Rhythm Sessions 2015 Review, Morzine

A day of sunshine, snowboarding, pulled pork burgers and Volcom gear – what’s not to love? Morznet went down to the Mountain Mavericks L’Aubergade Hotel to check out the competition that is evolving every year to become one of the biggest dates on the Morzine calendar!

Slopestyle Snowboard shop on the Route de la Plagne is a stylishly curated store of top draw skate and snowboard gear and fashion, one with a great eye for what young snowboarders in Morzine want to wear on and off the mountain each season. Since 2013, Slopestyle has used its influence in the snowboarding culture in Morzine to put on The Rhythm Sessions, a laid-back competition encouraging snowboarders to bring energy, style and big tricks to the unique format snowpark built each year.

This year the event pulled in bigger sponsors than last, including Volcom, Rome Snowboards and Skull Candy in order to bring competitors and spectators an imaginative competition with prizes to match. Seasoned, amateur and sponsored snowboarders all signed up to compete against each other in the all day jam session, which took place outside the back of the Mountain Mavericks L’Aubergade Hotel. A team of park shapers got to work the night before to create the park outside the back of the L’Aubergade on the beginner slope, shifting large volumes of snow over night to bring spectators and competitors something entirely new to get their heads around!

The Rhythm Session always brings a unique format, and this year the features were based on a skatepark-style setup which encouraged the snowboarders to get creative and try a variety of lines and tricks to grab the top spot. The warm weather on the day was going to make it a session of fast-paced, slush-surfing snowboarding fun.

The atmosphere made it clear that the appeal of the The Rhythm Sessions lies in the relaxed and open format – the spirit of it was one of a great community get together between locals, season workers and holidaymakers. The terrace of the L’Aubergade basked in the heat of the midday sun, inviting spectators to spend the afternoon enjoying cold beers and the big tricks being laid out on the park. Local DJs including Tom Hiseman were keeping the feel-good atmosphere alive with upbeat music throughout the day, blaring out some great classic tracks out from the speakers to keep the snowboarders pumped and full of energy.

The competition itself got going in an explosive manner, with many snowboarders trying to go big or go home! The day was split into three sessions initially, but it became obvious that the warm weather was causing the course to fall apart into slushy snow very quickly, so instead the competition started with one short session followed by a longer afternoon session. A panel of judges took into consideration the line chosen through the features by each snowboarder as they lapped the park, as well as the technicality and style of their tricks. Some of the competitors maintained a solid presence, landing good tricks that weren’t necessarily the biggest, while others took the crashes like champs as they tried to land the big crowd-pleasing tricks.

The interval let the park shapers get to work to reconstruct some of the hips and ramps while competitors and spectators hit the bar and the BBQ. There was a lot of effort put into the BBQ, with a team of barbeque tenders cooking and serving up a choice of cheeseburgers, pulled pork burgers and sausage sandwiches served with homemade coleslaw and salad. Half way standings were announced – keeping the competition between snowboarders healthy to get them hyped up for the second jam session.

The jam session went on until 16.00, giving the competitors ample time to put down their best tricks in the best lines possible before the final selection took place. Just after the setup lost the sunshine, and the snowboarders were applauded for their efforts and the competition was drawn to a close. Results were kept a secret for the prize giving event ‘The After Sessions’ at Chez Roger, giving everyone time to have some down time and freshen up for an evening of celebrations!

The number of snowboarders that participated in the event was a real credit to the ethos and time put into The Rhythm Sessions – allowing everyone to enjoy competing with their friends and peers inspires progression and drive to pursue freestyle snowboarding.

The end results were as follows; Best Women’s Line - Wendy Moore, Best Women’s Overall - Sarah Fish, Most Creative Rider - Tommy Bowers, Best Trick - Rowan Dixon, Best Line - Lewis Sonvico, and last but not the very means least Best Men’s Overall - Tim Henderson.

Winners received cool prizes including Volcom and Rome Snowboards, as well as Skull Candy headphones, slopestyle goodies and more, not to mention many a drink or two.

The Rhythm Sessions was an inspiring and lively feel-good day for all, and we’re already excited for next year! Make sure you take a look at the edit cut and finished on the day by Gnarwhal Media [in the media player above] If you didn’t make we can guarantee that you’re going to wish you were there after watching it!