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Daunting: Giulia Monego faces the terrifying climb out of the crevasse

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Daredevil: Ms Monego tackles the daunting ascent from the icy cave, which Mr Buisse said was about 20m deep, and three by six metres wide

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Tools for the job: Wielding an ice axe and with her boots equipped with crampons, Ms Monego makes her way up the steep walls

Mr Buisse said he only managed to capture the beautiful images with some hardship on his part.

'It was pretty difficult to take the pictures - the light was tricky to manage, and I was directly in the line of falling ice most of the time,' he said.

'On the second shoot, conditions were quite warm - it was actually raining on the glacier - and there was a trickle of water landing directly on me, so I was soaked and very cold by the time I had to climb out.

'But as often, the final results were worth all the hardships.'

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Dark: These pictures show Ms Monego as she climbs from a second, deeper, narrower cave

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Seasonal: here is only a short window of time in November and December each year when the caves can be climbed

The incredible formations are a special kind of crevasse known by the French as 'moulins' - or 'windmills'. They are created in the spring and summer when meltwater carves a way through the glacier to create vertical well-like shafts.

Part of glaciers' internal plumbing systems, such streams can sometimes reach all the way to the bottom, creating a complex network of tunnels.

There is only a short window of opportunity in November and December each year when the caves can be climbed - when the water flow has stopped, but the holes haven't yet filled up with snow.

Mr Buisse added: 'I love shooting ice climbing, as it is a very photogenic and foreign medium.

'What attracted me to the moulins in particular was the unique point of view, from inside a crevasse, which is very rarely seen.

'With daylight filtering through the ice, it created a strong contrast and gorgeous light, that is pretty much impossible to replicate.'