Snowshoeing and rescue monks: a monastery escape in the Swiss Alps

Only accessible to snowshoers and skiers in winter, the Grand St Bernard Hospice has been a refuge for centuries and is the perfect place for a meditative mountain breakIt was a freezing December day when mountain guide Kingsley Jones first saw a rescue monk in action. He was leading a small group up the ominously named Combe des Morts when he passed by a rescue hut – one of many that dot this avalanche-prone area – and noticed a woman inside struggling in the freezing cold. He offer