Alpenstocker

/ˈælpənstɑkər/ noun

Definition

A person who climbs mountains or hikes in the Alps, especially one who uses an alpenstock or is experienced with Alpine mountaineering.

Etymology

From 'alpenstock' + the agent suffix '-er,' following German noun patterns. The term emerged in English mountaineering culture during the 19th-century boom in Alpine climbing.

Kelly Says

An 'alpenstocker' was basically a member of Europe's first hiking club culture—these were often wealthy Europeans in the 1800s who made climbing Alps a whole fashion and social status symbol, and they all carried these iconic sticks.

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