including the snow ground is taken from a photograph so how you think that adding a real element makes the new shot look less realistic than the original which has a foreground and background painted matte is beyond me.

They weren't all mattes. The background was a painted backdrop for many shots. And if something is a photographic or painted elelment doesn't matter. It's how they fit together. Do the real elements match? Do they give a sense of depth to your shots?

But anyway, the shot in question looks great in motion. That's what really matters.