Gendarme (mountaineering)

For other uses, see Gendarme.
Thompson's Flake on Mount Kenya (centre of image on skyline) is a gendarme.

A Gendarme is a pinnacle of rock on a mountain ridge. They are typical of Alpine areas. Gendarmes often form on the intersection of two ridges due to the lower erosion of glaciers here.[1] The name originates from the French Alps, where they were seen as resembling the gendarmerie police. [2]

References

  1. ↑ Baker, B. H. (1967). Geology of the Mount Kenya area. Nairobi: Geological Survey of Kenya.
  2. ↑ http://climbing.about.com/od/mountainandrockwords/a/GendarmeDef.htm