I like the composition and the color on this picture. Certainly gives me a chill!
It's warming yet chilly. It was taken after snowstorm that blocked us into a log cabin for 3 day's, lucky we had food and beer! I cant tell which element was best to get a vertical baring on
Definitely the beer. (Uh oh. Perhaps that's not what you meant. )
I think the vertical orientation looks fine. However, the post on the left and the strong vertical line on the right have a bend to them that suggest that it might be the result of lens distortion. Try correcting that to see if you like it better. Also consider cropping some off the left side. The flare in the shadow area of the snow is very distracting and easy to remove.
I was so preoccupied with my bad joke at the start of the post that I forgot to mention that I really like your image.