Glossary: summit, peak, etc : Articles : SummitPost Images Purpose of this Article This is to provide a reference and standardized answer to the frequent confusion arising over terms such as "mountain", "peak", and "summit." I realize that local usage will sometimes differ, but it may be useful to have a standard glossary for SP purposes. I have done my best to verify my definitions using authoritative English-language dictionaries. Please provide corrections or interesting local variations in comments to this page. This page covers toponymy in English, with a few brief notes on a handful of other languages. A joint effort is now underway on Summitpost to build a multilingual dictionary covering toponomy, gear, and other areas. Mountain Mount Everest, Tibet (China) / Nepal, 8850 m The most elemental term is also the hardest to define precisely. A mountain is like a hill, but bigger. Some governments or hiking clubs will define a mountain as having a minimum elevation, or a minimum prominence, but these standards vary widely. For our purposes, if it's got "mount" or "mountain" in the name, or if it's massive enough that, by local standards, it could, then it's a mountain.

It's not always clear where one mountain ends and a neighboring mountain begins. Local tradition governs. The word "mountain" comes from roots meaning, roughly, "big pile." Related English words include "mound" and of course "mount". As the very learned brenta points out, "mount" is a noun and "mountain" was derived from it, originally as an adjective. Driskill Mountain, Louisiana (USA), 163 meters Nowadays the distinction between "mountain" and "mount" has largely vanished, but "mount" is still slightly preferred to "mountain" when used as part of a name, as in "Mount Everest". "Mount" is common for mountains named after people ("Mount Lafayette"), whereas "Mountain" is often used for descriptive names ("Granite Mountain"), but there is no fixed rule. Whether "mount" or "mountain" appears in a name depends on whatsounded better to the person doing the naming. But there does seem to be a topographic pattern as well. (this paragraph suggested by JScoles) Summit summit The summit is the highest point. In theory, every mountain has exactly one summit.

In practice, mountaineers will in many cases talk about multiple summits (eg Everest South Summit), thus blurring the distinction between "summit" and "peak" (see below). Sometimes as you're climbing you'll approach a spot that looks like it might be the summit, only to discover it's a "false summit". The word comes from Latin "summus", meaning "highest". In the 19th century, "summit" was also applied to other kinds of highest points, such as the highest point reached when crossing a pass. Peak A peak is a point that's higher than all other adjacent points. In mathematical terms, it's a local maximum, the point with slope of zero along a convex-up curve. The thing to understand about this definition is that it is entirely localized: there may be some higher point not far away, but if you can't get there without going downhill first, you're standing on a peak. In other words, most mountains will have multiple peaks. Hiking clubs usually have criteria (prominence, sometimes separation) to separate the peaks that "count" from those that are too small to bother with, but these are not essential to the definition and will vary from region to region.

In common usage, a "peak" is pointy, otherwise it may be called a "knob", "crag", "bald", "dome", and so forth. The word is probably related to words such as "pike" (a long spear) which describe something sharp and pointy. (Also, French "piquer" to jab as with a needle, Spanish "picador", spear-man). Range range A range is a group of mountains. It may be a huge group ("Appalachian Range") or a small one ("Willey Range"). Deciding where one range ends and another begins is not always clear, and local usage should be deferred to. The basic idea, though, is that a range consists of a distinct group of mountains joined together by high ground - higher than the ground that connects them to some other range. Ranges will end at rivers, oceans, valleys, or where the hills become too small to qualify as mountains. The word shares a root with "arrange" and with "rank" - it's an organizing group, and carries a connotation of lining up in a row. A-E Other Mountain Terrain Vocabulary - [Fr: "needle"] A tall, narrow spire of rock.

altitude - [L: "height"] Height. Aircraft pilots always distinguish between "absolute altitude", which is height above the ground surface, and "true altitude", which is height above sea level. In the mountains, the difference between the two numbers can be dramatic and fatal. See also "elevation." arete [Fr: "spine" or "fish-bone"] - 1. A narrow ridge. 2. In glaciology, a narrow ridge remaining after glacial erosion from both sides. 3. In rock climbing, a vertical ridge or junction of walls at a convex angle in a rock face. barchan [Kazakh] - An arc-shaped dune. Mostly used for sand dunes but sometimes applied to snow dunes as well. bergschrund bergschrund [Ger: "hill-gap"] - A crevasse that forms the upper edge of a glacier, separating it from the fixed ice-cap above it. Compare moat . - [Fr.] - a steep-sided, flat-topped hill, smaller than a mesa. cirque [Fr: circus] A bowl-shaped valley high on a mountain, usually of glacial origin.

Synonyms: cwm (Gaelic), corrie (Scots Gaelic) col [L: neck] the low point on a ridge joining two peaks. Glaciologists reserve this term for gaps of glacial origin, but others use it much more generally. cornice cornice [Fr., from "horn"] - Overhanging build-up of snow formed by wind passing sideways over a ridge or cliff. corrie [Scots Gaelic: kettle] - see cirque dihedral couloir [Fr. passage, corridor] a steep gorge or gully in a mountainside. Couloirs are good places to find uninterrupted snow and ice. crag - [Fr. "man-at-arms"] A steep-sided rock formation along a ridge (metaphorically "guarding" the summit). glacier - [Fr.] - Year-round ice covering a large area. Formed from snowfall, glaciers will slide very slowly downhill. gully [middle Fr., "throat"] - a channel caused by erosion, especially by water running down a slope.

The distinction between "gully" and "valley" or "canyon" is one of scale - a gully is usually less than a hundred meters in width. (It is also at least a meter wide; anything smaller would be a ditch or runnel.) hanging valley - A valley whose lower end is high on a sheer wall of a larger valley into which it flows. headwall - vertical ("wall") or near-vertical section of slope at the uphill end ("head") of a valley, ravine, cirque , etc. highpoint - The point of highest elevation in a given area, eg country, state, or county. A highpoint need not be a summit (or even a peak): The highpoint of the state of Connecticut is on the slopes of Mt Frissel, whose summit is outside the state. mesa horn - a peak having that shape. In glaciology, a horn is defined as the sheer-sided peak remaining after glaciers have removed at least three sides. (thanks to lostman) inselberg - [Ger.: "island mountain"] - a mountain with no other mountains nearby. K-O Other Mountain Terrain Vocabulary - [G.

"twisted wood"] - bonsai-like dwarf trees that grow at treeline. ledge - A narrow, (more-or-less) flat spot along an otherwise (mostly) vertical face. Synonym: "shelf". penitentes massif - [Fr. "massive"] - a range or plateau; a "mass" of peaks or mountains. Carries an implication that the peaks or mountains are bunched together, but not in a neat line. Borrowed from French. Like "range", can be applied on extremely varied scales, from "Massif Central" to "Massif du Mont Blanc." moat - Gap along the side of a glacier, separating it from the rock of the valley wall. Compare bergschrund . monadnock - [Abenaki: "Lone Mountain"; the name of a mountain in New Hampshire, USA] - inselberg . moraine - [Savoyard Fr: "hill"] - A mound or ridge of dirt, rock, etc deposited by the edge of a glacier. See also drumlin" . [Inuit: "lonely peak"] - An ice-free peak that sticks up through a glacier.

P-Z Other Mountain Terrain Vocabulary [ A-E ] [ F-J ] [ K-O ] [P-Z] pass - Any route from one valley, over higher ground to another valley. Usually, a relatively low point along a ridge. Many regional synonyms, such as "notch" in New England. spire penitentes [Sp: penitents] - Spiky ice formations caused by uneven evaporation/melting of ice in sunlight. See also sun cups . plateau [Fr. "serving plate"] - any area that is higher than (some of) its surroundings and fairly flat when considered from sufficient distance. point 1. Any location. 2. A small peninsula, or a formation resembling one. 3. A peak, prominence, or spur not considered worthy of the name "peak", or simply not yet named. In the absence of any other name, a peak or benchmark may be referred to as "point xxx", where xxx is its elevation. prominence - [Latin: "forward projection"] 1. The quality of rising above or projecting beyond one's neighbors. 2. A peak or outcrop. 3.

A measure of how far a peak rises above its neighbors: the minimum vertical distance one must descend in order to travel (on the ground) from a peak to any higher peak. See Wikipedia for more saddle - A formation having that shape: high and broad at each end, lower and narrower in the middle. sastrugi - [Rus. "grooves"] - ripple-like forms with sharp corners formed in hard, windswept snow. Compare barchan . sun cups scree [Nordic] - A surface consisting of small loose rocks which have slid from above and are likely to slide again when stepped upon. sea level - Fictional surface formed by the average height of the oceans, ignoring tidal cycles, weather, etc, and extended underneath the land to form a continous surface. This surface is not spherical. Commonly used approximations include "ellipsoids" (slightly-squashed spheres) and "geoids" (bumpier); the latter reflect variations in the strength of gravity in different locations.

In many places the various kinds of "sea level" differ from each other by tens of meters, so next time you hear someone recite the altitude of Peak X down to the nearest centimeter, make sure you ask what "reference datum" they're using. separation - the horizontal distance between two points. Sometimes used in deciding whether two points "count" as separate peaks or mountains. seracs serac [Fr, "Cheese curd"] - A large block or peak of glacier ice which is separated by crevasses from the main mass of its glacier, especially a block that is tilted, upthrust, or overhanging. shoulder - a lateral protrusion on a mountain, or a point on the mountain where the slope changes, forming a convex shape. snowline - the elevation above which snow remains on the ground year-round, ie the lower boundary of a permanent snowcap. Sometimes also used to designate the lower elevation boundary of merely seasonal snowfields. - uneven surface of snow or ice caused by uneven evaporation/melting in sunlight. See also penitentes talus [Fr. "earthwork"] - Jumble of boulders at the base of a cliff from which they've fallen. Compare felsenmeer.

treeline - the elevation above which trees cannot grow. Varies with latitude, soil, and exposure to weather (especially wind). In most places trees don't suddenly cease but rather become gradually more dwarfish - see "krummholz". More-precise definitions (eg, trees below some particular height) may be used for various purposes but I am not aware of a uniform standard. verglas - [Fr. "glassy ice"] - thin, clear ice formed by the freezing of rain or meltwater on a hard, smooth surface (ie, rock). Extremely slippery, and sometimes too thin to hold a crampon or ice axe. External Links If you know of other dictionaries, especially specialized hiking/climbing ones, PM me and I'll add them here. Note on Polish and Slovak by czekan In Polish, the word 'mountain' is translated as 'góra' (or without polish special letters 'gora') in slovak the word is 'hora' . So 'mountains' are 'góry' or 'hory'. In Polish there is the same problem with peak/summit.

I have checked English-Polish dictionary and both 'peak' and 'summit' are translated as 'wierch' and 'szczyt'. What's more in Poland we have got one more word called 'wierzhołek' (or without polish letters 'wierzholek') which is also translated as 'peak', 'summit', 'top'. In now days we use: 'wierzchołek' is highest point ('summit') 'szczyt' is highest part of mountain ('peak') 'góra' it means mountain 'łańcuch górski' ('lancuch gorski') means 'mountain range' (BTW 'łańcuch' means usualy 'chain') but in names of mountains we sometimes use words 'szczyt' and 'wierch', so we have got 'Kasprowy Wierch' , 'Kozi Wierch', 'Mięguszowiecki Szczyt', 'Wyżni Żabi Szczyt'.

What's more we have got words: 'czuba' and 'kopa' which are only used in proper names of mountains so for example we have got 'Kondracka Kopa', 'Żabia Czuba', and 'Goryczkowa Czuba' (which in slovak is 'Horičková kopa') cornice - WordReference.com Dictionary of English cornice /ˈkɔːnɪs/ ⓘ One or more forum threads is an exact match of your searched term. Click here . WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2016 cor•nice /ˈkɔrnɪs/USA pronunciation n. [ countable ] Architectureany prominent molded piece, such as a strip of plaster that sticks out on the top of a wall or doorway. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2016 cor•nice (kôr′nis),USA pronunciation n., v., -niced, -nic•ing. n. Architecture any prominent, continuous, horizontally projecting feature surmounting a wall or other construction, or dividing it horizontally for compositional purposes.

the uppermost member of a classical entablature, consisting of a bed molding, a corona, and a cymatium, with rows of dentils, modillions, etc., often placed between the bed molding and the corona. Architectureany of various other ornamental horizontal moldings or bands, as for concealing hooks or rods from which curtains are hung or for supporting picture hooks. Geology, Meteorologya mass of snow, ice, etc., projecting over a mountain ridge. v.t. Architectureto furnish or finish with a cornice.

Latin cornix); for the meaning, compare Greek koró̄nē crow, crown Italian: literally, crow ( Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: cornice /ˈkɔːnɪs/ n the top projecting mouldings of an entablature a continuous horizontal projecting course or moulding at the top of a wall, building, etc an overhanging ledge of snow formed by the wind on the edge of a mountain ridge, cliff, or corrie Etymology: 16th Century: from Old French, from Italian, perhaps from Latin cornix crow, but influenced also by Latin corōnis decorative flourish used by scribes, from Greek korōnis, from korōnē curved object, crown 'cornice' also found in these entries: Rock, Ice and Mountain Climbing Terms, Glossary, Definitions - Santiam Alpine Club Glossary of rock, ice and mountain climbing terms Alpine: Concerning high mountains, originally, concerning the Alps. Alpine start: An early morning start to ascend before the sun softens the snow or to return before nightfall.

Alpine style: Lightweight, fast climbing that emphasizes the role of speed in safety, to climb and return quickly during a window of good weather. AMS (acute mountain sickness, hypoxemia, hypoxia): Symptoms of low blood oxygen due to high altitude: headache, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, malaise and disturbed sleep. Also see HADE below. Anchor: A point where the rope is secured to the snow, ice or rock to provide protection against a fall. An equalized anchor system places equal weight on multiple devices to reduce the chance of failure. Any individual anchor point, whether one piece of protection or an anchor system, must be able to hold a fall. The condition of the rock, snow or ice determines whether an individual anchor device or an anchor system is required to provide adequate security. Equalized anchor system Approach: The nontechnical section of the climb that leads to the technical part of the climb. Ascender (Jumar, Clog): A mechanical braking device used for belaying oneself from a vertical fixed rope. By contrast, for a traverse protected by horizontal fixed line, carabiners on slings are often used to connect the climber to the main rope.

As carabiners have no braking capability, a climber will fall to the lower anchor or to the lowest point between two anchors. Self-belay from prusik or bachmann knot is a known unsafe technique. Unlike a carabiner, prusik cord burns through quickly once it begins sliding on the main line. Avalanche: Movement down the mountain of previously stationary snow, rock, or both. Snow avalanche conditions for open slopes can often be predicted by monitoring the weather. As days of high avalanche danger and known avalanche areas are generally avoided, more climbers are injured by a single falling rock or piece of ice. Bachmann (bachman) knot: A friction knot similar in design and purpose to a prusik knot with the difference that the Bachmann can be set up in a self-regulating configuration. When used in a z-pulley, when tension is released the Bachmann slides along the main rope. When tension pulls the knot tight, the knot prevents downward motion of the pulley. Although similar in purpose to an ascender, a Bachmann knot will burn quickly through the prusik cord should it begin to slip. Bachmann knot video Base weight: The weight of a pack before food, fuel and water.

Some thru-hikers flirt with hypothermia by skimping on two warm and dry items to reach a base weight below 10 pounds, 4.5 kilograms, by omitting a stove and carrying a single-wall shelter instead of a double-wall tent. Together, these safety upgrades can sum to as little as 2 additional pounds, 1 kilogram. Dry hiking reduces weight by carrying only enough water to reach the next known water source, another way to leave oneself unprepared for an emergency. A mountaineer's pack loaded with safety gear — a helmet, a harness, a rope plus the appropriate protection for the route — is often not weighed. What is, is. "That is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to" remain indifferent about "what the meaning of the word 'is' is," and about whom is boasting of a light pack as they toss their sleeping bag into another's tent. "Or to take arms against a sea of troubles." Either way, base weight is likely to be about the same. Belay: A safety technique where a stationary climber provides protection by means of ropes, anchors and braking devices or techniques, to an ascending or descending partner.

A static belay is when a fall is held fast. A dynamic belay is when a fall is brought to a gradual stop by allowing the rope to slide somewhat to not overload the anchor with the force of the fall. Static belay is often used on ice and rock where the anchors are bombproof and the pitch is near vertical. Dynamic belay is often used on snow where the anchors are questionable and the slope is angled enough the climber can slide a small distance without injury. Belay commands and common line set up Belay device (ATC, figure eight): A metal device through which a climbing rope is threaded to create friction to brake a fall. Many belay devices can double as a rappel device. An ATC makes a fine belay device but the wire can be pulled into the device when using it as a rappel device. A figure eight is difficult to work as a belay device but is a reliable rappel device. Belay station: An anchored position from where a climber provides roped protection for a partner climbing. Bergschrund (schrund): A gap or crevasse that appears near the head of a glacier where the neve field portion of the glacier joins the valley portion of the glacier.

A moat is a gap between the top edge of a glacier and the upper portions of the mountain face. Schrunds and moats can create obstacles. Bivouac (bivy, bivi): A high camp, not always a planned overnight stop. Bollard: An anchor in snow or ice created by cutting or shaping the surface so a rope or sling can encircle the feature. Bolt: A substantial metal pin drilled in the rock to provide permanent protection, a type of anchor rejected by Trads. Boot-ax belay: A belay technique used on snow where the climbing rope is wound around both a firmly planted ice ax shaft and the belayer's boot. Boot-ax belay usually requires an anchor in addition to the ax. As with belay from many types of snow anchors, a dynamic belay (see the video linked above) will reduce the odds of anchor failure. Boulder: To climb a difficult, but short, rock pitch where a potential fall will be of minimal consequence. Cairn: A pile of rock, wood or both used to mark a route or route junction. Cam: A mechanical spring-loaded device that can be inserted in rock cracks through which a climbing rope can be threaded for protection.

Carabiner (biner): Forged aluminum devices of various shapes (oval, D, etc.) with a spring-loaded gate through which a climbing rope can be threaded, used to connect to protection or to provide connections in an anchor. The gate of a locking carabiner can be locked closed for increased security. Two regular carabiners with opposed gates can replace safely one locking carabiner. Chimney: A rock route large enough for the climber to fit inside and use the relative wealth of holds from both sides of the chimney. Clean: To remove protection (cams, pickets, etc.), usually the responsibility of the last climber in a rope team. Clipping in: Using a carabiner to connect to belays and anchors or to connect ropes to protection. Cornice: Wind-sculpted snow overhanging a ridge, a hazard avoided by not walking on the cornice or in the fall line below it. Couloir: A gully, sometimes a potential route. A chute or bowling alley is steep enough for rock or ice fall to be a concern. Crampons: Spiked metal devices that attach firmly to climbing boots to provide reliable footing on ice and firm snow slopes.

Crevasse: A crack in a glacier surface. Crevasses vary in width and depth and are often concealed by surface snow that forms a snow bridge. Concealed crevasses are one hazard on glaciers. The other is falling rock. Crevasse rescue Deadman: Any device (picket, shovel, bag of snow) buried in snow to serve as an anchor. Dial in (dialed, wired): Knowing a route well from having climbed the same pitch or mountain repeatedly. A similar concept is hanging on a rope in the same place to practice moves repeatedly, a practice known as hangdog or dog. A legitimate question to ask a climb organizer is, "Do you have the route dialed in?" Experienced climbers often go exploring together. New climbers should consider limiting themselves to climbs dialed in by one or more climb participants. Snow routes change frequently enough to evade getting dialed in. Double-wall tent: A tent that, even within tight confines, protects sleeping bags from condensation — and occupants from hypothermia — by adding an interior wall between the rain fly and the sleeping bag. In reliably-warm conditions, 3-season tents are preferred as they offer the best ventilation and the least weight.

In conditions that might be hot or cold, 3 to 4-season tents convert as appropriate by multiple doors and vents that can be left opened or closed. A 3 to 4-season tent secured in 4-season mode is wonderfully warm and dry almost no matter what is happening outside. Only in reliably-wintry conditions are exclusively 4-season tents appropriate. Down climb: Descending a pitch often requires more skill than climbing up and therefore provides good practice for the climber and, sometimes, the belayer. Because down climbing is statistically safer than rappelling, down climbing is preferred to rappelling when time allows. Dry-tool: To ascend a section of rock using ice tools, a technique used for short sections of rock between sections of snow or ice on alpine climbs. Edging: A rock climbing technique where the edges of the climbing shoes are used to stand on small footholds. By contrast, smearing applies as much of the sole of the climbing shoe as possible to a rock slab to achieve maximum friction. Exposure: The distance from the climber to where the climber would likely stop in the event of an unprotected fall. Fall: To lose involuntarily one's position.

Short falls onto protected rope tend to be silent since there is insufficient time to make a sound. Often the belayer has no information except the rope going tight. A screamer is long enough to provide the luxury of vocal panic. A whipper is similar to a screamer but the vocal routine returns to normal when the rope catches the fall. A crater ends when the climber hits the ground. Fall! (falling!): What climbers in the vicinity yell to protect their team and others when someone is in a fall. Fall line: The direction a fall will take. The belay position and belay anchors must be in line with the fall line to prevent a pendulum effect. Avoid climbing in the fall line of another climber higher on the pitch, of a cornice or anything else that might come down the mountain. When traversing a glacier, stay lower on the glacier than the collection of rocks that have fallen onto the glacier. Figure-eight knot: The basic climber's knot, when retraced, used to attach a climber's harness to the rope and for many other purposes. Not to be confused with a figure-eight belay and rappel device. Flat footing and front pointing Fluke: A dynamic snow anchor that dives deeper as it moves.

For use in soft snow where pickets will pull out. Because a fluke slows a fall rather than stops a fall, flukes should only be used on pitches where slowing a fall provides adequate protection. Free climb: To climb using only one's hands and feet without artificial aids. A belay rope may be employed. As opposed to aid climb. Free solo: To free climb without a belay rope and to accept a crater as the potential consequence of a long fall. Front pointing: A technique for ascending steep or overhanging ice where the extended front points of the crampons provide grip by biting into the ice. Gendarme: A mass of rock protruding from a ridge that forces the route from the top of the ridge to its side. From the French word for constable or police. Girth hitch: A knot made by looping the end of a sling over itself, often used to attach to anchors, to connect multiple slings for a longer sling, and to connect one's ice ax to the harness. Glissade: Descending moderate snow slopes under control by sliding on one's feet or rump. Glissading steep or icy slopes is the cause of many of mountaineering accidents. Glissading only works in snow.

Glissading does not work on ice and on hard crust where self-arrest cannot slow and stop a fall. Gym rat: One of many often colorful terms for persons who, with swagger, assert they know climbing because they climb in rock gyms. When rock and mountain climbing, they often become frightened because they are nubs (aspiring newbies) regarding anchors and protection. HACE (high altitude cerebral edema): Swelling of the brain due to cell death and fluid increase, the most serious form of altitude sickness. HADE (high altitude dumb): Temporary intelligence loss due to reduced oxygen in the blood supplying the brain. Unlike HACE and HAPE, HADE often occurs at modest altitudes and can be artificially induced at sea level by drinking excessive bourbon, etc. HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema): Fluid buildup in the lungs. Can lead to HACE if descent is not immediate. Harness: A strong belt with leg loops made of nylon webbing used to secure the climber to the rope, often with loops to hold climbing hardware. A chest harness is sometimes worn in addition to a waist harness to prevent an inverted fall, for example, when crossing a glacier with a heavy pack.

Making a harness Headwall: The upper section of a mountain where the terrain is set off from the terrain below by being more steep. Hexcentric (hex): A hexagon-shaped nut attached to a flexible looped wire for insertion into a rock crack for protection. Hiker hunger: The need to consume more than the usual amount of food after as little as one day on the trail, the reason planned food allowances often fall short. A cold ambient temperature adds to the effect. Becoming cold, as evidenced by shivering, further adds to the effect. Hypothermia: Low body temperature caused by cold ambient temperature, more likely when having become wet and when not carrying a heat source, perhaps only for unanticipated circumstances. Although easy to prevent, hypothermia is the most common cause of death in the wilderness. Ice ax (axe): A mountaineering tool for snow and ice climbing, pointed at the base of the shaft and with a head consisting of a pick and an adze. A standard ax shaft may be 60 to 75 cm in length while technical axes are typically 50 cm long. Second or third tools may be shorter yet, 38-45 cm.

Ice hammer: A variant of the ice ax where the head consists of a pick and a hammer, usually used in combination with an ice ax. The hammer is used to pound in protection like flukes and pickets. Ice screw: A threaded piton designed to bore into ice securely enough to serve as an anchor. Jam: To wedge or jam body parts — fingers, a hand, a foot, etc. — into cracks and apply torque to adhere to the rock. Both strenuous and remote from ordinary experience, jamming is difficult to learn and requires real rock to do so as gyms do not replicate cracks well. Once mastered, jamming often becomes the hold of choice by crackmasters. Lead (sharp end of the rope, on point): To be the first climber up a pitch and to place protection along the way while being belayed by a partner from below. Lieback (layback): A technique where the climber's hands pull one way and the feet push the opposite way. Mixed climbing: Ascending a route involving a combination of snow, rock or ice. Moraine: A random accumulation of boulders, rocks, scree and sand carried down the mountain and deposited by a glacier.

Crossing a moraine is not especially dangerous but is slow going and is only chosen when alternative routes would take even more time. Multi-pitch climb: A technical climb that is longer than a single rope length, thus requiring multiple anchors and belay stations. Nut (stopper): A metal wedge with a wire loop for insertion into cracks in rock for protection. Picket: A "T" shaped length of aluminum 2' to 3' long pounded or buried in the snow for protection. Pitch: A section of climbing between two belay points, no longer than the length of a climbing rope. Piton: A metal spike that can be hammered into rock cracks for protection, a type of anchor rejected by Trads as climbers leave pitons in the rock. Plan B: The consequences of a fall. A good Plan B generally involves being caught by a protected rope. A bad Plan B involves probable injury. When conditions do not allow for any good Plan B, for example, snow too soft to hold protection, the appropriate course is to turn around. Loop routes are inherently more hazardous than ascending and descending the same route because climbers forfeit the opportunity to assess a Plan B for the descent route.

For example, ascending by a route that can only hold protection before the sun warms it, then descending by another route does not allow the climbers to observe the condition of the descent route before having no choice but to take the route. Protection (pro, fixation device): Any anchor — a nut, camming device, ice screw, fluke or picket — used during a climb to minimize the consequences of a fall. Intermediate protection is the pro used between two belay points. To maintain adequate speed, anchor systems are generally not used in intermediate protection. Prusik (prussik, prussick, prussic): A sliding friction knot used to anchor a small diameter rope to a large diameter rope, also, to ascend a rope with prusik slings. The knot bears the last name of the Austrian climber who devised it. Prusik self-rescue video PUDs (pointless ups and downs): A feature of poor trails and routes, sometimes an indication the person tasked with route finding should be replaced. Other features might include unsafe stream crossings, brush and downed trees obscuring and blocking the trail. Rack: The collection of pro carried by a climber on waist harness loops and shoulder slings.

A climber wearing a colorful rack bears a striking resemblance to a fanned peacock. It's difficult to stay in fashion because year to year, pastel, dark and neon colors go in and out of style. Black with white accents is always in good taste. Rappel (rap, abseil): To descend a fixed rope, usually by means of a braking device, statistically the most dangerous climbing technique still in common use probably because some climbers rappel without a good Plan B, that is, without a belay. For the last person down a pitch there is no way to belay a rappel. For that reason the last person often rappels without a belay. An safer alternative, when possible, is for the last person to down climb the pitch while using the rope set up as a top-rope belay. Rappel variations Required turn-around time: The time of day at which climbers must turn back in order to descend safely. Unanticipated slow going can cause climbers to reach the required turn-around time before reaching the summit. Climbers may also set a turn-around time in order to return the trailhead before dark, not necessarily for safety reasons.

Ridge walk: A trail above timberline and the immediate terrain often celebrated for the view, as close as backpackers get to the alpine vistas enjoyed by mountaineers. Rime: A thin layer of ice and hard snow over rock. Verglas is a thin layer of ice over rock. Both are hazardous conditions that might end an ascent. Rock!: What climbers in the vicinity yell to protect their team and others when nature or a climber sends a rock down the mountain. Often used to alert climbers of any falling object, ice, water bottles, etc. Runnel: In common usage a rivulet or brook, in mountaineering, a groove in snow created by a falling cornice. Because crossing runnels is slow going, the prospect of crossing a series of runnels often ends an ascent. Running belay: A similar technique to a fixed-line traverse except the rope moves with the climbers. Running belay Runout: The distance between two points of protection, the distance between a lead climber and the last piece of protection, and the fall distance allowed by the distance from the last piece of protection. Saddle (col): The lowest point of elevation between two peaks.

A col more often refers to a low point between two lesser points, like a low point in a ridge. Saddles and cols are common waypoints in routes to eliminate unnecessary elevation gain and loss. Scramble: Easy unprotected climbing. Scree: Small loose rocks. Difficult to ascend, like climbing a slope of loose sand, scree slopes are often used for descents, a practice discouraged by Trads. Second (follow): The climber who follows a lead up a pitch and belays from below while the lead advances, then ascends to the end of the pitch while often removing the intermediate protection. Self-arrest: A technique that works in some snow conditions on moderate slopes to bring a fall to a stop. First, plant the ax pick to pivot the body below the ax on the slope. Then, while keeping the feet — more importantly, the crampons — off the surface, pull the ax handle under the chest to load weight onto the ax. When speed has slowed enough to lower the feet without causing a flip, then plant the feet firmly in the snow. Make a tripod of the feet and the ice ax.

When a member of a fallen rope team, hold the position until determining the team will not begin sliding again if you release the anchor point. Self-arrest does not work in many conditions. Climbers must be aware of the general conditions where it will work, test specific conditions to see if it will work, then adjust the climb plan accordingly. Snow often softens during daylight hours and forms a hard ice crust at night. A slope that supports self-arrest in the morning often will not support self-arrest in the afternoon. Self-arrest Self-belay: The essential technique for traveling on snow and ice. One or more ice axes are secured as anchors before the feet move. When both feet are in secure positions, then the ax or axes move to new positions. In this way secure, slow, progress is made. A solo climber will often use a wrist strap to the ax to avoid dropping the ax by accident. When traveling in a rope team, a sling connects the ax to the harness because holding a fallen rope team with only one's arm is untenable. The general rule is to stay in self-belay when another member of the rope team falls and resort to self-arrest only when falling yourself.

As with self-arrest, self-belay does not work in many conditions. Climbing on snow requires ongoing tests of the snow conditions and assessment of the climb plan. Test to see if a planted ax handle or pick will hold a fall. Consider if softer snow later in the day will hold for the descent, or if hard crust late in the evening will allow planting an ax. Adjust the climb plan accordingly. Self-belay also refers to using an ascender or carabiners to attach oneself to a fixed line. A fall on the rope team Sew up: To place protection close together along a route in excess compared to the common practice for the route. Sewing up good rock and hard snow routes adds to safety by reducing the potential fall distance and fall force reaching an anchor. In poor rock and soft snow, the safer technique is to use the same amount or more protection to create fewer anchor points, but to make each anchor point an anchor system. Sling (runner): A length of nylon webbing or cord either sewn or tied into a loop used in conjunction with the rope and anchors to provide protection. A daisy chain is a sling sewn into loops so its length can be adjusted easily.

A quickdraw is a sewn sling with a carabiner at each end. Spindrift: Loose, powdery snow incapable of holding protection. Sport climbing: Climbing a bolted rock route (sport route), a type of climbing with some of its own terminology. Pinkpoint and redpoint refer to the degree the route has been set up. Spur: A rock or snow rib on a mountain, a lateral ridge. Stem: To bridge the distance between two holds with one's feet, to push against adjacent or opposing walls with the feet as one might do in a chimney. Talus: An accumulation of rock larger than scree that has fallen to its location. The presence and amount of talus should be considered when crossing a slope or climbing the pitch above it. Thru-hiker: A hiker with a small backpack racing along long-distance trail end-to-end. The ideal for a thru-hiker is to maximize distance per day by minimizing gear and supplies, to walk barefoot, naked and, having adapted to life in the wild, to not to carry food or water, but to absorb nutrients from the aroma of flora while clacking along with trekking poles. Step off the trail to let thru-hikers by.

They have a long way to go. To enjoy a few thru-hiking epics vicariously, read Carrot's blog at carrotquinn.com . And now for something completely different, the ideal for a backpacker is a comfortable camp following a leisurely hike through one of the best places in the wild during ideal weather after the first freeze in the fall when the bugs are gone. A section hiker is not end-to-end hiking or end-to-ending, but is backpacking a portion of a long-distance trail, likely one of the better parts in a better season. For a day hiker, the ideal is the same as for a backpacker, but limited by the distance a day pack can support them, sufficient for many destinations. A slack-packer can be a day hiker, but is more generally someone not carrying complete overnight gear, but only enough to survive a night in an emergency, for example, a climber heading up from high camp with a lightweight summit pack. The ideal for a trail runner includes a trail in good enough condition they can steal glances away from where their feet will land to enjoy the wild. Timberline: An elevation high enough trees no longer grow.

The precise altitude varies by how sheltered an area is from inhospitable winter conditions. Not only trees, but what comes with a forest, insects are usually not found above timberline. While backpackers get bugged, ridge walkers and mountaineers at higher elevations hike and camp without bother. Mosquito alley is the section of trail between timberline and the trailhead, a distance mountaineers plan break locations around to hike through without a stop. Top rope: A climbing rope anchored above both the climber and the belayer, to belay someone from below using a rope that loops up from the belayer through a high anchor and then back down to the climber. Trad: A person who adheres to the principles of traditional climbing: to place and remove the protection used on a climb, to use no device or technique that will scar the rock or mountain. Trail rhythm: A way of walking for increased speed on a good trail. The method begins with a slightly exaggerated, rhythmic forward and backward swinging of the arms. As a result, the posture becomes more erect, the stride becomes both longer and more steady. The left foot moves forward with the right arm, the right foot moves forward with the left arm.

For impressive speed flailing, watch a thru-hiker add trekking poles to the technique. Minimizing stops improves overall speed. With some practice, the water bottles on a large backpack can be accessed without removing the pack. A small day-pack can be carried on one loose shoulder strap and pulled forward to access its contents in order to eat and drink while walking. When off trail, like on a typical summit route, horizontal progress is slow and difficult to predict. Instead of a horizontal measure of speed, mountaineers rely on a prior average vertical distance per hour to estimate their speed on the next mountain. Traverse: Moving laterally across terrain instead of ascending or descending. Anchoring in with carabiners sliding along a fixed line is fine on a traverse. An ascender is required instead of carabiners when the fixed rope tilts more towards vertical. Trekking Poles: Although ultramarathon runners will not bother with trekking poles even when thru-hiking, mere mortal thru-hikers and persons with knee problems are inclined to consider trekking poles the only essential piece of gear. Poles, which can be fashioned from downed tree branches, provide balance while crossing streams and other slippery, flat surfaces.

The feet retain grip by supporting weight while delegating balance to the poles. Because backpacks have their own inertia, a hiker carrying an unusually heavy backpack can rely on poles for balance on any surface. On slight-uphill stretches of good trail, poles used correctly can increase one's speed. Other than for balance, poles require practice to be useful. Thru-hikers have more experience and find themselves on good trail more often than other hikers, so more often keep trekking poles in their hands even when only carrying them. Poles are a nuisance whenever the hands are wanted for something else, when eating and drinking, when preferring to keep your hands in your pockets, when wiping or blowing your nose, when scrambling and bouldering, when catching a fall, when off trail or on a poor trail where a pole can become stuck between rocks, and are a nuisance for the people behind you when on a dusty trail. Unless circumstances suggest trekking poles will be useful, they are often left at home or, just in case, carried on the pack. Undercling: A hand hold on rock that depends on upward pressure on a downward hold.

Unzip (zipper fall, zip out): A fall where one piece of protection after another is pulled out by the force of the fall. Often refers to the failure of intermediate protection in rock climbing but is also a threat for fixed lines and for running belays in alpine climbing. Water knot: A knot used to tie lengths of webbing together or into slings. Water knot video Webbing: Flat nylon tape or tubing used for slings and harnesses. Yosemite/Tahquitz Decimal System: An evolving system to define route difficulty numerically with fine definitions within Class 5. The system bears the names of where it developed in the 1950s. Z-pulley: A construction of climbing rope, carabiners and slings to leverage three to one the power of a few people so they can pull out a climber who collapsed a snow bridge and fell into a crevasse. A z-pulley plus a u-pulley (c-pulley) gives the rescuers twice the leverage of a z-pulley alone, six to one leverage, enough for one climber to haul out another.

Complex rescues Zero: From thru-hikers, to take a zero is to camp in the same place for a day and achieve no distance in order to rest, to acclimatize or to hang out in good company. A nero is a day where only a small distance is achieved. Types of Snow | National Snow and Ice Data Center National Snow and Ice Data Center On Thin Ice: Expedition to a Crumbling Ice Shelf Scientists blog from Antarctica and provide a glimpse of what it's like to do research in the field. Read their blog ... NSIDC Monthly Highlights Icelights: Answers to your burning questions about ice and climate What's hot in the news around climate and sea ice and what are scientists talking about now? Read more... Cryosphere Glossary What is the Cryosphere? When scientists talk about the cryosphere, they mean the places on Earth where water is in its solid form, frozen into ice or snow. Read more ... Service Interruption On Monday, 11 July from 3:00 p.m. through Wednesday, 13 July until 5:00 p.m.

(USA Mountain Time), NSIDC data distribution, services, and Web site will be unavailable to accommodate a major upgrade to our data center. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Need to talk to us? You can always contact our friendly User Services Office at nsidc@nsidc.org or + 1 303.492.6199. All About Snow How to Cite Types of Snow Atmospheric conditions affect how snow crystals form and what happens to them as they fall to the ground. Snow may fall as symmetrical, six-sided snowflakes , or it may fall as larger clumps of flakes. Similarly, once snow is on the ground, the snowpack may assume different qualities depending on local temperature changes, whether winds blow the snow around, or how long the snow has been on the ground. For instance, a fresh snowfall may be loose and powdery, but snow that has been on the ground throughout the winter may have dense, crusted layers caused by melting and refreezing. Scientists and meteorologists have classified types of snowfall, snowpack, and snow formations.

Types of snow crystals A layer of hoarfrost has formed on the surface of this snow, shown with a quarter for scale. —Credit: K. Williams Sleet, shown here with a penny for scale, is composed of small, translucent balls of ice. Sleet is often the result of rain that freezes as it falls to the ground. —Credit: Wikimedia Commons Snowflakes are single ice crystals or clusters of ice crystals that fall from a cloud. Hoarfrost is the deposition of ice crystals on a surface when the temperature of the surface is lower than the frost point of the surrounding air. In this process, moisture goes directly from vapor to solid, skipping the liquid phase. Hoar frost is usually composed of interlocking ice crystals, and tends to form on objects of small diameter that are freely exposed to air, such as wires, poles, tree branches, plant stems, and leaf edges. Graupel consists of snowflakes that become rounded, opaque pellets ranging from 2 to 5 millimeters (0.1 to 0.2 inches) in diameter. They form as ice crystals fall through supercooled cloud droplets, which are below freezing but remain a liquid.

The cloud droplets then freeze to the crystals, forming a lumpy mass. Graupel is sometimes mistaken for hail, but tends to have a texture that is softer and more crumbly. Graupel is sometimes also called snow pellets. Polycrystals are snowflakes composed of many individual ice crystals. Types of snowfall Deep drifts of snow partially envelop fir trees near Paradise River in Mount Rainier National Park. —Credit: Chris R. Roberts, flickr Ground blizzards, like this one in Ontario, Canada, are not the result of snowfall, but are caused when loose snow already on the ground is blown around by strong winds. —Credit: Vaughan Weather/Wikimedia Commons A blizzard is a violent winter storm, lasting at least three hours, which combines subfreezing temperatures and very strong wind laden with blowing snow that reduces visibility to less than 0.40 kilometers (0.25 miles). A snowstorm features large amounts of snowfall. A snow flurry is snow that falls for short durations and with varying intensity; flurries usually produce little accumulation. A snow squall is a brief, but intense snowfall that greatly reduces visibility and which is often accompanied by strong winds.

A snowburst is a very intense shower of snow, often of short duration, that greatly restricts visibility and produces periods of rapid snow accumulation. Blowing snow describes airborne snow particles raised by the wind to moderate or great heights above the ground; the horizontal visibility at eye level is generally very poor. Drifting snow is snow on the ground that is blown by the wind to a height of less than 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6.5 feet) above the surface. Types of snow cover Snow cover, also called snowpack, is the total of all the snow and ice on the ground. It includes both new snow and previous snow and ice that have not melted. New snow is a recent snow deposit in which the original form of the ice crystals can be recognized. Firn is rounded, well-bonded snow that is older than one year and has a density greater than 550 kilograms per cubic meter, or 55 percent. Névé is young, granular snow that has been partially melted, refrozen and compacted; névé that survives a full melt season is called firn. This type of snow is associated with glacier formation.

Old snow indicates deposited snow whose transformation is so far advanced that the original form of the new snow crystals can no longer be recognized. Seasonal snow refers to snow that accumulates during one season or snow that lasts for only one season. Perennial snow is snow that persists on the ground year after year. Powder snow is dry new snow, which is composed of loose, fresh ice crystals. Types of snow formations Snow cornices, like the one in this photo, are formed when wind blows snow over the edge of a ridge or cliff. In time, the snow accumulates and freezes into a cornice shape. —Credit: Marcelebrate, flickr Once on the ground, snow is subject to various weather conditions, including blowing wind, changing temperatures, and long periods of shade or sunshine. In certain instances, these elements can literally change the shape of the snow surface. A field of penitents in the Andes of Argentina. These penitents are about 1.5 to 1.8 meters (5 to 6 feet) high. —Credit: Wikimedia Commons A cornice is an overhanging accumulation of ice and wind-blown snow, characteristically found on the edge of a ridge or cliff face.

A crust is a hard snow surface lying upon a softer layer, formed by sun, rain, or wind. Megadunes are giant dunes of snow in Antarctica composed of large snow crystals measuring up to 2 centimeters (3/4 inch) across. Penitents are tall, thin, closely-spaced pinnacles of hardened snow ranging in height from a few centimeters to a few meters (a few inches to a few feet). Fields of penitents can develop over glaciated and snow-covered areas, particularly in arid regions, such as the Dry Andes or in the mountains surrounding Death Valley in California. Ripple marks refer to the corrugation on a snow surface caused by wind, similar to the ripples sometimes seen in sand. Sastrugi occur when wind erodes or deposits snow in irregular grooves and ridges. Sastrugi sometimes result in delicate and fragile snow formations. A snow barchan is horseshoe-shaped snowdrift, with the ends pointing downwind. A snow bridge is an arch formed by snow that has drifted across a crevasse, forming first a cornice, and ultimately a covering which may completely obscure the crevasse.

A snow roller is a rare formation that occurs during specific meteorological conditions. Wind blows a chunk of snow along the ground, and the resulting snowball accumulates material as it rolls along. Snow rollers are cylindrical rather than circular. Some are shaped like donuts because the weak inner layers collapse and blow away. Sun cups refer to a pattern of shallow, bowl-shaped hollows that form during intense sunshine. Raking cornice - definition of Raking cornice by The Free Dictionary Raking cornice - definition of Raking cornice by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . cor·nice a. A horizontal molded projection that crowns or completes a building or wall. b. The uppermost part of an entablature. 2. a. A strip of molding that runs along the upper part of a wall just below the ceiling. b. An ornamental horizontal molding or frame used to conceal rods, picture hooks, or other devices. 3. An overhanging mass of windblown snow on a ridge or the crest of a mountain. tr.v. cor·niced, cor·nic·ing, cor·nic·es To supply, decorate, or finish with or as if with a cornice.

[Obsolete French, from Italian, possibly from Latin cornīx, cornīc-, crow, from its resemblance to a crow's beak (influenced by Greek korōnis, curved line, flourish).] cornice

Question: What is the name for snow overhanging the edge of a mountain ridge?
Answer: Cornice