A crowd of tourists walk on the street near Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto, western Japan on March 30, 2023. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)

Penitentes, or nieves penitentes (Spanish for “penitent-shaped snows”), are a snow formation found at high altitudes. They take the form of tall thin blades of hardened snow or ice, closely spaced with the blades oriented towards the general direction of the sun.

A general view shows smoke and volcanic ashes billowing from volcano Cotopaxi in Pedregal, Ecuador, late 07 October 2015. (Photo by Jose Jacome/EPA)

A Hindu devotee is helped by other people as she walks on burning coals during a religious procession Vel Festival of the Hindu goddess Maha Mariamman (Sheetla Mata), in New Delhi, India, 06 April 2017. People get their bodies pierced with different kinds of metal needles and rods and participate in a religious procession as thanks giving gesture to the goddess in return of their fulfilled wishes during the annual procession. (Photo by Rajat Gupta/EPA)

Flames from the Erskine Fire engulf a trailer near Weldon, California, U.S. June 24, 2016. (Photo by Noah Berger/Reuters)

J.S. Burgers Cafe chef Yasuhito Fukui prepares Mr. and Mrs. Burger featuring the U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at the hamburger joint in Tokyo, Japan October 7, 2016. (Photo by Megumi Lim/Reuters)

Dancer Chachi Gonzalez arrives at Nickelodeon's 2016 Kids' Choice Awards in Inglewood, California March 12, 2016. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Miniature spring-wound 35-mm film camera in a modified cigarette pack. The Tessina’s small size and quiet operation provided more options for concealment than most commercially available models. (Photo by Central Intelligence Agency)