabriel (left - on the cover of a 1942 LIFE magazine) and Hank Dube (right - at home in 2004). Both of these men trained soldiers to ski, and fight and survive in arctic conditions, at Fort Greely.

(click on these images to expand them)

[Photo credit and copyright: Hank Dube and Judy Ferguson]

1950s Northern Warfare Training Center Photos Courtesy of Richard Powers, George H. Wolcott and his son Michael P. Wolcott

Training in the Alaska Range, George Wolcott bottom center.

Wolcott 2nd from right.	Alaska Range near Delta	Wolcott left, Richard Powers right	Powers and Wolcott

Troops waxing skis		Powers and Wolcott	Maneuvers near Delta

1954 Mt. McKinley rescue		More winter maneuvers shots

Rope tow, George Wolcott in front	Gunnysack Hill ski training (Richard Powers photo)		Slalom at Gunnysack Hill, George Wolcott skiing (Richard Powers photo)

Training at Gunnysack Hill, Black Rapids Glacier in background.		NWTC climbers heading to the summit of Silvertip in 1959

1949 Photos Photos courtesy of Tracy Bank, whose grandfather, The Reverend Melvin R. Brown, Chaplain (Colonel), U.S. Army, Retired, was stationed at Big Delta

Louis Pastori Fort Greely Ski Jump Photos - 1950s Photos courtesy of Louis' grandson Dan Pastori

Captain Ray Soberski, the company commander, jumping off the Fort Greely jump	Louis Pastori	Louis Pastori jumping off the Fort Greely jump

The jump was right across the road from the Fort Greely entrance	Jump in-run, man shoveling snow out of truck	Jumper in flight

Thomas Mlinar Photos - 1954/1955

This is a picture of Thomas skiing down Tower Hill while he was part of the Hqs and Hqs Company, TAAC (The Army Arctic Center), where he was in the signal corp. This was before the rope tow was installed.	The fire tower to the west of the ski hill.

1950's 100 Mile Skiing Patch	9th Infantry Cross-Country Skier Patch	Army Soldiers on Skis, Big Delta, 1952

		[Photo credit: Alaska State Library, Historical Collections]

Phil Jordan Photos - 1954-1956

Phil skiing on Jarvis Creek in 1955 when he was 19.

Summer of 1955.


Hans Schulke	Bob Heinz	Hans Schulke

Phil Jordan	Dick Meer	Jim Pastore, AIS Instructor


Operation Moosehorn	Fort Greely Dedication Day, Aug. 6 1955	1954 AAIS Xmas Party

	Sgt. Nate Hoover, skis in background

Many members of the Ninth Infantry Division, the Manchus, trained at the Northern Warfare Training Center, south of Fort Greely, and at Fort Wainwright. The pictures below are from the Manchus web site, www.manchu.org, with permission for use from the site webmaster. If you click on any of these pictures you will access the manchu.org web site where there is additional information about the image. "Keep up the Fire"



Here are recent (~2004) pictures of troops training on the slopes of the NWTC's Gunnysack Hill, a military ski area south of Fort Greely that is still, and has long been, in operation. (click on these images to expand them) [Photo credit: Northern Warfare Training Center]

Photo and Information From Guy Hehn About Making The Gunnysack Ski Hill in 1954

Mt Gunnysack: Cpl. Guy Hehn clearing and grading the left training slope (looking up) at Camp Terry in 1954.

[Guy Hehn - 18 May 2009 email]
At Mt. Gunnysack, looking up the hill, I bulldozed the ski area on the left in 1954. I think you will find it was much smoother than the original. I spent five weeks at Camp Terry (as it was known then) with Cpl. Greeley,s dog and a worn out 1939 D8 Cat building that training slope. The dog just about killed me one Sunday, when I had a few beers and decided to climb the mountain. About 20 feet from the top, the German Shephard saw where we were going, and raced ahead, knocking down some big loose rocks which hit me and started to rockslide me down the hill. I finally got stopped somewhere unhurt. Good thing, because there was not another human within 45 miles.

I regret that I never finished a good road out at the bottom of that slope. A multi-inch rainstorm came along, and took all the loose rocks out of the canyon beside the camp, and moved the bridge and the river over about 200 yards. It was a noisy night. I had to start using the Cat to try to open up the road, and then I ran out of fuel injectors and had to phone for a ride to Big Delta. I was an E4 truck driver by trade, but we all did odd jobs when there was no class in session. I bought my own fuel injectors by mail from Pape' Cat in Eugene, Oregon. The Army was not well equipped.

Later,

Guy Hehn

I stumbled onto your website while looking for the Mckinley rescue (1954). I left Delta in Feb., 1955. Right now I am struggling with stage 4 lung cancer, but I intend to share some more stories. I learned to ski my first night in Big Delta when at 2 A.M. someone yelled "Fall out on skies!!" We had to get out and sidestep down the slope across from the main gate to pack some new snow so it would not blow away. (This is the slope with the primitive jump where I learned to not go over the jump while drunk with cross-country skis). I finally built some 42" long skies with cross country bindings so I could run up the slopes without poles. The instructors were not pleased with this.

Winchester ad from the April, 1944 Alaska Sportsman Magazine

2009 Site Photos [by Tim Kelley]

The old Fort Greely ski jump used to be on the slope to the west of the Main Gate. Looking at this terrain one can see that there is plenty of relief to make a great ski jump.		From a pullout on the Richardson Highway at Gunny Sack Creek you can see the Northern Warfare Training Center. And looking up the valley you can see a small section of the Gunny Sack Ski Hill.

~ MAPS ~

This topo map shows where where Fort Greely is located - in south of Delta Junction, where the Alaska Highway intersects the Richardson Highway. The location of is Firetower Hill is shown. But the location of the biathlon trail system on Fort Greely is unknown at present.

(click on this map to expand it)

Research Correspondence

[Major Jeffrey G. Fishack, NWTC (Northern Warfare Training Center) Commander - 04 Jan. 2005 email excerpt]

Tim,
The ski hill on Ft Greely (tow rope) and biathlon trail are the only military ones that I know that are no longer in use.

MAJ Fish

[Hank Dube - 22 February 2004 phone conversation with Tim Kelley]

Hank came to Fort Greely 1957, stayed to 1959, left and returned for good in 1967 (still lives in Delta Junction). Hank mentioned that in the 1950s there was a 20 meter ski jump on Sand Lewis Hill just north of Fort Greely's main entrance. The ski hill, called Firetower Hill, was a small practice hill. It was located to the SE of the runway, behind the hanger and to the west of Jarvis Creek. The vertical of this hill was about 100 feet. It was a good hill to teach soldiers how to ski, a "starter hill". Once soldiers got the feel for their skis they would "graduate" to the Gunnysack Hill ski area to the south near the Black Rapids Glacier. The first rope tow was put in operation on this hill in 1967. This initial rope tow is still at this ski hill site (as of 2005). In the 1980's Hank built another rope tow on this hill - so there were rope tows up each side of the hill. So soldiers could ride up one side, ski down the other, turn around and then do the reverse trip up and down.

Hank also said that the cross country trails system on Fort Greely was about 10 miles of length.

[Thomas Mlinar - 25 November 2006 email]

I have this picture of me skiing down Tower Hill [see above]. I was at Big Delta from Sept 1954 to April 1956, and we used that hill quite often. There was no ski ropes at the time. This hill was East of the Fire tower, couple hundred yards. AIS (Arctic Indoctrination School) used it quite a bit for their training. It was really a neat hill, because you could climb to the top, and start down and cirlce around going up and down over little hills and wind up near the bottom of the hill again.

I was part of Hqs & Hqs company, TAAC (the army arctic center) and was in the signal corp. Our radio and teletype building, signal corp supply warehouse, was between the fire tower, and the ski hill. That's where I worked. I would see the AIS guys going to and from the hill during their training.

[Thomas Mlinar - December 2006 email excerpts]

If you were standing in the Fire tower, looking toward the East down the trail, this latrine was in the woods, and was used by AIS troops, and ATB troops, and we used it too. I can assure you, there weren’t any magazines or newspapers to read while using it, when it was -40 or colder. LOL

I never saw anywhere, about another ski hill at Big Delta, now Ft. Greely. There was a ski lodge, and ski hill directly across the highway from the Main Gate of the old post. There was a lodge, we have used for some parties, I believe there was a tow rope there, but not positive. I do know there was a ski hill there. Does anyone ever mention that? [Tim K note: Hank Dube mentioned a ski jump here, but not a ski hill or rope tow. Does anyone else have information about this area across from the Main Gate in the early 1950's?]

There was some kind of a structure, don’t recall what it was used for. We had a couple of our Signal Corp parties there, and they were usually at night, and the ski hill was closed at the time. I will get back to you if and when I find out more. The ski hill across from the main gate had a really nice building, there was a bar, and fire place in there too.

I left Delta in April of 1956, I know it was still there at that time. On the tower ski hill, the jumps there were just little ones that we would build up with snow, I never was a good skier, and nearly killed my self on it, but then I didn’t have down hill skis, just cross country skis, that were not good for even that little two or three foot mound that we built up.

I don't recall the Sand Hill Lewis name. I do remember standing on what may have been a overlook, or a deck looking down the hill, there was a structure a little to the right side of a ski run. It was pretty tall, and I never related it to a ski jump, but now, talking to John, and thinking about that structure, I am sure, it had to be a ski jump, as I don't remember any cables or ropes that would have been a ski tow. I never did ski on that hill myself, I was never a good skier, and never had a set of skis with bindings, all I ever used were cross country skis that weren't the best for down hill skiing. Like I said, I crashed on the tower hill ski slope using the little jump that we created ourselves. I actually chipped my tail bone, and that was the end of any jumping for me.

There definitely was a deck or some sort of observation platform. I was curious as to when they may have razed the building, or if they ever did, I remember it was a pretty nice place to go to compare to the old huts that we lived in. I remember a fireplace on one of the walls also. There was a place South of the post, a few miles down the Richardson Hwy. About 1/3 of the way to Donnelly's Dome. It was on the East side of the hwy. Called the Malemute Saloon. The name of the owners i think was Donovan. They treated us soldiers like family. in the center of the room was a huge round fire place, at least 10ft. diameter and burned 8 ft. logs. There was a cone shaped hood that hung from the ceiling. In 54 one of us shot a Caribou, and the lady roasted it for us, and the entire Signal Corp, went there for the dinner. They opened the juke box, and let it play all night without any coins. I am sending a picture taken at that party, I am on the left, Roy Ludy in the center, and John Browy on the right. None of us had a lot of cash in those days, and a bottle of beer was 75 cents, and a mixed drink was $1.15. so money didnt go too far. But the Donovans, would charge us, $5 each, and opened the bar to us.

[Phil Jordan - 11 June 2007 email excerpt]

I was a member of the Arctic Indoctrination School from November 1954 to June of 1956. MOS Infantry Operations and Intelligence Specialist in the School HQ....basically a draftsman. I remember the ski jump and hill and trained on it and all the other locations such as Camp Terry, Donnelly's Dome and Black Rapids. I too do not remember the Sand Hill Lewis name.

[Tim Kelley - 03 July 2008]

Excerpt from: "United States Army Alaska Arctic Light Individual Training Manual"

Published in 2002 through 2004 by the United States Army Northern Warfare Training Center

HISTORY:

"Operations in cold and mountainous regions are not new to the US Army. Ever since the Revolutionary War, when the ill equipped and poorly trained Army of General Washington suffered in the cold at Valley Forge, some phase of almost every conflict in which this country has been engaged has been fought in mountains or cold, or both. However, specialized training of units for cold weather and mountain warfare was not seriously undertaken until the approach of World War II.

Training for extended operations in cold and mountainous areas was initiated in November 1941 with the activation of the 87th Mountain Infantry and the Mountain and Winter Warfare Board at Fort Lewis, Washington. Training and testing were conducted by these organizations at Mount Rainier, Washington throughout the winter of 1941 - 1942. These units were later to become the nucleus for the first cold weather and mountain training center to be established by the US Army.

During the period in which the 87th Mountain Infantry was undergoing training at Mount Rainier, plans were being made and a site selected for a center at which an entire division could be trained in the tactics and techniques of cold weather and mountain warfare. A site was selected in the mountains of Colorado, and in 1942, The Mountain Training Center, with members of the 87th Mountain Infantry as a cadre, commenced operations at Camp Hale. Thus was activated the first US Army training center designed specifically for cold weather and mountain training.

Training of the 10th Mountain Division for its future role of fighting in the mountains of Italy was the prime accomplishment of the Mountain Training Center during World War II. However, this was not the only training conducted by the Center. In addition to training many smaller units at Camp Hale, training detachments were sent to such locations as Camp McCoy, Wisconsin; Pine Camp, New York; and Elkins, West Virginia and Adak Island, Alaska to assist in the training of units in the unique requirements of mountain and cold weather operations.

At the end of World War II, the mission of the Mountain Training Center at Camp Hale was moved to Camp Carson, Colorado. Camp Carson was the only US Army Center for this type of training until 1948, when the decision was made to organize a school for arctic operations at Big Delta, Alaska later named Fort Greely.

In November 1948, the Army Arctic School was established at Big Delta with the primary mission of providing instruction in summer and winter operations under arctic and sub-arctic conditions. This training included arctic survival, mountaineering, skiing, and solutions to tactical, technical and logistical problems in cold regions. In July 1949, the Army Arctic School was redesignated the Army Arctic Indoctrination School, with no change in the mission.

For approximately eight years, training in mountain and cold weather operations were conducted simultaneously at Camp Carson, Colorado and Fort Greely, Alaska. However, in 1957 the total responsibility for cold weather and mountain training was transferred to Alaska. The Arctic Indoctrination School was redesignated the US Army Cold Weather and Mountain School and was given the mission of developing cold weather and mountain warfare doctrine, tactics and techniques, and training individuals in these subjects

Throughout the years as the Arctic School, Arctic Indoctrination School, and Cold Weather and Mountain School, training was conducted on an individual basis. Students from reserve component and active Army units throughout the continental United States and Alaska were graduated as instructors in cold weather and mountain operations. However, early in 1963, the Department of the Army concluded that the training in cold weather and mountain operations would be of more beneficial to units than individual training. Therefore, in April 1963, the US Army Cold Weather and Mountain School was redesignated the US Army Northern Warfare Training Center and given the mission of training individuals as well as units in the conduct of warfare in cold and mountainous regions. Today, The Northern Warfare Training Center is responsible for maintaining the US Army's state of the art in cold weather and mountain warfare. The Center provides training in these subjects to both active and reserve components and assists in the development of tactics and techniques for such operations."

[Tracy Bank - 12 April 2010 email excerpt]

My grandfather said he was one of the first "trained arctic" Army skiers in the late 1940's.

[Michael P. Hogan - 17 November 2011 email]

In the winter of 1964 I was part a group from the 9th infantry that was sent to Ft Greely to do winter equipment testing. I believe the area we were staying at was called Boleo Lake or some thing close to that. We were there until spring. We tested ski binding and used a cross country 10 mile trail four times a day. We kept logs with temp and miles used for each set of skies tested.

We also were testing the Star Light Scope for the new M16 with an arctic battery pack for extreme temp use up there. As I’m sure you know it gets very cold there. We had weeks of -30 below or better along with short durations to -60 below or better.

We had a weather station on site that we monitored and nights with no cloud cover it would have painful drops in the cold.

Our reward for the long winter of cold testing was rewarded with a few days in the spring at the Mountain Climbing School. We were instructed in repelling over shear drops. Some minor Climbs and some thing they called sleeing that was a three point contact sliding down a slope of small loose rock shuffling your feet and leaning backwards on your blade on a climbing ax. The loose rock acting like snow and the blade on the climbing ax kept you stable.

[Richard Pinney - 06 January 2014 email]

Since we in Wisconsin are in the throes of a much-hyped cold spell, I was reminiscing to unbelieving friends about sleeping out in such weather while stationed in the Army at Fort Greely, AK. Looking for documentation as proof, I just stumbled onto your cool site covering lost ski areas.

In the winter of 1971 I ran the Gunnysack Mountain quonset hut ski "lodge" as a recreational ski area on weekends for the enjoyment of off duty troops and families. During the week it was part of the Northern Warfare Training program.

I was acquainted with Hank Dube at Fort Greely. I was the temporary Post Entertainment Director in 1969-70 (I was a Private First Class draftee of all things - that is another story). We pretty much made up our agenda, offering activities we loved to do ourselves. For me it was skiing and hiking, and later, under Mr. Dube's (he was a civilian instructor so we called him "mister") tutelage, mountaineering. We had an activity budget and, because Alaska duty was hard on many folks not used to wilderness, cold and darkness, we made the most of what we had for entertainment and recreation.

After my first year there, we got a new entertainment director, Lt. Batavia. He was a skier and pulled strings to set up a ski rental program and to get permission to use Gunnysack. We had a poma lift, wooden benches and hot chocolate. We had no real amenities. It was more like a rural skating rink warming house.

There were just a few of us who used the facility in its first season of Friday-Saturday recreational use. I was the founder president of my college ski club in Superior, WI so you can see the connection to cold and adventure there. One of the draftees who worked under Hank Dube was a ski instructor from Montana. He taught my friends and I to ski well. I wish I could remember his name.

In addition to downhill rental equipment, we all were issued Army cross country skis with cable bindings, seal skin climbing skins and vapor barrier (VB or Mickey Mouse) boots. For fun, we made one memorable trek to the top of Gunnysack, a minor bump in the Alaska Range including a cold bivouac on the first night. As survival training, all personnel were required to spend a night annually in the deep temperatures of the February taiga with nothing but our sleeping bags and spruce bough shelters. It was torture for most, fun for us few.

Several of us Ft. Greely pals joined the Alaska Alpine Club and 250 others in the spring of 1971 for its third Glacier Stampede on the Cantwell Glacier We carried our own food and camping equipment. Somehow, my Ft. Greely contingent ended up testing the new "waxless" skis provided by the Alaska Alpine Club. We gave them mixed reviews, but we were in harsh, sometimes steep and precarious conditions. We arrived at the top in the last bunch, much slowed down by our use of these skis.

My photos of these experiences were, sadly, lost in a disaster in 2001.

I became a lifelong cross country skier thanks to Hank Dube and his staff. Though I no longer have them, I trained on roller skis in the Milwaukee suburb of Shorewood. My kids bring up that fact every holiday. Seems I was the object of some local ridicule and caused enduring humiliation for my children. That is as it ever was for parents.

Best regards,
Richard Pinney
Milwaukee, WI

PS - I am a web developer and designer and musician. You can hear "Motherlode" written in the barracks of Ft. Greely here. It is by far my most recorded and performed song by others. A solo guitar instrumental, "Alaska Sunrise", is also on the page. It was written about 5 years after returning to the lower 48. It is one of my most requested tunes, and has been used as the soundtrack in theatrical productions and in Michael Jackson's Victory Tour in '84.

[Clyde D. Batavia - 09 January 2014 email]

I was contacted by Richard Pinney regarding the skiing at Fort Greely. I was the Special Services Officer for the post. While attending the University of Nevada in Reno, I became a ski instructor, and was able to talk the Post commander to let me purchase a rope tow for "fire tower hill". There was also a poma lift at Black Rapids that we used for recreation skiing on the weekends when NWTC (Northern Warfare Training Center) was not using it for training. During the time period of 69-71 General James F. Hollingsworth was the commanding General for the Alaska Command. He was very pro that the enlisted men should have the best recreation for the time off. I was able to secure funds and we purchased through GSA all Hart skis for rental.

I live at Lake Tahoe and still very involved in skiing.

[Richard Drake - 12 December 2015 email]

My tour of Army duty at Ft. Greely, Alaska, as shown on the attached photo, was from 6 September 1960 to 17 February 1962. My branch was the Signal Corp. and was attached to the HQ & HQ Co., working in the Headquarters Center, downstairs in the Communication Center as a teletype operator/shift supervisor.

My immediate supervisor was SGT. Jack Lackoduk and CPT. Collins was OIC of the Communication Center. COL. L.C. Downs was post commander during my tour.

I have fond memories of my tour at Ft.Greely, despite the cold weather (-64 degrees one of the winters I spent there!). As the attached photo shows, I not only have saved the welcoming handbook, but the patch I acquired as a member of the Fort Greely Ski Club. Firetower Hill brings back many memories of good times skiing down the slope in my "Mickey Mouse" themo boots, due to the fact I wore a size 15 and I could not rent or purchase regular ski boots in that size anywhere!

Sad to realize that Firetower Hill ski area no longer exists, but as mentioned, memories of off duty hours on the slope bring back good feelings and my learning to ski, dispite using my themo boots!

Sincerely,

Richard Drake, Orange, CA

Do you have further information, stories or pictures that you would like to contribute about this ski area?