Gendarme (mountaineering)

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][self-published source]

Thompson's Flake on Mount Kenya (centre of image on skyline) is a gendarme.

References

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  1. ^ Baker, B. H. (1967). Geology of the Mount Kenya area. Nairobi: Geological Survey of Kenya.
  2. ^ Randy Lippincott (2013). Three Days of the Condor or Fifty Shades of Dry. Trafford Publishing. p. 154.