The Call

A typed letter from December 10, 1941, addressed to the Ski Patrol, discussing the formation of mountain troops and testing potential service members.

“It wasn't a command, nor was it a mandatory enlistment. It was an invitation— a summons into history itself, a call to a purpose he had felt stirring within him for years... The same letter, identical in its blunt message and profound implications, was part of a direct appeal from Minot Dole himself... aimed at reaching nearly every member of the National Ski Patrol—men who understood the deadly secrets of avalanches... and the intricacies of skiing, snowshoeing, and climbing up sheer ice cliffs."

National Ski Association Questionnaire For Men Seeking Enlistment In, Or Assignment Or Transfer To, Mountain Troops, May 24, 1943

A scanned page of the National Ski Association Questionnaire form from 1943, including handwritten details such as date, name, address, age, marital status, and other personal information.
A scanned handwritten form with sections filled out regarding educational background, previous occupations, skiing experience, and mountaineering and camping experience.
A black and white letterhead document from The Mountain Shop, a ski and mountaineering equipment store in Portland, Oregon, dated May 18, 1943. The letter includes the store's mountain logo at the top and references applications for army ski and mountain troop training.