Hills were a BMX shop in Muswell Hill, London, who took to skating in a serious way. Their ads were very professional, but the skater in this shot is uncredited. The ramp is Chingford. Can someone help out with a name, please?
Looking through this advert you can see all the usual suspects and it’s interesting to see that a copy of Transworld would have cost all of £2.50, while Thrasher was £1.75. If that seems like a bargain, bear in mind that R.a.D was only 85p in 1987. A set of Powell Grab Rails would have set you back £7.50, mind.
7 responses to “Hills Skateboard Advert”
Got to be Pete Dosset
Yes, now you point it out, it IS very recognisable, isn’t it.
my brother bought a pink skyway from there.. and mason smith signed my vans..
Skating Alexander Palace a couple of summers ago, broke a kingpin, gutted, and remembered the possibility that this shop might still be around for a replacement. Lo and behold it was, but very different indeed.
They still had a few skate items in the back, but they didn’t sell kingpins, only trucks. It was a gorgeous day and I’d been having such a good session so I decided to buy a new truck just so I could skate. The guy’s attitude was a bit funny, despite me spending £20 on an overpriced Venture instead of £1 on a kingpin.
Anway, it turns out that he only had old stock of trucks, much too wide for my deck. I thought about it, gritted my teeth and decided to go ahead anyway. £20 just for a kingpin, but I needed to keep skating. I shook my head in disbelief at my own stupidity, but knew it would be worth it when I got back to the session at the park.
I asked for some tools and put my deck on the greasy work counter where bike parts were being adjusted so I could get to work.
‘Oh no you don’t’ said the guy, ‘You’ll have to do that outside’.
It turns out that, despite buying out of date, overpriced stock, I wasn’t allowed to work on the same counter as the bike parts simply because I had a skateboard. He clearly communicated that I could do it out in the street but would have to leave a deposit to borrow the tools.
I’d already overstepped my own mark, and refused to undergo further humiliation. I rang my mates at the park and spent the £20 in a pub instead, fury very slowly becoming joviality.
Ah Hill cycles… They always were a bit… funny in there, beck in the neon tail-saver type days. I was Gremming it up in there back in 85. I expect it was the same dudes, maybe not though. Funny that they were still rockin some ancient Venture 10inch trucks, little did they know they coulda been cashing in on the mid-life-crisis skaters like me, some of whom are apparently buying ‘old skool’ things at VAST expense on ebay these days (check skate and annoy’s ebaywatch! over a thousand dollars for a Per Welinder Fstyle deck!)
Hills also had a strange habit of ripping off full-page photos from Transworld (complete with page number and caption) and using them as backdrops for their ads.
Hey thats my pic ! myself and pete dosset spent the day trying to get a decent pic, it was freezing and i remember pete trying new tricks like les twist to tail and making it 1st time…sick.