Plant expertNathalie Nemeth-Defago

INSPIRE

Nathalie Nemeth-Defago

herbalist and mountain guide

Nathalie is an herbalist and mountain guide. She practices these two professions on the Swiss side of the Portes du Soleil, or rather these two passions that she skilfully combines, like the two natural ingredients of a successful life potion.

Published on 9 October 2024

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Nathalie lives in Troistorrents, at the foot of the Dents du Midi. A mountain community in the Lower Valais, it lies in the unspoilt Val d'Illiez valley below Morgins, one of the Swiss resorts in the Portes du Soleil ski area. Growing up in this privileged environment, in the midst of a family passionate about skiing and hiking, she always felt the call of the mountains from an early age.

We speak of

Mountain plants

These wild plants have specific virtues and uses. As an herbalist, it’s Nathalie’s job to help people discover the secrets of the plants that inhabit the Portes du Soleil.

Episode 13

Nathalie Nemeth-Defago

Inspire by Les Portes du Soleil

Herbalist and mountain guide. Passing on knowledge of mountain plants and ancestral know-how is Nathalie’s vocation. And as she says, it’s much more than a job, it’s a way of life.

THE INSPIRED

Nathalie Nemeth-Defago

the portrait

Fascinated by the beauty of the great outdoors and the wonders of wild flora and fauna, Nathalie was increasingly drawn to the buried, well-kept secrets of the plant world. From shady undergrowth to verdant mountain pastures, from torrent banks to glacier edges, all these natural environments were so remarkable to her that she couldn’t turn away from their richness. And then, watching her grandmother concoct subtle preparations from wild shoots and mountain flowers, how could she not one day fall into a pot of magic plants too?

Nathalie gives us the keys to marvelling at the things around us that we might never have noticed. She is also the guardian of a language that has been forgotten, but is still firmly rooted in the minds of the valley’s villagers. As a member of the “Amis du Patois du Village” association, her tales and anecdotes often resound in the wake of her discoveries, introducing the little wanderers she accompanies to the language of past life.

Back home…

The call of the mountains

The Val d’Illiez

After fifteen years working in accounting and finance in Geneva, Nathalie decided to leave it all behind and return to her original aspirations. Returning home, she embarked on a new life as an enlightened mountain guide, inspired herbalist and summit cook. Erudite in the art of mixtures, decoctions, macerations and infusions of all kinds, she is a passionate alchemist. Far from the image of the old white-bearded druids, each combination, each process she uses to extract the active or aromatic substances from plants, yields astonishing results to the delight of the senses and taste buds. Constantly on the lookout for unsuspected scents, uses or therapeutic virtues, but also for surprising culinary combinations, her passion always leads her to try out unique recipes. But above and beyond his herbal talents, his role is above all to make the invisible visible, by perpetuating the knowledge and know-how handed down by his elders through the observation of mountain nature, the magic of plants and local alpine culture. So, even if grandma’s traditional herbal tea isn’t your cup of tea, Nathalie has the art of reconciling you with plants by offering a variety of themed experiences.