mountainsides
Steep terrain faces
Mountainsides are the sloping surfaces of mountains, the terrain between a peak and its base.
The word typically appears when describing what covers or occurs on these slopes: wildflowers blanketing the mountainsides, villages clinging to the mountainsides.
Unlike the more technical "slope" or "gradient," mountainsides evokes the visible face of the mountain as landscape rather than as measured incline.
Steep slope dividing elevations
- screeLoose rock debris
- talusAnkle's main bone
- rockfaceExposed cliff surface
- bouldersLarge rounded stones
crags · cliffs · outcrop · precipice · ravine · gully · ridgeline · contour
Angled rising surface
- gradientRate of change across space
- steepnessAngle of incline
- gradeClassification by rank
- pitchFrequency of sound
ascent · descent · angle · slant · contour · traverse · switchback · fall line
escarpment
Steep slope dividing elevations
boulders · crags · cliffs · outcrop · precipice · ravine · gully · ridgeline · contour · landform
incline
Angled rising surface
pitch · ascent · descent · angle · slant · contour · traverse · switchback · fall line · vertical
glacier
Slow-moving ice mass
avalanche · snowfield · edelweiss · alpenglow · chalet · treeline · snowline · ibex · marmot · chamois
treeline
Elevation limit for forests
- timberlineElevation beyond which trees fail
- meadowGrassy field for grazing
- scrubClean by rubbing hard
conifer · pine · spruce · fir · heath · brush · grasses · wildflowers · lichen · moss