As the sun descends over the snowy mountains of Meribel and the last beats of electronic music fade from après-ski bars, a group of disorderly skiers retreats down the slopes. One member drunkenly veers off-course, legs akimbo.

He crashes straight into a tree, but when his sore, disorientated head emerges from the snow, two angel-like figures in bright yellow coats immediately appear at his side, whisking him off to safety and medical attention.

It seems like divine intervention, but this rescue team is made up of Ski Angels, and Christian volunteers who work in the Alps during the ski season to help drunk, exhausted, or beginner skiers down the mountain.

The Telegraph saw the volunteers in action, seamlessly plucking skiers from snowdrifts, providing directions for lost souls and making sure no one was left behind on the mountain.

The Angel team, who call themselves a “welfare service on skis”, was founded five years ago by Lara and Will Sussman who run the Christian charity Altitude Mission.