Tom and Laurie, I like the image very much. There are a lot of nice elements within the image. The sparkling snow crystals are very nice accents throughout the image.
I do agree in general with John's cropping. That portion of the image has the best and the most interesting defined details because of those shadows. Also the upslope on the upper edge of the snow makes for a more dynamic image. The bottom 20-30% of John's crop has become a little flat. So I believe I might want to include just a bit more on the right as there is a nice wave there that comes down to the bottom of the image. Or alternatively one could crop some off the bottom of John's crop. Though I believe it would be good to frame this as a vertical image as John did.
The challenge with this type of image is to find something within the scene that can become a single focal point of the image. While all the elements in the image are interesting and a feast for the eyes, the eye wanders around the image a lot without finding a place to rest. I believe the left, shadowy area might provide the most potential for finding a focal point. Perhaps a uniquely interesting highlight, dollop. pattern, or curve in the snow.
