In Vanoise, get to know Nicolas Vernon, mountain leader

Nicolas Vernon is a mountain guide. He offers outings to discover the great fauna of the Vanoise, departing from the Rosuel refuge in Peisey-Nancroix.

Nicolas first discovered the Vanoise landscape with his parents when he was a teenager.

I have a special bond with the mountains; it's an environment that thrills me and stirs my emotions, which is why I wanted to work there.

While in Vanoise, he met his partner, a native of the area, and settled in with her.

I've done a lot of different jobs in Vanoise. In particular, I was a refuge keeper for 15 years, in 2 National Park refuges: the Leisse refuge and the Col du Palet refuge. At the same time, I qualified as a mountain leader.

Today, with Esprit Parc National, Nicolas offers the chance to go discover the glacial history of one of the National Park's valleys and the beauty of the wildlife that has gradually colonized it over the last 20,000 years.

My ambition is to recreate the link between Man and Nature, in an increasingly urban society, because for me, without nature there is no life! I help the public to marvel, the aim being to finish the walk by saying to themselves: 'Nature is so well done!

Very attentive to the preservation of the Vanoise, Nicolas has been involved with the Esprit parc national brand since its inception:

I've known Esprit parc national since its creation. The Vanoise National Park involved me in the first working groups on the regulations governing the use of the brand.

Esprit parc national gives me legitimacy, especially with schoolchildren. Thanks to the brand, I'm recognized as someone who promotes the same values as the Parc national de la Vanoise, someone who has knowledge to pass on and who conveys a positive image of protected areas.