Penitentes are:
Dazzling natural-forming ice columns,
or more accurately ice blades,
that stick up at sharp angles towards the sun.
Rarely found except at high altitudes,
they can grow taller than a human
and form in vast fields.
Pictures
These were taken by me in Jan 2009
on a mountain slope somewhere between
"Plaza Argentina" base camp and high-camp 1,
in Argentina's Mt Aconcagua,
highest mountain in South America.
1) First, an entire slope of penitentes
with a trail through it.
2, 3) On the slope now.
4) More of the tall penitentes.
More pictures on my Aconcagua climb are in
this link:
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/2009/01/2009-jan-argentina-aconcagua.html
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/
