This question came up on the Vermont Tour this year. Here's my opinion:
There is no difference geographically among these terms. They are regional variants
of the same
thing, a road which crosses over a high mountain with higher land on either side of
the road.
In New Hampshire, "notch" seems to be the most frequent term. Pinkham Notch, Crawford
Notch,
Franconia Notch, Kinsman Notch, Dixville Notch, Hancock Notch, Bear Notch, Carter
Notch, Evans
Notch.
In Vermont, it's "gap" (though Smugglers' Notch is the most famous and there's also
Hazens Notch).
Appalachian Gap, Middlebury Gap, Brandon Gap, Lincoln Gap, Willoughby Gap, Sherburne
Gap.
The "pass"es seem to be out west: Loveland Pass, Fremont Pass, Independence Pass.
Vermont's
Sherburne Gap is sometimes called Sherburne Pass.
In France, they're "col", almost without exception. I've got several books for
cyclists which call
themselves "Atlas des Cols" describing lots of mountain roads. There is also the
regular monthly
article in "le Cycle" called "le col dur".
That's all for now. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions to this; maybe someone
else has some
more examples.
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Ajersch" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 12:46 PM
Subject: [obc] Notch, Gap, Pass, Col???
Would a knowledgeable person please explain to me the difference between: Notch, Gap,
and Pass?
What about the "Col" in France. Is it a Notch, Gap, or Pass? or is the word
all-encompassing?
Just curious,
Mary Ajersch
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