Our region of Val de Bagnes has many ambassadors, such as cheesemaker Eddy Baillifard, skier Justin Murisier and freerider Géraldine Fasnacht. The Val de Bagnes also has figures who are more unassuming, yet equally present on the tourist scene. A very inspiring individual, Nancy Pellissier has always worked in this sector and shares her enthusiasm for her region without artifice, in her own way through her work, her passions and her encounters.

It was in Villette, not far from Verbier station, in an old building that belonged to the parents of her boyfriend Ludo May that Nancy Pellissier welcomed us. A little over a year ago, the couple bought and attractively renovated their home. We were pleasantly greeted by the irresistible smell of freshly baked bread that immediately put us at ease and in a good mood.

While putting wood in the stove, Nancy shares with us her childhood memories. It was at Sarreyer that she took her first steps. On the steep slopes of this small hilltop village, Nancy was not satisfied with playing children’s games with her little sister Tania and her big brother Romain. Walks in the surrounding nature and physical activities were the highlights of her days. Then, in 1994, when Nancy was 6 years old, her parents took over the family hotel: the Hôtel & Spa La Vallée***  in Lourtier.

It was with the hotel guests that the three children grew up and shared moments of life. Nancy explained to us that the hotel’s kitchen and dining room were the gathering place for the whole family. A place of sharing and discussion, but also conducive to dreams and projects with her parents, grandparents, brother and sister. It was at the hotel that she learned the meaning of work very early on. She discovered all aspects of tourism with strong values such as hospitality, kindness and the spirit of initiative.  Unlike other children her age, she did not play at pretending to serve coffees, meals and breakfasts… She even remembers the crazy evenings spent serving raclette on rollerskates, like in this picture:

Nancy has great admiration for her parents who, despite a very demanding job,  managed to achieve a work-life balance. Nancy, like her brother and sister for that matter, started downhill skiing at a very early age and quickly made a name for herself with her good results.

Her parents managed to support and accompany her during training and races, despite a winter season in full swing at the hotel. “I am very proud of my parents, I enjoyed a wonderful childhood, they are an example, and I owe them a lot” smiled Nancy.

Nancy has been involved in the world of skiing and competition since she was a child and has experimented with several disciplines: downhill skiing, ski cross, freeride skiing…

But there is a time for everything. One day, the young woman from Val de Bagnes decided she wanted to let go of performance in favour of pleasure, without constraints and without stress. She continued to practice ski touring and freeriding during her leisure time. But above all, she started mountain biking with her father and uncle, covering incredible distances and discovering breathtaking landscapes in a single day.

On her two wheels, Nancy flirts with the exhilaration of the distances covered. Today she shares this passion with her friend Ludo May, well known in the cycling world and more specifically in enduro. It is with him that she notably improves her technique and discovers magical places all over the world and in our mountains. She tells us that she has discovered sensations similar to skiing on her bike: speed, the playful side and the pleasure of riding, negotiating obstacles. “I feel free and alive on my bike, just like on my skis,” she tells us.  Thanks to mountain biking, she rubs shoulders with and meets people from all over the world. Today, this passion also drives her in her work as she works as a bike/mountain bike expert in the Experiences and Markets department of Valais/Wallis Promotion.

Tourism was therefore an obvious choice for her. Travelling through the various alpine regions in search of new ski slopes or biking trails, Nancy has been able to discover all the gems of her region and she is incredibly proud of it. With her energy, her influence, her expertise and her knowledge of the land, Nancy wants to transmit to visitors the love of her region. Since her studies at the Haute Ecole du Tourisme in Sierre, she has never stopped serving guests with a rich and varied professional career.  After a stint with the Freeride World Tour, then hired at Destination VERBIER Saint-Bernard as Market Manager, she went on to organise luxury adventure trips in the Alps for the EPIC Europe agency. Today, hired by Valais/Wallis Promotion as a bike/mountain bike expert, Nancy’s mission is to position Valais as a leading destination for mountain and road biking and is proud to promote all the assets our canton has to offer and which she herself enjoys in her free time. Promoting your favourite playground to guests from around the world is a fun challenge.

A fine career for the Val de Bagnes native Nancy Pellissier, who you may come across during your mountain bike trip or a ski outing in our Valais mountains.

At Besson Immobilier we love telling you life stories and tales of short trips in our region! Discover more articles, hiking ideas, new and unusual images, and tips on the region of Verbier and Val de Bagnes in our Besson mag. This way, you can make preparations for your trip to our beautiful country with full peace of mind.