Not so blond my friend! Those are natural valleys that collect the snow from avalanches. The snow there can be 40' deep or more. They are very dangerous places to be. Very beautiful though and the snow melt from those valleys provide fresh water both west to California and east to Denver depending on what side of the continental divide you are on. Water from these mountains also carved the Grand Canyon.
Note the Semi in the last pic. Now imagine that semi out in one of those mountain valleys 8 miles out. It would be hardly a speck.
