Our Team
Mairi Watson - Owner and Director of Les Joly Dames, Mairi moved to Les Contamines-Montjoie in the French Alps with her family in April 2016 and discovered that the real joy of living in the alps was not the skiing but the endless days of summer walking in the mountains. Wanting to share it with her friends and friends of friends, Mairi started up Les Joly Dames, named for the mountain behind her chalet in Les Contamines Montjoie. Mairi has recently published a book ‘Histoires Vivantes d’un village alpin’ , a living history of the people of Les Contamines. She also runs an Airbnb in the chalet she shares with Peter, her husband of 34 years, and teaches English as a foreign language.
Suzanna D’Oyly - Suzanna loves people, yoga, being in the mountains and preparing and eating healthy, locally sourced, good food. Les Joly Dames, for Suzanna, is the place where these passions collide. When she is not cooking up a storm or brain storming with Mairi, Suzanna works as a tutor in Cambridge where she has lived and taught for the past twenty years following an investment banking career in New York. She is married to Charlie and has twin sons in their twenties and two spoilt miniature dachshunds.
Marit Van Kampen - International Mountain Leader, is from the Netherlands. Her love of the mountains started with skiing in Austria and developed in North Wales rock climbing and hiking at University. Climbing and hiking in the Alps were followed by trips globally. Now a qualified International Mountain Leader (IML), Marit lives in Saint Gervais-les-Bains and is a key member of the Les Joly Dames team, sharing her interest in the history, geology, flora and fauna of the Alps. Marit speaks four languages and aims to learn the names of alpine flowers in English, French, Dutch, German and Italian!
Mel Hart, International Mountain Leader, lives in Saint Gervais-les-Bains and has over 25 years' experience of working as an educator, instructor, and expedition leader for many different outdoor and environmental organizations, as well as universities and schools. She has a doctorate in education and various outdoor qualifications, including the International Mountain Leader and Winter Mountain Leader awards. Mel's work and personal interests have taken her on expedition to Peru, Chile, Japan, India, Nepal, New Zealand, Russia, Morocco, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and much of Europe. Since moving to France in 2020, Mel has spent much of her time exploring the popular and less well-known local alpine mountains, sampling the cuisine, and learning more about the history and culture of the Alps.
Rosie Kelly - Yogi, is a highly experienced yoga teacher and massage therapist who moved to the French Alps in December 2019. Her intentions were to stay for a winter season, but she fell in love with the dramatic scenery, the starkly different seasons and the way of mountain life, and now lives here full-time in sunny Servoz. Rosie's daily self-practice and participation as a student continues to challenge, marvel and provide inspiration for her own classes. She is passionate about sharing knowledge and enthusiastic in empowering others to feel more at home in body and more settled in mind. Rosie strives to offer classes that are suitable for all, and guides with a 'kramic' (step-by-step, sequential) approach in order to practice in a safe, inclusive and body-positive manner.