It's That - Valentin Morel

Profile and significance

Valentin Morel is a Swiss freeski rider from the Fribourg region whose lane bridges World Cup slopestyle starts and film-first creativity. A member of the Swiss national setup, he has earned World Cup points and built a parallel identity as a style-forward editor and collaborator, from glacier training cuts to rider-led short films. His sponsors tell the story as well as any résumé: skis from Armada, bindings from Tyrolia, helmets and goggles from Giro, and apparel with Harlaut Apparel Co.. That mix—contest credibility plus core-scene backing—explains why park riders and street-focused viewers alike slow his clips down to study the details. Morel’s significance lies in clarity: he skis in a way that reads cleanly on camera and scales from World Cup venues to the parks most people actually lap.

Competitive arc and key venues

Morel’s public track record is anchored in slopestyle. He collected World Cup points with 13th at Silvaplana/Corvatsch in March 2023, then added 25th at Aspen in February 2025 and 21st at Tignes in March 2025 as the winter closed—evidence that his approach survives pressure and unfamiliar snowpacks. The settings are telling. Corvatsch’s purpose-built venue in the Corvatsch Park rewards measured speed and late-set timing. Aspen’s broadcast-stage slopestyle at Aspen Snowmass demands clean takeoffs under TV timing. Tignes’ spring stop—part of the Mountain Shaker program spotlighted by the resort’s official pages at Tignes—shifts with alpine wind and light, exposing rushed approaches. Away from the start gate, Morel frequently sharpens rails and jumps on Switzerland’s flagship parks, notably LAAX, where dense rail sets and long decks call for honest speed.

Peer-judged arenas and rider media round out the arc. He stepped into the SLVSH Cup week at Sunset Park Peretol—Grandvalira’s floodlit night park in Andorra—an environment whose public sessions and quick resets amplify any imprecision; for context on the venue itself, see Grandvalira / Peretol. In the film lane, he appears in Harlaut Apparel projects and self-edited shorts that favor readable line design over one-off stunts. Together, those touchpoints show the same athlete in two mirrors: judged runs for points, and carefully composed sequences that endure after the livestream ends.

How they ski: what to watch for

Morel skis with economy and definition—the two traits that make slopestyle and urban/street skiing teachable. Into the lip he stays tall and neutral, then sets rotation late and secures the grab before 180 degrees so the axis breathes on camera. On rails he favors square, unhurried entries; presses and backslides held just long enough to be unmistakable; minimal arm swing on change-ups; and exits with shoulders aligned so momentum survives into the next feature. Surface swaps are quiet because edge pressure is organized early, which keeps the base flat through kinks and removes the need for last-second saves. Landings read centered and inevitable—hips over feet, ankles soft—so the shot feels like one sentence instead of a series of recoveries.

Resilience, filming, and influence

While his World Cup calendar proves composure, the film lane shows intention. Morel has cut tightly edited training pieces from Saas-Fee and LAAX, and he has contributed to Harlaut Apparel’s rider-driven releases alongside teammates from across Europe. In one house project, he even took editing duties himself—an on-screen reminder that he thinks about how tricks read, not just how they score. The result is skiing that holds up at half speed: calm entry, patient pop, early grab definition, square-shoulder exits. Because the pacing and framings are designed to show slope angle and approach speed honestly, coaches and progressing riders can pause any clip and pull concrete checkpoints from it. Influence here is cumulative rather than viral—you watch, copy the mechanics on your next lap, and discover that clarity is a skill you can practice.

Geography that built the toolkit

Place explains the method. Morel grew up lapping the Fribourg hills around Moléson—today a favorite local playground at Moléson—where compact features and thin cover punish sloppy organization. Glacier blocks and preseason windows at Saas-Fee sharpened air awareness and wind reads, while winter and spring sessions on the long lines of LAAX layered in cadence on big decks and dense rail timing. The contest map added its own chapters: the structured slopestyle line at Aspen Snowmass, the spring finale rhythm at Corvatsch Park, and the night-lap pressure of Sunset Park Peretol. Thread those venues together and you can see their fingerprints in every segment and start list.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Morel’s current toolkit mirrors his skiing. Park twins from Armada provide a press-friendly yet predictable platform; Tyrolia bindings deliver consistent release and ramp that won’t tip him into the backseat; Giro handles head protection and optics; and Harlaut Apparel Co. covers outerwear with an edits-first ethos. For viewers trying to borrow the feel, the hardware lessons are simple. Choose a true park twin with a balanced, medium flex you can press without folding; detune the contact points enough to reduce rail bite while keeping trustworthy grip on the lip; and mount close enough to center that switch landings feel neutral and presses sit level. Keep binding ramp angles neutral so hips can stack over feet and the skis can do the storytelling.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Fans care about Valentin Morel because his skiing is legible and durable. In results, that shows up as steady World Cup points and clean qualifying runs on varied courses; on film, it looks like edits built to survive slow-motion scrutiny. Progressing riders care because the same choices are teachable on normal resorts: stay tall into the lip, set late, define the grab early, hold presses long enough to read, and exit with shoulders square so speed survives for what’s next. Whether the backdrop is a spring final at Corvatsch, a windy course above Aspen, a Mountain Shaker rail at Tignes, or a week of night laps in LAAX, his blueprint turns realistic terrain into stylish, reliable freeskiing across slopestyle, big air side hits, and urban/street skiing.