After years of planning, months of waiting and the combined fundraising power of hundreds of people, Morzine’s skatepark has now opened!
There will be a skateboard association opening day on the 9th August.
Skateboarders from Morzine and the surrounding area are invited to come down and christen the new park.
DJ’s Magic Bowers, Kevin G and Dom Barrington will be providing sounds for the event and Mammas will be BBQ’ing for all the hungry skaters out there.
Families are welcome but please be aware the park will be very busy and closed to scooters and bikes.
This excellent video from local film maker/photographer Sam McMahon shows the excited locals getting their first feel of the concrete on opening day.
Morzine Skatepark Opens from Morzine Source Magazine on Vimeo.
© Samuel McMahon
The new park is a vast improvement on the old.
Concrete has always been a popular material to build skateparks from. Many early examples, from as far back as the 70’s were made of concrete. It lost favour in the 90’s and early 2000’s when town councils, comparing the price of metal and wooden modules to a concrete park, favored the basic and cheaper modular style of park. These basic wood or metal parts, although functional, lacked the ‘flow’ achievable in a concrete skatepark. Luckily the recent increase in popularity of concrete parks around Europe has made governing bodies aware of how unsatisfactory a metal park is for the users.
The old Morzine park was a sad example of budget prioritised over user experience, but for there to be a park at all was a relatively progressive move for an alpine town at the time.
And now of course now, with this new park completed, all that is forgotten.
The new park is a great example of a modern park, the designer hasn’t conformed to any common skatepark layout, instead opting for a quirky design which incorporates the requests of all users during the planning stages. Although this kind of design is slightly harder to skate than a simpler design, it should provide more entertainment in the long run.
Morzine Skatepark days before completion ©Samuel McMahon
Please remember when using the new park:
Young children should be supervised at all times.
Please stay off the new grass.
Helmets are highly recommended.
Keep the place tidy – take litter with you until bins have been installed.
No glass in the park.
Respect other users.
Under 8’s should be kept to the ‘beginner area’.
This is for safety and insurance purposes.
Please stand clear when not skating/riding.
Be safe. Stand back.
