To The Top
Earn the Mountain Tab at the Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont. Two weeks of technical climbing, mountain survival, and high-altitude tactical operations in the Green Mountains.
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Earn the Mountain Tab at the Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont. Two weeks of technical climbing, mountain survival, and high-altitude tactical operations in the Green Mountains.
The Technical Skills phase teaches fundamental mountaineering and climbing techniques. Students learn rock climbing on Vermont's natural rock faces, beginning with basic movement and progressing to multi-pitch routes that demand confidence and skill.
Rappelling is introduced early — students descend cliff faces with increasing height and exposure. Anchor construction is critical — students must build reliable natural and artificial anchor systems that will hold body weight under dynamic loads.
Knot tying, belaying, and rope management are tested continuously. A failed belay or bad anchor means someone dies. There is no room for error on the rock face.
Mountain Survival is where AMWS students learn to live and operate in the mountain wilderness. Students spend five continuous days in the Green Mountains, maintaining themselves and their equipment in challenging alpine conditions.
Mountain weather is unpredictable and dangerous — conditions change in minutes at altitude. Shelter construction, fire starting, and water procurement are practiced under field conditions where failure means hypothermia or worse.
Mountain land navigation requires terrain association mastery. Map reading in mountainous terrain is fundamentally different from flat ground — contour lines, ridgelines, saddles, and draws become your primary reference points.
The Mountain Operations FTX integrates every technical and survival skill into a sustained tactical operation in mountainous terrain. Students plan and execute cliff assaults, rappel insertions, and tactical patrols across steep, rugged terrain.
Leadership is evaluated throughout the FTX. Graduates must demonstrate they can lead soldiers in mountain operations — managing ropes, anchors, and personnel on exposed rock faces while executing tactical missions.
The final assessment determines whether a student has demonstrated the technical proficiency, survival skills, and leadership required to plan and conduct mountain operations. Successful graduates earn the Mountain Tab.
Winter is the most demanding Mountain Warfare cycle. The Green Mountains are buried in deep snow, rock faces are iced over, and temperatures regularly plunge below zero. Ice climbing is added to the curriculum, making winter the most technically challenging iteration.
Spring in Vermont is mud season. Snowmelt saturates every trail and rock face, making climbing treacherous. Wet rock provides far less friction, demanding better technique and stronger grip. Weather swings wildly — morning frost can give way to afternoon rain.
Summer offers the best climbing conditions. Dry rock provides maximum friction and long daylight hours allow extended training. However, afternoon thunderstorms at altitude are a real danger — lightning on exposed rock faces forces rapid tactical decisions.
Fall offers excellent climbing conditions with cool, dry air and solid rock friction. However, dense foliage obscures terrain features, making mountain navigation significantly harder. Shorter days compress the training timeline and late-season classes may encounter early frost and ice on rock faces.
AMWS runs approximately 8 classes per fiscal year across summer and winter cycles. Source: Vermont Army National Guard / AMWS.
| Class | Report Date | Graduation | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMWS 01-26 | 12 Jan 2026 | 25 Jan 2026 | Winter |
| AMWS 02-26 | 09 Feb 2026 | 22 Feb 2026 | Winter |
| AMWS 03-26 | 09 Mar 2026 | 22 Mar 2026 | Spring |
| AMWS 04-26 | 01 Jun 2026 | 14 Jun 2026 | Summer |
| AMWS 05-26 | 22 Jun 2026 | 05 Jul 2026 | Summer |
| AMWS 06-26 | 13 Jul 2026 | 26 Jul 2026 | Summer |
| AMWS 07-26 | 03 Aug 2026 | 16 Aug 2026 | Summer |
| AMWS 08-26 | 14 Sep 2026 | 27 Sep 2026 | Fall |
Fear of heights, technical failures, and injuries thin the ranks. The Green Mountains demand respect.
Every failure at AMWS has a type. We built a fix for each one.
Cliff faces and rappels test your nerve. If you freeze on exposed rock, you're done. Confront this fear before you arrive.
Figure-8, prusik, munter hitch — know them cold. Fumbling with knots on a cliff face gets people killed. Practice until it's muscle memory.
Lives depend on your belay technique. One moment of inattention and your climbing partner falls. There are no second chances on the rock.
Altitude and inclines punish the unfit. Hauling gear up steep terrain with a combat load will destroy you if your cardio isn't there.
Basic rock skills are taught, but fitness matters more. If you can't do pull-ups and grip hangs, the rock face will expose you fast.
Mountain nav requires terrain association mastery. Contour lines, ridgelines, saddles, and draws — if you can't read the map, you're lost.
Key Takeaway: The rock face is the enemy, not the cadre. Technical proficiency on rope systems, grip and upper-body strength, and the mental toughness to operate on exposed cliff faces are the real tests. Arrive with climbing experience, cardiovascular fitness, and the nerve to look down without freezing.
Mountain Tough — To The Top
Graduates of the Army Mountain Warfare School have proven they can lead soldiers in the most challenging mountainous terrain on Earth. The Mountain Tab represents mastery of technical climbing, mountain survival, and tactical operations in environments that defeat unprepared forces.
From the granite cliffs and ridgelines of Vermont's Green Mountains, mountain warriors emerge ready to fight and win in any mountainous environment the Army may encounter — from the peaks of Afghanistan to the ranges of Korea.
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