Mary Davis first burst into the public consciousness in 2003 as the Irish woman who spearheaded the Special Olympics moving out of the US for the first time.

Michael Schumacher’s tragic accident at Christmas threw the renowned French skiing resort of Meribel into the centre of an international media storm, but Fiachra O’Cionnaith assures that this shouldn’t convince skiers to steer clear of slopes.

Dan MacCarthy dodges torrents of melting glacier water, tries to emulate Bear Grylls, and meets interesting comrades as he treks in some of Europe’s most beautiful scenery around Mont Blanc.

Two more climbers have died on Mont Blanc in the Alps following the deaths of nine people last week in a massive avalanche.