Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, of the Russian Olympic Committee, compete in the team ice dance program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (Photo by Jeff Roberson/AP Photo)

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.

2016 Rio Olympics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Final, Individual All-Around Final, Rotation 1, Rio Olympic Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 20, 2016. Melitina Staniouta (BLR) of Belarus competes using the hoop. (Photo by Ruben Sprich/Reuters)

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after losing the first game of the third set to Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the women's singles final during the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, January 28, 2023. (Photo by Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP Photo)

James Castrission, “Cas” and Justin Jones “Jonesy” ski across an ice staking rink with two “You Can” patients on August 2, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. In 75 days, the Aussie adventure pair will attempt to cross 2,200 kilometres of Antarctic ice to the South Pole and back on foot to raise money for youth with cancer. The journey will require the two to trek with all the supplies for approximately three months of walking. Cas and Jonesy became the first to kayak unassisted over 3,300 kilometres from New Zealand to Australia in 2008. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Giant panda Jia Jia enjoys her birthday cake made with ice and vegetables at Ocean Park in Hong Kong, Tuesday, July 28, 2015 as she celebrates her 37-year-old birthday. Jia Jia broke the Guinness World Records title for “Oldest Panda Living in Captivity” on Tuesday. (Photo by Kin Cheung/AP Photo)

Emperor penguins gathered together to keep their chicks warm in these pictures. Marine scientist Frederique Oliver snapped the protective parents in Antarctica as they huddled against the huge winds.The adorable birds have to battle temperatures on -20 degrees Celsius as well as winds of up to 40 knots on the ice. (Photo by Frederique Oliver/Caters News)

Olaf Niess catches swans on the river Alster near the town hall in Hamburg, Germany, 17 November 2015. The Alster swans are moving to their ice-free winter quarters on the Eppendorf Muehlenteich millpond until spring. (Photo by Bodo Marks/EPA)