Your Bio

Katherine from Somerset, UK. I live in wonderful Weston-super-Mare and love skiing in the winter / spring mainly in Chamonix Mont Blanc, where my sister has a place, and golf all the rest of the year! I am a member of Mendip Spring Golf Club in Congresbury, near Bristol

Featured Galleries

Vallée Blanche April 2006 : On 8 April 2006, Paula and I plucked up the courage to ski the Vallée Blanche and we didn't regret it. The Vallée Blanche is described as the most famous lift-accessed ski descent in the world. The 20km high-mountain itinerary, off-piste, "ski run" from the 3,800m (12,500 ft) Aiguille du Midi, was nothing short of breathtaking. Skiing on glaciers amongst 3,000m+ granite peaks, crevasses and seracs was absolutely awesome. We were truly *in* the mountains rather than *on* the mountain. We set off at around 8.00 am with a ride up on the Aiguille du Midi cable car, the second part of which is the longest single span cable car ride in the world, with a maximum declivity of 100%! If we hadn't have been so apprehensive about the impending walk down the ridge, we might have taken more notice of the amazing views on the way up. At the top, in the ice tunnel, we put on our harnesses and avalanche transceivers and, to our relief, our guide bound our skies and poles together so that he could carry them all. Roped together we began the walk down the ridge. This was the part that we had dreaded. We grabbed on to the fixed ropes and side stepped down the make shift "steps" that had been cut into the ridge. It wasn't quite as bad as we had expected; we were in quite a ditch, and, despite the almost vertical drop on either side, we never really felt in any danger, although at times it was pretty slippy underfoot! I think we might have felt differently, if we had had to carry our own skis! I guess it took around 20-30 mins to reach the bottom and though it was tiring in the thin air, we made it without any problem. After that it was a matter of clipping into our skis and getting going. There had been quite a wind blowing on the ridge, but once we skied down a bit, the weather was perfect; not a cloud in the deep blue sky. Our initial route took us in the direction of the Mont Blanc Panoramic cable car, which, in the summer only, takes people an on amazing journey from the Aiguille du Midi to Helbronner Point in Italy over the Glacier du Geant. I remembered thinking in the past how fabulous it would be to go on that cable car and look down on the glacier - this was way better though - we were actually *on* the glacier. On the tracked snow, the skiing was relatively easy. On a couple of occasions our guide took us off the tracked route onto the "fresh" stuff; whilst it looked like powder, the top surface had been baked into a hard crust by the strong sun and we found it quite difficult. There was also one slightly disconcerting moment when our guide pointed out a narrow snow bridge over which we had to ski. We could see the crevasses either side; apparently all we had to do was hold our speed and follow his line - fortunately we did! In general, the skiing was a combination of moguls, long traverses, cruisy turns, some power ploughing (!) and, after lunch, the long shush home. It wasn't really just about the skiing though. This was about the whole experience; it was like being in a different world - raw and wild. All around us massive granite peaks, huge seracs and deep crevasses. We thought that skiing next to the Argentiere glacier from the top of Grands Montets was amazing; this was something else. Our guide found us an open spot on the glacier for our picnic lunch right under the Seracs de Geant. By this time, we were pretty tired and were glad to unclip our skies and sit down. When we did, we discovered that the baked top crust of snow wasn't really that hard at all and sunk a couple of feet into the snow! Still, it was so hot that we were quite glad to feel the cold snow against our aching limbs. The giant ice falls were truly stunning, precariously perched above us. We could have stayed there for ever. After lunch, there was a short tricky section, then the long flat ride home on the Mer de Glace. The ride along the Mer de Glace was amazing - I felt so free. Unfortunately there wasn't enough snow to ski all the way back down to Chamonix, so we climbed up the steps (the most tiring part of the day) and took the short gondola ride to the Montenvers station for the 20 minute train journey back down to Chamonix. As is customary, we enjoyed several beers on a bar terrace in the valley in the glorious sunshine. At 3pm it was 19 degrees Celcius and we were very warm and very tired. Ever since we started skiing in Chamonix, we had dreamt about skiing the Vallee Blanche - we were not disappointed. We had an unforgettable and truly amazing day.

Vallée Blanche April 2006

On 8 April 2006, Paula and I plucked up the courage to ski the Vallée ...

Updated: May 18, 2007 1:16pm PST

Chamonix : My favourite place in the world and my favourite pics

Chamonix

My favourite place in the world and my favourite pics

Updated: Apr 30, 2006 2:03pm PST

Sarah, Mike and baby Jack : My sister Sarah, her husband Mike and new baby Jack. For more see: http://mcnamara.smugmug.com/

Sarah, Mike and baby Jack

My sister Sarah, her husband Mike and new baby Jack. For more see: htt ...

Updated: Feb 29, 2008 11:07am PST

2007 Summer holiday in France : Paula and I spent 2 weeks driving across France catching up with family and playing golf. We spent a brilliant few days at Simon and Ginette's near Bergerac, then a day near Vallence, followed by a few days in Chamonix at Sarah and Mike's fab new apartment. We spent our last night in Reims before catching the ferry back from Dover to Calais.

2007 Summer holiday in France

Paula and I spent 2 weeks driving across France catching up with famil ...

Updated: Oct 03, 2007 1:11pm PST

Friends & Family

Galleries

Jim, Judith, Emily & Isabelle : My brother Jim, his wife Judith and their two beautiful girls Emily and Isabelle. For more, see http://copleyjam.smugmug.com

Jim, Judith, Emily & Isabelle

My brother Jim, his wife Judith and their two beautiful girls Emily an ...

Updated: Feb 29, 2008 7:17pm BST

Sarah, Mike and baby Jack : My sister Sarah, her husband Mike and new baby Jack. For more see: http://mcnamara.smugmug.com/

Sarah, Mike and baby Jack

My sister Sarah, her husband Mike and new baby Jack. For more see: htt ...

Updated: Feb 29, 2008 7:07pm BST

Glastonbury Dec 2007 :

Glastonbury Dec 2007

Updated: Dec 09, 2007 12:00am BST

London Nov 2007 :

London Nov 2007

Updated: Dec 08, 2007 11:42pm BST

Squash :

Squash

Updated: Dec 05, 2007 9:56pm BST

Golf :

Golf

Updated: Nov 03, 2007 7:17pm BST

Seascapes :

Seascapes

Updated: Oct 19, 2007 10:18pm BST

Lady Captain's Day 22nd September 2007 :

Lady Captain's Day 22nd September 2007

Updated: Oct 14, 2007 9:42pm BST

Old Ones : Some old family photos that I have scanned in

Old Ones

Some old family photos that I have scanned in

Updated: Oct 03, 2007 9:13pm BST

2007 Summer holiday in France : Paula and I spent 2 weeks driving across France catching up with family and playing golf. We spent a brilliant few days at Simon and Ginette's near Bergerac, then a day near Vallence, followed by a few days in Chamonix at Sarah and Mike's fab new apartment. We spent our last night in Reims before catching the ferry back from Dover to Calais.

2007 Summer holiday in France

Paula and I spent 2 weeks driving across France catching up with famil ...

Updated: Oct 03, 2007 9:11pm BST

Mendip Spring Golf Club : The club where we are members. Pictures courtesy of:- http://www.mendipspringgolfclub.co.uk/members.htm

Mendip Spring Golf Club

The club where we are members. Pictures courtesy of:- http://www.men ...

Updated: Sep 30, 2007 6:26pm BST

Andy and Elaine : My brother Andy and his fiancee Elaine

Andy and Elaine

My brother Andy and his fiancee Elaine

Updated: Aug 30, 2007 7:00pm BST

Simon, Ginette and the boys : My brother Simon and his wife Ginette and boys Max, Oscar and Theo. For more see: http://web.mac.com/simon.copley

Simon, Ginette and the boys

My brother Simon and his wife Ginette and boys Max, Oscar and Theo. Fo ...

Updated: Aug 26, 2007 8:51pm BST

The Copleys : Mum, Dad, Andy, Simon, Jim, Kat and Sarah

The Copleys

Mum, Dad, Andy, Simon, Jim, Kat and Sarah

Updated: Aug 26, 2007 8:45pm BST

Vallée Blanche April 2006 : On 8 April 2006, Paula and I plucked up the courage to ski the Vallée Blanche and we didn't regret it. The Vallée Blanche is described as the most famous lift-accessed ski descent in the world. The 20km high-mountain itinerary, off-piste, "ski run" from the 3,800m (12,500 ft) Aiguille du Midi, was nothing short of breathtaking. Skiing on glaciers amongst 3,000m+ granite peaks, crevasses and seracs was absolutely awesome. We were truly *in* the mountains rather than *on* the mountain. We set off at around 8.00 am with a ride up on the Aiguille du Midi cable car, the second part of which is the longest single span cable car ride in the world, with a maximum declivity of 100%! If we hadn't have been so apprehensive about the impending walk down the ridge, we might have taken more notice of the amazing views on the way up. At the top, in the ice tunnel, we put on our harnesses and avalanche transceivers and, to our relief, our guide bound our skies and poles together so that he could carry them all. Roped together we began the walk down the ridge. This was the part that we had dreaded. We grabbed on to the fixed ropes and side stepped down the make shift "steps" that had been cut into the ridge. It wasn't quite as bad as we had expected; we were in quite a ditch, and, despite the almost vertical drop on either side, we never really felt in any danger, although at times it was pretty slippy underfoot! I think we might have felt differently, if we had had to carry our own skis! I guess it took around 20-30 mins to reach the bottom and though it was tiring in the thin air, we made it without any problem. After that it was a matter of clipping into our skis and getting going. There had been quite a wind blowing on the ridge, but once we skied down a bit, the weather was perfect; not a cloud in the deep blue sky. Our initial route took us in the direction of the Mont Blanc Panoramic cable car, which, in the summer only, takes people an on amazing journey from the Aiguille du Midi to Helbronner Point in Italy over the Glacier du Geant. I remembered thinking in the past how fabulous it would be to go on that cable car and look down on the glacier - this was way better though - we were actually *on* the glacier. On the tracked snow, the skiing was relatively easy. On a couple of occasions our guide took us off the tracked route onto the "fresh" stuff; whilst it looked like powder, the top surface had been baked into a hard crust by the strong sun and we found it quite difficult. There was also one slightly disconcerting moment when our guide pointed out a narrow snow bridge over which we had to ski. We could see the crevasses either side; apparently all we had to do was hold our speed and follow his line - fortunately we did! In general, the skiing was a combination of moguls, long traverses, cruisy turns, some power ploughing (!) and, after lunch, the long shush home. It wasn't really just about the skiing though. This was about the whole experience; it was like being in a different world - raw and wild. All around us massive granite peaks, huge seracs and deep crevasses. We thought that skiing next to the Argentiere glacier from the top of Grands Montets was amazing; this was something else. Our guide found us an open spot on the glacier for our picnic lunch right under the Seracs de Geant. By this time, we were pretty tired and were glad to unclip our skies and sit down. When we did, we discovered that the baked top crust of snow wasn't really that hard at all and sunk a couple of feet into the snow! Still, it was so hot that we were quite glad to feel the cold snow against our aching limbs. The giant ice falls were truly stunning, precariously perched above us. We could have stayed there for ever. After lunch, there was a short tricky section, then the long flat ride home on the Mer de Glace. The ride along the Mer de Glace was amazing - I felt so free. Unfortunately there wasn't enough snow to ski all the way back down to Chamonix, so we climbed up the steps (the most tiring part of the day) and took the short gondola ride to the Montenvers station for the 20 minute train journey back down to Chamonix. As is customary, we enjoyed several beers on a bar terrace in the valley in the glorious sunshine. At 3pm it was 19 degrees Celcius and we were very warm and very tired. Ever since we started skiing in Chamonix, we had dreamt about skiing the Vallee Blanche - we were not disappointed. We had an unforgettable and truly amazing day.

Vallée Blanche April 2006

On 8 April 2006, Paula and I plucked up the courage to ski the Vallée ...

Updated: May 18, 2007 9:16pm BST

Chamonix April 2007 :

Chamonix April 2007

Updated: Apr 20, 2007 12:11am BST

Chamonix Jan 2007 :

Chamonix Jan 2007

Updated: Mar 17, 2007 10:03pm BST

Chamonix March 2007 :

Chamonix March 2007

Updated: Mar 17, 2007 9:52pm BST

Vendee August 2006 : We spent a relaxing week in western France in a lovely gite in 11 acres of land

Vendee August 2006

We spent a relaxing week in western France in a lovely gite in 11 acre ...

Updated: Aug 19, 2006 10:05pm BST

Bristol Zoo July 2006 :

Bristol Zoo July 2006

Updated: Jul 24, 2006 6:41pm BST

Hannah's Prom :

Hannah's Prom

Updated: Jun 30, 2006 9:11pm BST

Uphill :

Uphill

Updated: Jun 23, 2006 8:17pm BST

Chamonix : My favourite place in the world and my favourite pics

Chamonix

My favourite place in the world and my favourite pics

Updated: Apr 30, 2006 10:03pm BST

Chamonix July 2003 with Hannah and Kirsty :

Chamonix July 2003 with Hannah and Kirsty

Updated: Apr 29, 2006 4:53pm BST

Harry & Benny :

Harry & Benny

Updated: Apr 23, 2006 9:30pm BST

Chamonix March 2006 : Highlight of the holiday was a great run down from the top of Grands Montets (3,275m) in blue sky and sunshine - the views of the Argentiere glacier were magnificant and truly awesome. Most of the decent photos courtesy of Andy and Elaine, as I had my camera nicked!

Chamonix March 2006

Highlight of the holiday was a great run down from the top of Grands M ...

Updated: Apr 23, 2006 7:33pm BST

Chamonix April 2006 : Great last trip of the season, which was made by a trip down the Vallee Blanche - see separate gallery http://copleystagg.smugmug.com/gallery/1366459

Chamonix April 2006

Great last trip of the season, which was made by a trip down the Valle ...

Updated: Apr 15, 2006 4:18pm BST

Chamonix March 2005 :

Chamonix March 2005

Updated: Feb 25, 2006 3:14am BST

Chamonix February 2004 :

Chamonix February 2004

Updated: Feb 22, 2006 8:26pm BST

Chamonix January 2005 :

Chamonix January 2005

Updated: Feb 14, 2006 9:24pm BST

Chamonix January 2006 :

Chamonix January 2006

Updated: Jan 26, 2006 8:50pm BST

Christmas 2005 :

Christmas 2005

Updated: Jan 15, 2006 8:13pm BST

Chamonix April 2005 : Ski trip when we both came of age! Final run of the holiday was a trip from the top of Grands Montets in zero viz

Chamonix April 2005

Ski trip when we both came of age! Final run of the holiday was a trip ...

Updated: Nov 07, 2005 11:02pm BST

Chamonix March 2003 :

Chamonix March 2003

Updated: Nov 07, 2005 10:44pm BST

Lake Garda August 2005 : We (Kat, Paula and Hannah) spent a great week at the Parc Gritti Hotel in Bardolino on the east shore of Lake Garda. There were so many places to see, we would love to go back and explore further.

Lake Garda August 2005

We (Kat, Paula and Hannah) spent a great week at the Parc Gritti Hotel ...

Updated: Oct 16, 2005 2:00pm BST

Flowers :

Flowers

Updated: Jul 05, 2005 11:33pm BST

My sister and her husband's chalet in Chamonix :

My sister and her husband's chalet in Chamonix

Updated: Apr 15, 2005 1:12am BST

Chamonix April 2004 with All :

Chamonix April 2004 with All

Updated: Mar 23, 2005 8:31pm BST

Sarah and Mike's Wedding : Just a selection shown here. For more, please go to: http://mcnamara.smugmug.com/

Sarah and Mike's Wedding

Just a selection shown here. For more, please go to: http://mcnamara ...

Updated: Feb 19, 2005 6:25pm BST

Weston Ladies FC :

Weston Ladies FC

Updated: Jan 05, 2005 10:19pm BST

Horse Riding :

Horse Riding

Updated: Jan 05, 2005 10:05pm BST

Christmas 2004 :

Christmas 2004

Updated: Jan 01, 2005 2:31am BST

Bridgwater Carnival November 2004 :

Bridgwater Carnival November 2004

Updated: Jan 01, 2005 2:22am BST

Thassos July 2004 :

Thassos July 2004

Updated: Jan 01, 2005 1:59am BST

Red Arrows July 2004 :

Red Arrows July 2004

Updated: Jan 01, 2005 1:44am BST

Wimbledon 2004 :

Wimbledon 2004

Updated: Jan 01, 2005 1:33am BST

Chamonix January 2004 with Andy & Elaine :

Chamonix January 2004 with Andy & Elaine

Updated: Jan 01, 2005 12:58am BST

Kat with Bristol City Ladies :

Kat with Bristol City Ladies

Updated: Jan 01, 2005 12:47am BST

Christmas 2003 :

Christmas 2003

Updated: Jan 01, 2005 12:42am BST

Concorde's last flight :

Concorde's last flight

Updated: Jan 01, 2005 12:26am BST

"Team Building" - October 2003 :

"Team Building" - October 2003

Updated: Jan 01, 2005 12:16am BST

Judith and Jim's Wedding :

Judith and Jim's Wedding

Updated: Dec 31, 2004 11:03pm BST

Ilfracombe July 2003 :

Ilfracombe July 2003

Updated: Dec 31, 2004 10:02pm BST

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