Memories of Pat Chipping

Pat Chipping passed away on the morning of December 28th 2023

We have many memories of skiing with Pat over the years before Team Kermit. She was always very enthusiastic but technically not the best. We always thought she was better in front of us rather than behind! However that did not detract from the fun of skiing with her.

I particularly remember one year when we decided to ski down to Les Brevieres after a particularly large snowfall overnight. Everything was fine until we got to the run down from L’Aiguille Percee. The snow was quite deep and soft and we were basically following the Pisteurs down as they opened the run. It was here that Pat had a “Brief Encounter of the Arboreal Kind”!

She skiied into a deep hollow beneath a tree and no matter how she struggled, she could not extricate herself from the hole. We could not help much either. Just then two young and handsome Italian men turned up and immediately went to her rescue and eventually succeeded in extracting Pat from her hole, much to everybody’s relief. Pat was delighted and talked about it often afterwards. I think she was flattered that two young men were happy to help out an “older lady”!

We will certainly miss her — Tony Keats

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Pat (a retired GP) and a Team Kermit member was good company. I shared a room with Pat in January 2020. While she was reading an article on the internet she exclaimed “Oh dear, this sounds serious!” She was referring to an outbreak of Sars-CoV-2!

Pat and ‘Mr Monty’ her bumptious border terrier were inseparable. Pat’s doggy tails had me in fits of laughter.

Mr Monty died a couple of years ago, so maybe they’ll be reunited in heaven.

A lovely lady, so sadly missed — Chris Fildes