Step-On Magazine Issue 30 // October 2006
How well do you know the city you live in? Myself
and Step-On photographer Billy Tomlinson took some
time out last season, late at night, and accidentally
found ourselves exploring Morzine-Avoriaz in a way
we had never before. We were not hiking through knee
deep powder, we were not seeking out cliff drops or
good kicker spots. We were navigating the underground.
Armed with a digital SLR and a Leica rangefinder,
in the space of a few hours we discovered that below
the cute chalets and cookoo clocks of our favourite
alpine resort, lies a complexed network of concrete
tunnels, pathways, and storage areas that resembled
futuristic military bunkers. The architecture made
us feel like we were about the come across a room
full of misiles, or at the very least a cabinet of
kalashnikovs left over from the war, but alas, our
journey turned out to be one big wild goose chase
and somehow we ended up exactly where we started,
in an underground car park below "Le Pleney".
We didn't even find any of Morzines secret underground
nightclubs which are rumoured to exist. It was fun
thinking we might though...
// PHOTO
Inside the Alps
// Tomlinson
Yeah, everyone knows Laax
in the Swiss alps. Great park, many rails,
huge pipe. But Laax is also one of the best
freeride spots in Switzerland. Roman Fässler
has lived there since his birth, and he definitely
knows where to go if you need fresh powder
and steep runs.
While most kids spent the summer sweating
away mowing lawns and washing dishes trying
to save up some cash to get next years hot
shit, Ben Birk was hitting up 40ft kickers
with the likes of Robbie Sell, Nac Marben,
Scott Stevens, Jonny Miller, and many other
pros at this years High Cascade Snowboard
Camp....
Some people think street art is dead. Some think
our streets are victims of a visual tsumani of bad
art, uncreative ideas, and graphical nonsense. Has
graffiti reached melting point, overcommericalised
and overpriced? We hooked up with the TV Boy, an
artist and designer from Barcelona who seems to
be finding a fine balance between commerical work
and personal to get his opinions on his own work
and others...
Francis Marchionini has been combining his snowboarding
and architectural knowledge to take mountain cabins
to the next level...
In the winter, it is not a simple cabin but a living
kicker hidden in a terrain movement, covered by snow.
All the interaction between the inside and the outside
is taking place there. One can enjoy the snowboarders
action outside, comfortably lay on the sofa inside,
with a cup of tea.
It's been four years since step-on became
the first magazine to feature mike austin
(aka austin), in an interview conducted in
typical drunken fashion...well we thought
it high time to hook up once again and find
out the latest from a man who is now one of
Britians top snowboarders.
Europeans are flocking down under at a faster
rate than ever, step-on's senior photographer
included. Already tales of crazy nights, sick
surf, and sweet skate spots have been coming
our way so we got the lowdown from the guys
who rock Sydney 24/7...
The Cooper Temple Clause have an elusiveness
about them you don't often see these days. You
won't come across their videos whilst flicking
Sky channels and you certainly won't catch them
chatting to a T4 host after the Hollyoaks omnibus
on a Sunday morning. The only way to experience
TCTC is to watch them live, and believe me you'll
be blown away...
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