Norwich U Cadets Gear Up for Survival in the Snow

By Carrie L. Chandler

Cadets Jessica Corl and Alison Lanz, both sophomores at Norwich University in Northfield, look forward to spending winter summiting the peaks of Vermont mountains, building snow caves, and climbing to the heights of ice flows. They are members of the Mountain and Cold Weather Company (MCW), founded at Norwich University in 1947. They are two of just three women in the company of 100.

MCW was founded by Sergeant Leslie J. Hurley, a member of the 10th Mountain Division, "to provide the Army with a select group of officers trained in surviving in the mountains and in cold weather," according to Norwich's Web site. Their training includes outdoor winter sports, basic and advanced first aid, mountaineering, day and night land navigation, and cold weather injury care. The company trains three times each week and participates in rescue and operations demonstrations throughout the year.

"MCW is an Army unit that serves as an extracurricular activity for students of any branch of service within the Corps of Cadets," explains company Commander Brad Fisher. "For freshmen it is an opportunity to take part in real-world training that could save their lives some day. Upperclassmen use MCW to gain proficiency in their skills and to pass it on to the next generation of mountaineers." Although this training is MCW's focus, there is also a rescue team within the company. "The rescue team has taken their skills to a new level and provides them free of charge as a search and rescue asset to the New England area," Fisher adds.

Corl hails from a longtime military family and always wanted to serve in the Armed Forces. Less predictably, she is also a former Homecoming Queen as well as winner of the prestigious "Rook of the Year" title last year as a freshman.

"I truly think one of the reasons why I won 'Rook of the Year' was simply because I dove headfirst into the experiences Norwich has to offer," she says of her early success.

As second-year cadets in MCW Corl and Lanz have moved from "Green Sticks" to "Black Hats". Their first year was spent learning the fundamental skills of military mountaineering, including written and skills tests at the end to demonstrate their mastery of critical abilities ranging from knot-tying to first aid, and more.

"It was definitely challenging, but there was never a time I wanted to quit," Corl says of her first year. Part of that challenge is offset by the fact that the almost entirely-male company treat the women as if they aren't any different. "The company itself is very close," says Corl, "and the training we get is pretty exciting."

Being one of the few women doesn't seem to bother either Lanz or Corl. "We both fit in really well. We don't complain and [we] do whatever the guys do, and we are really good friends with everyone there," Corl says. She notes, however, that, "you have to make your own way at this school [which] takes hard work and sometimes it's tough being around and working with a bunch of guys." Lanz notes that it isn't that much different than being a member of the Corps of Cadets, which is roughly 30 percent female. "I guess I am just so used to being one of the few women," she explains. "The guys are funny and great to work with."

Of all their activities with MCW it is the real world training that has impacted the women most. "We took a day trip out to Smuggler's Notch last winter. I was dreading it," says Corl. During the trip, the company simulated a cold weather rescue mission which included climbing and cross-country skiing as well as cold weather injury treatment and navigation. "The rescue mission took hours, but it was so exciting," she recalls. "We got to apply all that we learned."

Training missions not only give MCW members a chance to practice what they have learned, but also gives them a taste of the realities of rescue situations. Lanz describes a simulation in which they were required to wear avalanche beacons. "Wearing an avalanche beacon is a reality check," she says. "I'm wearing it because I could be in an avalanche."

Corl admits that she had some hesitation about spending all winter out in the cold at first. "I joined because I wanted to do something extra and I liked the outdoors aspect," she says. "I had never rappelled, never camped in a snow cave, a lot of the stuff was completely new. At first I was scared of heights and hated cold but I did it anyway." Not only has she overcome those fears, Corl actually enjoys it. "I wanted to do something fun and it ended up being better than I thought."

Lanz didn't have such a hard time adjusting to the cold weather. "I have skied since I was ten - I just like the snow," she says. And as proof, she offered her experiences during a simulation from last winter. While cross-country skiing up Paine Mountain in Northfield, she notes that, "it was very frustrating. We had an 80-lb pack on, so when we fell, we were like a turtle [on its back]." On the trip down the mountain, she says, "my downhill skiing came in handy - I was one of the few [who] actually skied down the mountain instead of walking."

When they joined last year, Lanz and Corl had one woman to look up to. "Last year the executive officer, or second in command, of MCW was a female and she did an outstanding job. Today she is serving as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps," Fisher says. Corl notes that, "it was a help to have a positive female role model, but it was discouraging to see how few there were."

Of the four freshmen women who tried out for MCW with them, Lanz and Corl are the only ones who made Black Hat. This year marks the highest ever number of freshmen women in the Corps of Cadets, but there are still only eight females in the group of sixty Green Sticks.

Both women are glad that they stuck it out. With commissioning into the military as a goal, they both realize that the training they receive in MCW will serve them well. This year brings some new challenges now that they have become Black Hats. One of the events they are most looking forward to is the Ice Trek, which will occur over their Christmas Break. "It is a week where we sleep in tents, do some ice climbing, cross-country skiing, and avalanche training," explains Lanz. "We will do anything you can possibly do in the snow," Corl adds.

Another highlight of a Black Hat's second year is Survival Weekend. "It's a second year thing," says Lanz. "They don't tell us anything. All we know how to do is survive." And survive they will, if their willingness to take part in MCW is any indication.

Carrie Chandler is a freelance journalist living in Barre.