Although mountain refuges have existed in the Alps since ancient times, they started to multiply in the 19th century with the rise in popularity of alpinism. These huts vary in terms of the shelter they offer passing mountaineers but they are always in remote locations, at dizzying altitudes and accessible only by foot.
Like me, you probably picture a mountain refuge as a tumbledown stone-built building run by gnarly old hermit with a beard down to his knees, but I was surprised to find out recently that working as a refuge guardian is a role that is increasingly being filled by women.
