Dark moraine lines follow the curving glacier through a broad valley between rocky mountains. Bands of loose debris lie along the pale ice surface, bending with its long sweep toward the lower foreground. Fine crevasses and rough ridges break the white and blue texture into many uneven sections.

Snowy peaks rise beyond the distant basin, while bare slopes and patches of scree flank the ice on both sides. Clear midday light reveals the scale of the valley and the different layers of stone, snow and debris. From the elevated viewpoint, the dark lines guide the eye across the immense frozen surface without hiding its fractured texture or surrounding mountain walls.