The sawblade peaks of the west side of Organ Mountains turn into gigantic white teeth on the handful of days each year when a snow storm or a freak frost snap hits them.


But sunlight only rarely and briefly breaks through the clouds following a storm: usually a thick blanket of clouds persists until well after sunset. And even if the sun did get some peeks in during snow days of previous years, then the 15 minute drive out of downtown Las Cruces to an unimpeded viewpoint was just enough to repeatedly make me miss the fleeting window of best light.


However, on January 1st of 2022 a freezing cloud curtain covered the peaks from morning till afternoon and then - for once - rapidly fell apart an hour before sunset, punched by a freezing gale that barreled in from the north and chased the suddenly scattering clouds south like stampeding hippos. I jumped into my car and managed to catch the show from a good spot, in the 15 minute window before evening shadows lengthened too far, before all clouds had vanished behind the jaggedly crystalline edges ... and before my nose and ears had turned into icy mini-peaks as well!

[RICHARD L.]

Magnificent light !

[OrchidJulie]

The sawblade peaks of the west side of Organ Mountains turn into gigantic white teeth on the handful of days each year when a snow storm or a freak frost snap hits them.


But sunlight only rarely and briefly breaks through the clouds following a storm: usually a thick blanket of clouds persists until well after sunset. And even if the sun did get some peeks in during snow days of previous years, then the 15 minute drive out of downtown Las Cruces to an unimpeded viewpoint was just enough to repeatedly make me miss the fleeting window of best light.


However, on January 1st of 2022 a freezing cloud curtain covered the peaks from morning till afternoon and then - for once - rapidly fell apart an hour before sunset, punched by a freezing gale that barreled in from the north and chased the suddenly scattering clouds south like stampeding hippos. I jumped into my car and managed to catch the show from a good spot, in the 15 minute window before evening shadows lengthened too far, before all clouds had vanished behind the jaggedly crystalline edges ... and before my nose and ears had turned into icy mini-peaks as well!

I nominate this image

[pichaser]

Your patient vigilance paid off nicely .