Ground control to planet Morzine

EARTH CALLING MORZINE – ARE YOU OUT THERE MORZINE?

There is a clock in my head: a big white giant snow clock tick-tocking the countdown to winter. It’s causing me sleepless nights, permeating my waking day and giving me palpitations on my walk to work. Because there is white stuff arriving in the mountains and I have several BIG questions that need answering. I need to know what cool stuff is coming up this season. I need to know when to book my flight and most importantly I need to know what to wear, because even if you don’t want to admit it I will happily scream from the top of the Mont Blanc “People! I want to look good on snow!!!!”

I heard on the grapevine that Morzine might have all the answers so I picked up my feather quill, a fresh piece of parchment and summoned my fastest pigeon. I wanted to speak with two of the wisest owls in the whole of the god damn Alps. I needed Rude Chalets and Slopestyle the shop. If these cool cats couldn’t tell me what’s hot and what’s not, then snowbody could. 

You’ve both been based in Morzine for donkeys. Can we expect lots of snow out there this season?
Slopestyle: If the local tale is true of lots of wasps in September equals a good snow season then we should be in for a big one!
Rude: It’s true, the locals in Morzine are predicting another bumper snow season out here and we can’t wait!

OK, so we’ve got the snow sorted, but when should we come?
Slopestyle: We always organize a Slopestyle party at the Cavern Bar before Christmas to start the season with a bang (and a lot of sore heads the next morning!).  Last year Joni Malmi provided the tunes with DJ Ben and we gave away LOADS of fab freebies from Forum.
Rude: We agree. If you really want to get yourself ready for the winter season get yourself out to Morzine early. We have our Rude Chalet Burton Snowboard Test Weekend on 11th – 14th Dec 09. It’s only £289 pp for transfers, ensuite accommodation, half board, lift pass and unlimited access to our on-site Burton Snowboard Test Centre.

And I’ve seen the Rock on Snowboard Tour is in Avoriaz from 12 - 13th December. What else is particularly exciting out in Morzine-Avoriaz?
Rude: There are so many exciting events happening this year. There is the Savoie-Mont-Blanc Grande Odysee Dog sleigh race coming through Morzine town on 12th / 13th January 2010. This year the town is hosting both the start and the finish. You can actually ride on the sleighs and learn how to control the dogs. And we have Morzine Live to look forward to.

Is that a bit like Band Aid?
Rude: Not quite….there are a series of free rock gigs in bars and restaurants all around Morzine from 21st – 24th March 2010. It’s to celebrate the arrival of spring.
Slopestyle: And we are super excited about the new slopestyle park being built alongside 'The Stash' in Les Lindarets.  There is no better place to play on your snowboard.

Wow. There’s a lot going on. Has the resort been affected by the old credit crunch? I know my purse feels teeny tiny small these days.
Rude: We have just got back from the London ski show and there seems to be a really positive and exciting vibe around this coming winter season.  Both enquiries and bookings are up on last year, loads of people we chatted to were looking to take at least 2 ski / snowboard holidays this winter. But people now look for holidays that offer the best value for money.  The great thing about Morzine-Avoriaz, and one of the reasons I think bookings are so strong for this winter is that the price of chalets and apartments are relatively cheap compared to similar accommodation in Courchevel, Val D’Isere and Meribel. We are seeing a significant number of customers who usually take holidays in these resorts moving their holiday to Morzine-Avoriaz.
Slopestyle: We agree. The resort gets more and more popular. In fact we’ve had to spend the inter-season renovating the entire Slopestyle store to accommodate all the FABULOUS stock we’ve ordered to keep everyone looking great! We are literally packed to the rafters with pretty things. And we are in the process of re-launching our website with a totally new look. If you check online every day you will see more and more gorgeous things miraculously appear on the site - www.slopestyleshop.com 
 
OK, so there is no obvious crunch with the Morzine credit. But now it’s crunch time with the fashion. I have to know, my heart is skipping many beats, please tell me wise owls, what is hot this season?
Slopestyle: As always we have the newest lines and stock from brands such as Burton, Analog and Nikita to name just a few. And this season it’s all about bright! bright! bright! We are still seeing a lot of original patterns, but there are far more block colours than ever before.  Bright blue, bright green, bright pink, bright orange. Basically if it's bright, it's right!  

That’s a great saying. I am going to use that. Tell me more.
Slopestyle: Our favourite items this year include bright pink pants matched with a blue/turquoise Nikita jacket, and a lime and cyan Volcom outfit. Oh and an orange/floral Analog number.

Good God it’s like Chelsea Flower Show. What else do we need to know? What if I need a new snowboard?
Slopestlye: The big hype for Winter 09/10 is surrounding reverse camber boards. Nearly every one of our snowboard brands has included them in their range.   Reverse camber has been a growing trend over the last three seasons and has exploded across all major brands this season with Burton, Forum and Rome joining Lib Tech in embracing the technology. There seems to be a reason for every rider to try a reverse camber board from beginners who will catch their edges less to powder hounds who get more float. Make sure you try one this season so you know what the buzz is about!
Rude: And as we are a Burton Test Centre you can try one with us! We are running our famous Rudegirls snowboard week from 10th – 17th January 2010. This year it includes tuition with a WORLD CHAMP no less, and tonnes of apres ski activities including night sleddig!

So Rude can perfect my snowboarding technique and Slopestyle can perfect my fashion. Have you guys thought of getting married? My last question before I let you get back to being fabulous. Can you tell Powderroom what your favourite thing is about Morzine and the winter season?
Rude: Our favourite thing about the winter season... wow… that’s tricky. There are SO many. We are in heaven when we have an amazing blue-sky powder day riding the Pepsi max, followed by a lively apres ski party fuelled by live music and Mutzig and then a meal at L’Etale restaurant to finish off the night!

Gosh, that’s hardly a quiet night in. What about Slopestyle?
Slopestyle: I think we are going to go out with Rude!

Thanks guys. So now I know where to go, when to go and what to wear. I think the only thing left to do is buy a plane ticket. So if you’ll excuse me that’s exactly what I’m off to do. Morzine-Avoraiz, here I come.

More info:

www.slopestyleshop.com
www.rudechalets.com
www.morzine-avoriaz.com