Absolutely beautiful image, and it's wonderful how it meets the challenge in more ways then one. Composition and detail are faultless. Only criticism of this that I have is the vignette/border you've used... IMHO, it doesn't add to the image... makes it look like a bevelled web button. Just how I see that aspect of the processing.... nevertheless, this is one of a handful of images that I've given my top mark too. Well done.
This is beautiful - each grain of frost perfectly sharp and set off by the rich vibrant brown of the winter cone. I like the contrasts, including the hints of additional frost in the background which blend out of focus into a soft enveloping palette to make this stand out.