The Black Escarpment was a North-South mountain range on the South Continent of Barrayar, with the highest mountains on the planet. Military officer training on Barrayar included a short course spent on the range during winter, at which time there were typically several meters of snow on the ground. Bloody Puffwad grew on the western slopes of the mountain range. Not too far away was a large plains region on the continent with settlements such as Vandeville.