Bought any Nevica recently? As I understand it, the British skiwear brand that brought you neon one-pieces in the 1980s and once ruled the world ... which was run from a fantastically unprestigious building in Scrubbs Lane ... is now the property of Mike Ashley and his Sports Direct chain. Here's a very potted history of the brand, focusing on the bit I know best ...
Back in 1975 (i.e. 38 years ago) I personally witnessed the birth of Nevica ... screaming from a cot in a London maternity hospital ... when Paul Goldstein quit his job in an exciting ski shop and ambitiously set up on his own. The shop was Alpine Sports - by far the most dynamic ski retailer in London at the time - but I'd already met Goldstein at the ski show at Olympia, where his job was to tell me how to sell equipment on the Alpine Sports stand. Goldstein had been ski-bumming in the Italian resort of Sauze d'Oulx, organising revenue-spinning ski races for holiday punters which finished in a local bar for prize-giving ceremonies. While in Sauze he'd got to know the owners of a prominent ski clothing brand based in the resort ... called Anzi Besson ... and this was the clue to the birth of Nevica. Nevica means 'it is snowing' in Italian.
Alpine Sports was a highly ambitious enterprise, but Goldstein was way more ambitious. He told Alpine Sports' owner Martin Green he was quitting his job (Martin is nowadays to be found in Chamonix, trading in snowboards and mountainbikes). Goldstein established Nevica as a trading name and began importing the Italian skiwear from Sauze. The problem was the supply chain. It wasn't terribly reliable. Goldstein was operating from the spare room of his brother Anthony's house, bellowing down the phone and telex to Anzi Besson all the time, trying to get enough merchandise, but regularly ending up frustrated.
That was when the penny dropped. And ... time-warping the story 35 years forwards ... this is where the penny was two or three years ago, in July 2010 ...
... a priceless bit of bling ... introducing the Pershing 115 ... a fruit and folly of Nevica ... and Paul Goldstein ...
Boulevard Paul J Goldstein, Val d'Isere, with its super-luxury chalet.
Val d'Isere: the ski resort of boy racer Jean-Claude Killy, who became the greatest of his era (3 gold medals at the Grenoble Olympics in 1968) and the founder of Killly skiwear. Nevica bought the brand.
Killy became a global ambassador for the Winter Olympics.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Nevica made excellent technically advanced ski gear in their haydays. I had a couple of the Nevica one peice fluoro ski suits.
I haven't bumped into Mr Goldstein in Val d'isere for a couple of years now, has he decided to live in the Med now?
Didn't he own the "Killy" brand for a while?
Ah so - Nevica bought Killy, thanks for the clarification.
Comedy Goldsmith, welshflyer, nope. They licensed the Killy brand name for 10 years. When the license was up they brought out E+O.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Graham Bell has been wearing Nevica jackets whilst presenting Ski Sunday. No doubt it's a bit of product placement but I had a look at one of the jackets in my local sports direct at the weekend (the one with the multi-coloured zips) and it looked ok for £60. I was almost tempted.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Here's a fun bit of Goldstein/Nevica history. Back in the 1980s there was a ski magazine called Inside Edge, based in Edinburgh and given away in ski shops. It had a gossip columnist who called himself 'Potz'.
'Potz' has a meaning in Yiddish (look it up). But who was Potz? [$64,000 question]
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Comedy Goldsmith, randomly, your former employer was wittering on about this very subject just the other day. (He himself is not currently using Nevica, needless to say.)
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
Boulevard? It's a bloody boule-de-sac!
Rumour has it that the naming of this thoroughfare ...
... has raised a few ... shall we say ... eyebrows ... in the village.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Comedy Goldsmith wakes from his slumber
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Thanks. Are you supplying Tesco?
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Paul Goldstein's motto used to be 'Pockets mean Profits'.
That's why Nevica skiwear had no shortage of them. Pockets all over the bloody place: pockets for your passports, pockets for your lip salves, pockets for your shades, pockets for suncreams and hangover remedies ... pockets for a range of international currencies in high-denomination banknotes ... etc. etc. etc.
Don't ski without pockets.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Comedy Goldsmith, Clearly you are a walking authority on skiing history in the UK and find the whole subject incredibly interesting. Serious suggestion:
Given that many people feel history is important and should be preserved why don't you set up a website to do just that? UKSkiHistory.info
The information I've seen you post over the years on SH's very much fits into that category, I could see you writing a blog, taking comments, links to articles, video clips, historical anecdotes, all the stuff you know about the history of Lewes, information that sounds like it should all be in one place rather than sprinkled and lost in the melee that is SH's threads.
What do you think?
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
The only thing I'm interested in preserving right now is myself.
But thank you for the suggestion!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Comedy Goldsmith wrote:
Paul Goldstein's motto used to be 'Pockets mean Profits'.
That's why Nevica skiwear had no shortage of them. Pockets all over the bloody place: pockets for your passports, pockets for your lip salves, pockets for your shades, pockets for suncreams and hangover remedies ... pockets for a range of international currencies in high-denomination banknotes ... etc. etc. etc.
Don't ski without pockets.
He was right though, definitely about the pockets and looking at that video, definitely about the profits, and thats why I carried on using my faded strange blue Nevica jacket with dayglo stripe on the back until the outer shell was mostly entirely gaffertape. It had loads of pockets.
Did he not appear in a TV docu thingy at some time about Val d'Isere ?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
This thread promoted me to do a bit of Googling (I was trying to find out more about the various brands of helmets that SD sell).
Now, I was dimly aware that Sports Direct had grown a lot over the last few years but they (and their brand licensing arm) really do own an awful lot of sports brands - http://ibml.co.uk/brands/ including Dunlop, Slazenger and Everlast.
Hot Tuna, No Fear and, of course, Nevica are theirs too. They've swallowed up retailers such as Lillywhites and Field and Trek and they like owning shares in their competitors - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_Direct#Retail.
What does this all mean for the ski gear market? Not sure myself.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Comedy Goldsmith wrote:
Paul Goldstein's motto used to be 'Pockets mean Profits'.
That's why Nevica skiwear had no shortage of them. Pockets all over the bloody place: pockets for your passports, pockets for your lip salves, pockets for your shades, pockets for suncreams and hangover remedies ... pockets for a range of international currencies in high-denomination banknotes ... etc. etc. etc.
Don't ski without pockets.
I would wager that my Marker jacket has more pockets than anything Nevica ever produced..
I once skied with Goldstein and a couple of other mates on a frozen snowy Hampstead Heath in the 1980s. This included the first-known crossing-on-skis of Whitestone Pond (the highest point in London, 400ft above sea level, best snow on upper slopes).
A policeman yelled at me "Oy ... get off that ice ... don't you know you could drown in there?" Whitestone Pond is 60cm deep.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Comedy Goldsmith, good memories!
JohnQ back in those days, well more like 1989, since CharlieQ was just starting to ski (and Nevica outfit was possibly bought from Alpine Sports but can't remember, although do remember spending loads of money in there!).
What does this all mean for the ski gear market? Not sure myself.
Carnage. All of sudden next autumn, 400 SD stores will be knocking out skiwear in a big way and at prices that will make people think twice about what brands they are seen out in. Some stores will have skis, boots, the whole shebang.
I started a thread on here somewhere about it but darned if I can find it just now.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
It'll be interesting to see how Nevica performs in that mass of jumble. A brand-name of global genius - that can never be denied. I don't know to what extent the bubble burst for Nevica, or what the brand was eventually sold for. Anyone know?
It's kind of ironic to know that Nevica will (presumably) be prominent in Lillywhites. Back in the 1970s, Lillywhites was the ski shop for top toffs. At Alpine Sports, where we traded from a ramshackle double-fronted shop in the back end of Brompton Road (No. 309) - not the Harrods bit - right down the far end - we viewed Lillywhites as 'the establishment'. Lillywhites now is quite a shock to the system, but a very intriguing one.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Fri 1-02-13 13:57; edited 1 time in total
After all it is free
After all it is free
Bode Swiller, Yeah I'm still not sure about that - There's sufficient numbers of skiers who think their poo-poo don't stink that they'd never be seen dead in a SD store. Slick website delivered in brown paper packages maybe - plus a bit of Norrona/Kjus knock off styling rather than old school Nevica.
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Priceless
I see the brand new Nevica jacket (which even has a tag inside) is now up to £1.20 on eBay.
Bids close in 25 hours.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Alternatively - for men (or maybe the ladies!) - here's a one-piece, superbly modelled by international ski teacher and BASI level 4 John Gardiner.
Offers invited.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Fri 1-02-13 14:19; edited 1 time in total
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
fatbob, you may have noticed how toned-down the logo is on GB's jacket on Ski Sunday. I think it's going to be more subtle/understated/clean looking. The swing tags will big up the technical story and the price will be almost irresistible. Also SD have no middle-men agents and distributors to worry about (because they own the brand) so I reckon they will seriously stir things up.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Comedy Goldsmith, I hate to break it to you, m8, but at least one person (and any number of cars with police cones on them) has died in Whitestone Pond.
I remember (vaguely) Alpine Sports but for some reason (i) I don't remember it being where you describe and (ii) I don't recall the name with any great fondness. What is it I'm not recalling? Did you have some more dis-reputable branch outlet in North London??
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
RattytheSnowRat, I want to know more about deaths in Whitestone Pond!
Alpine Sports' original shop was at 309 Brompton Road, opposite the Brasserie - which is still there.
But branches of Alpine opened all over the place after that (Holborn was prominent).
Alpine Sports' marketing director Mike Browne founded Snow+Rock.
Right: Whitestone Pond. Deep enough to drown a horse's knee.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much on Fri 1-02-13 14:49; edited 2 times in total
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Bode Swiller, I know the margin advantage they've got but based on what you see with Karrimor which we can take as a proxy the SD designed range is seriously dull whereas "premium branded" walking kit is now rather funky. I'm not sure whether they've really got the design team to match say the operational excellence of a Zara or Primark in apeing the trends. Trespass and Regatta/D2B should be a bit concerned though I think.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Bought my NORCON (?) skateboard helmet at Holborn branch circa 1980
Don't remember skis
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
fatbob, I won't be buying it anyway but I am absolutely riveted by the Whitestone Pond story, aren't you? Sir Tim Berners Lee must sometimes look at what he created and think "f***, I never thought it would go like that"
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Crossing the ice of Whitestone Pond on long skinny skis, with Paul Goldstein egging me on and a police officer yelling at me, was certainly one of my more memorable ski missions. Only 100m from that location are some good bowls (Hampstead Heath is very hilly around there) ... when the powder's down.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Comedy Goldsmith, drunk + after closing + ice + centre of pond + 'crack' + combi of hypothermia and water + prob. hit his head on the ice or the bottom of the pond. I've lived within walking distance of it most of my life and you will be pleased to hear they speant millions tarting it up last year. More people have died in the others Heath ponds, some in the same way as chummy above, some rescuing pets, etc.
The bowl bit you are referring to is on Branch Hill - very tricky when it's covered and a major sledging venue to boot. The big ski site on the Heath is Parliament Hill. Once in the dim and distant past some kind soul set up a petrol driven rope drag tow there and many of us had the untrammelled joy of un-pisted, lift served skiing in (almost) the centre of London for a blissful afternoon. Happy daze ....
Holborn's ringing a bell - I think I had some altercation with a sales guy over whether or not I had bust some piece of kit that fell apart on me - it went on for a while.
RattytheSnowRat, wow, I take it back, and very sad to hear that tale. You'd need some serious intoxication to die in Whitestone Pond.
I cycle past the pond on my way to work in town. Charles Dickens would doubtless have seen ice on that pond - he used to drink at Jack Straw's Castle (next to the pond), which is sadly no longer a pub. The first paragraphs of his first novel Pickwick Papers jovially speculate on the source of the Hampstead Ponds.
Alpine Sports, incidentally, for those who don't know, became the pioneer retailer of skateboard equipment in London. And that unexpected boom (of mega proportions) is how I got into writing for a living ...
Meanwhile, while Paul Goldstein made megabucks with Nevica, I chanced a little importing of the first snowboards and monoskis into the UK. Goldstein called me "an importer of obscure and unsaleable ski products". Can't deny it - the first snowboards were 7 years ahead of any chance of success, back in 1978. Didn't make any money out of that little lark, which I proudly called Snow Motion (with a Barclays chequebook, to boot).
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
RattytheSnowRat, That's well hidden on the internet - the notion intrigued me and I've been looking online, I couldn't find a mention directly linking a death to the pond, people discovered nearby, but no-one actually killed in/by the pond itself.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Sorry ... no way is that pond 10ft deep. It's actually an artificial 'dew pond', which probably dates from the 1700s, used for watering horses that toiled to get coaches and wagons up to that 'summit'.
The main Hampstead ponds, several of which are used for swimming, are far deeper. There have been numerous drownings from people falling beneath the ice on those.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Whitestone Pond is 2' deep maximum, I've seen it empty, concrete lined like a kid's pool at a lido.
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The incident occurred years ago when I was a kid - I walked past them and around the body as I was heading for school and it should have been covered in the Ham and High. I don't know if it got classed as a drowning per se - they may have just classed it as intoxication + misadventure. The pond has always been about mid thigh at its deepest point and, as pointed out, it's existence was down to horses needing to cool off and drink after puffing up the hill - hence the trough also there until recently. There was an equivalent over in Highgate that got covered over as it was a pestilent, diseased pit (now Pond Square). Riders and the Police still use the pond to cool their mounts down.
Not just Dickens - Reynolds, Gainsbough, Keats, Turner and a host of others comprising the great and the good. Elizabeth Taylor almost certainly knew the place as she played in Turner's Wood just down the road as a girl. There have always been a host of show biz people living within walking distance of the pond - Peter O'Toole was proabably the closest in Heath Street. Pete and Dud used to regularly do a lock-in at Turpins which was about the nearest commercial establishment to the pond (approx. 250m down Heath Street). It would not surprise me if the deceased came out of one of their little shindigs.
I, again, have a vague re-call of Snow Motion - did you advertise around the place?
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The pond has a Goldstein link, in that he used to live in a luxury megabucks flat overlooking it - a block called Summit Lodge. I discovered that when seeing an article in the local newspaper about him having a bust-up with the neighbours in there. Another story in the Hampstead & Highgate Express had him furious about a mouse which was running around in the Vue cinema, Finchley Road.
The quiet sedentary life of Metro-Goldstein-Mayer!
But we really ought to be talking about the epic story of Nevica, not ponds or mice running around cinemas.
FAQ
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