Gendarme (mountaineering)

For other uses, see 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][self-published source]}

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