Wake up to thrills in Rudeville

If the ski industry grapevine is anything to go by, 2010 is the year that could signal the death of the traditional chalet holiday.

Major tour operators reacted to the fall in bookings last year by slashing 40 per cent of their chalet operation and then top-end chalet merchant Descent International went bust.

Was this the industry's Enron moment? After all, asked pundits, if the Duke of York's ski company can't survive the recession, who can?

The answer may be found in the French resort of Morzine, where Helen and Chris Lavender, the husband and wife team behind funky independent Rude Chalets, have been quietly carving out their own niche for much of the past decade.

Helen and Chris met while living as penniless seasonaires in Méribel and, like countless thousands, couldn't face the thought of going home once the snow melted. They decided to set up their own chalet company, and from the beginning were determined to create something unique.

Helen says: "We set up Rude Chalets in Morzine in 2003. Chris built Chalet Christophe, our original property, himself. From the start we wanted to offer superior accommodation and service compared with the traditional package ski chalet holiday."

Today, each Rude Chalet has an interior to match the forward-thinking ethos behind the company.

You'll find no fondue sets or chintzy decor here. Instead, everything — from the Xboxes in the bedrooms to the original artwork by local pro-rider and artist Jono Wood adorning the walls — is designed to plunge the visitor into the heart of the scene that makes up the heart of Morzine's winter community.

Helen and Chris have also forged canny deals with cutting-edge brands such as Burton Snowboards and Red Bull. The former is particularly unique, as it enables Rude Chalets to act as a Burton Test Centre and means their guests can try the very latest kit.

It is yet another neat, inclusive touch, and a level of service that just isn't possible with one of the main tour operators.

And it helps to explain the company's quick growth. Today they have three chalets in Morzine (Chapelle, Joseph and Christophe), two
apartments in Avoriaz and one chalet in Chamonix. There are also plans to open a hotel in the Austrian resort of Mayrhofen.

The Rude team refer to their own particular take on the Morzine chalet holiday as "Rudeville".

"Rudeville is our way of building a community beyond the usual holiday experience," explains Helen. "It is our way of making sure our guests get to know the people who make up the resort, and feeling like they're part of it from the moment they arrive."