Nightglow Window

From The Files

Soltex Road Warrior
Notes from rainy England.

Pizza Hut, Manchester, England, Monday, March 1, 1999, 3:43 p.m.
Soltex, found at the end of an eighteen-hour journey, is a bit of a letdown. Manchester, England is a grim, working-class city with dun-colored buildings splattered by rain. The wind is blowing constantly, rising to gale force on occasion, and I wander the streets looking for something to eat. Two cultures separated by a common language; local guidance, where are you?

The show itself is small and diverse, housed under the smooth train-station-like curve of the G-mex building downtown. Snowboarding is located in the glamorous main hall—skiing is mostly relegated to the tent out back. Climbing and snowboarding rule, with surf and ski next, then outdoor.

CEO Robert Marcovitch from Ride is working the booth, hoping to repair some of the damage caused by having his distributor fold last year. He’s showing the colors and it seems to be paying off. The booth is busy.

I don’t understand the UK market, but a marketing manager from a major snowboard brand whispers to me that this is the worst trade show of the season. After the Red Bull incident (A story where SNOWboarding Business seemed to piss off just about the entire UK snowboarding industry), I’m withholding judgment. But a few notes are in order.

The market appears small and tightly knit. It seems everyone knows each other, and business is in that wonderful period when competition is friendly and everyone views themselves in the same boat. It’s weird to walk a show and recognize so few people. Jackie Smith, who works with Smell The Adrenaline distributing Arbor in the UK, says the whole market is probably 12,000 boards—which actually seems a bit optimistic to me.

I’m confused about which way to look when I cross the street. Hope I make it back to the show okay.

The Britannia Hotel, Manchester, England, Tuesday, March 2, 2:15 a.m.
Pretty hammered, so this will be short. Mental note: when talking to your hosts try not to poke a stick in their eye. When asked what I thought of the show, I ignorantly and blithely replied: “Seems like a lot of hassle for 12,000 boards.” James Curleigh, head of Salomon U.K., looked like he swallowed a shot of piss. Brad Steward rolled his eyes. Later, Bonfire’s Barb Allen gave me a look that says “trouble maker” all over it.

Curleigh does us both a favor and tries to clue me in: the UK market is dominated by three chains: Boardwise (five stores), Boarded Up (six stores), and Snowboard Asylum (eleven stores). Together they control 30 percent of the UK business with the remaining 50 independent stores nabbing the rest. Everyone from England must travel to ride, which makes the demographic older and more affluent. However, there’s a hardcore dry-slope scene that drives the freestyle market. Kids get good on the dry slope then hit the real stuff and rarely go back. Everyone likes to own their own gear—rentals are for poseurs. When someone from the UK says they’ve been snowboarding three times, it probably means they’ve been on three week-long trips.

Curleigh introduces me to Alan Green, owner of A4 distribution, which handles Atlantis, Sessions, Etnies, and some other solid brands. The more I hear—especially from the likes of Green—the more embarrassed I get about my previous comment. So why not go drinking?

After a dinner of Mexican food, we head over to the Rusty party in a smoky, crowded bar where the girls are pretty but thick-limbed and dance with themselves. But the town is nothing if not friendly: three strange-looking women ask me if I’m “looking for a good time” as I stumble home.

The street-crossing thing is still worrying me, but the French fries (chips) are cheap and the shop is open all night.

Manchester Airport, Monday March 3, 8:15 a.m.
Mission accomplished. The agenda has been 21 German retailers, another Mexican food dinner, too many shots of tequila, then a cleansing concert, late-night intoxication and early morning hangover tempered by adrenaline rush to catch the plane.

The UK market faces many the same issues you find everywhere, but somehow the camaraderie and market size makes it all seem more manageable.

I’m still pretty clueless about the intricacies, but Soltex has put the UK on the map for me—and I’m stoked. Before hitting the rack five hours ago, I left a note at the hotel front desk for Steward: “Sure seems like a lot of fun for 12,000 boards.” Still trying to make amends.

Secretly I’m glad. My misstep has led to a parade of knowledgeable folks telling me what’s up—all in a stoked, friendly way. I now understand that even though UK snowboarders might get three feet of fresh in Switzerland, it’s the trip to Scotland where the entire run is actually covered with snow that will stick in their minds. It’s quaint in a non-condescending way. I may not know what “Hud ‘at ye Bam” actually means, but I know to duck when I hear it.

Sometimes, you just gotta get on a plane to figure out what’s up.