Its very existence on the twin peaked crag is awe-inspiring, as are the six well-preserved dry-built beehive-shaped cells that were once inhabited by monks.

BBC: Ireland��s outlying islands

He cranks out three snappy hop turns at the top of the chute before a crag snags his skis and flips him head first into the rocky drainage.

FORBES: Avalanche Skiing

Directing our eyes up the slope, we see the monastery complex's 12-story tumble of geometry come into focus: the Little Potala, as it is called, after the original in Lhasa, all stepped roofs and cantilevered walls, scaling the crag like a fairy-tale medieval fortress.

FORBES: Feature