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Chris McNamara
SuperTopo staff member
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 20, 2009 - 11:05pm PT
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alpinist Re-launched by Owners of Backcountry, Telemark Skier Magazines
Jeffersonville, Vermont—January 16, 2009—Height of Land Publications (HOL), owners of Backcountry and Telemark Skier Magazines, closed on a deal today that lays the groundwork for the resurrection of Alpinist Magazine.
Alpinist, a premium quarterly celebrating mountaineering and the climbing life, closed its doors this fall, just prior to the release of Issue 26. The new owners, HOL, plan to release Issue 26 on March 1, and will honor all current subscriptions.
"Alpinist fits perfectly into our family," says HOL president and publisher Jon Howard. "We feel climbers, mountaineers, and backcountry and freeheel skiers all share the same DNA. It's, at times, about being bold; at times about being cautious. Kind of like how we do business."
And at HOL, they feel it's a great time to be bold.
Jon and HOL partner and Backcountry editor Adam "Howie” Howard are currently in negotiations with the editorial staff at Alpinist to determine who will be at the helm.
"We've asked Christian Beckwith to stay on as Editor," Adam says. "I reached him in Mexico where he's doing some non-profit work. After seven years of grinding, he's enjoying some relative downtime. But he's genuinely excited that we're carrying his creation forward. We'll be meeting in person in the next few weeks. Should he not come on full time, Alpinist readers can be assured that someone of comparable skills and pedigree will fill his shoes."
Readers can also look forward to the same quality of paper and a large format size.
"We want to honor what the Alpinist team has done," Jon says. "It's a piece of art. And we plan keep it that way."
Stay tuned to Backcountrymagazine.com and Alpinist.com for more information.
—30—
To subscribe to the new Alpinist at the SPECIAL re-launch price of only $30 for one year, call 888-424-5857.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Jan 20, 2009 - 11:13pm PT
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Quarterly?
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Brian
climber
Cali
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Jan 20, 2009 - 11:49pm PT
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Great news!
Everyone out there who wished they had helped to keep Alpinist from folding the first go around, it's time to pony up your money and subscribe. I've got a year or two left on my subscription and I'll still fork over another year's worth to help 'em out.
Brian
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Jan 20, 2009 - 11:52pm PT
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If making it a quarterly is what will keep it alive, then I'm all about a quarterly.
Guess CB has to go back to work now though:(
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jfs
Trad climber
Upper Leftish
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Jan 21, 2009 - 01:41am PT
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Yaaaaayyyyy! bump.
=)
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Salamanizer
Trad climber
Vacaville Ca,
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Jan 21, 2009 - 01:53am PT
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I'm not sure if I can hold my breath until March 1.
Awesome!
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TYeary
Mountain climber
Calif.
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Jan 21, 2009 - 02:08am PT
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While I am holding my breath, it is good news.
Tony
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Michael Hjorth
Trad climber
Copenhagen, Denmark
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Jan 21, 2009 - 03:18am PT
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Today is a great day for America - and for the world! On more than one level.
And if there is any truth in the good Alpinist news, I think we should all back the new owners up and subscribe! 9000 was a joke - we can do better!
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jan 21, 2009 - 03:35am PT
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Hmmm, I wonder what they paid for it? I've got some money and I have launched magazines (as editor) in California, Britain and Ireland.
Guess I missed out on that one.
I remember about 15 years ago when the Irish Examiner, a daily based out of Cork, was up for sale for around £500,000 (Irish punts at the time). If I had the money or backing I may have gone for it. Thomas Crosbie Holdings bought it and it is now doing okay, in fact I prefer it over the Irish Independent and The Irish Times as they are both 'West Britain' titles. At least the Examiner is Irish-centric, so to speak.
Best wishes to the 'new' Alpinist. Hopefully they can keep the editorial team, or at least the core, on board, as it was a fine magazine.
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dogtown
climber
Cheyenne,Wyoming
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Jan 21, 2009 - 03:39am PT
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Anyone know what company will be printing it?
I may need a job soon.
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fowweezer
Trad climber
Pleasant Grove, UT
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Jan 21, 2009 - 06:55am PT
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The magazine was always a quarterly, so that's actually no change.
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Prod
Trad climber
A place w/o Avitars apparently
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Jan 21, 2009 - 08:02am PT
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Very happy to hear this. Sure would be nice if they did some re-prints of older issues as well. There is a Issue 0 on ebay with a buy it now of $69, the last 0 went for $90+/-. I could care less if I get a re print or an original, I just want to have and read them.
Great mag.
Prod.
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Mick Ryan
Trad climber
Kendal, English Lake District
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Jan 21, 2009 - 08:29am PT
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Good piece here by our Editor on the climbing media.
http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/older.html?month=01&year=2009#n45578
Jan 21: Alpinist Magazine Set to Rise From The Ashes
by Jack Geldard - Editor - UKC
Height of Land Publications (HOL), owners of Backcountry and Telemark Skier Magazines, have finalised a deal that lays the groundwork for the resurrection of Alpinist Magazine.
Alpinist closed its doors last November, just prior to the release of Issue 26. The new owners, HOL, plan to release Issue 26 on March 1, and have stated that they will honour all current subscriptions.
"Alpinist fits perfectly into our family," says HOL president and publisher Jon Howard. "We feel climbers, mountaineers, and backcountry and freeheel skiers all share the same DNA. It's, at times, about being bold; at times about being cautious. Kind of like how we do business."
Jon and HOL partner and Backcountry editor Adam "Howie” Howard are currently in negotiations with the editorial staff at Alpinist to determine who will be at the helm.
"We've asked Christian Beckwith to stay on as Editor," Adam says. "I reached him in Mexico where he's doing some non-profit work. After seven years of grinding, he's enjoying some relative downtime. But he's genuinely excited that we're carrying his creation forward. We'll be meeting in person in the next few weeks. Should he not come on full time, Alpinist readers can be assured that someone of comparable skills and pedigree will fill his shoes."
Their plan is to keep the magazine size and paper quality to the same high standard.
"We want to honour what the Alpinist team has done," Jon says. "It's a piece of art. And we plan keep it that way."
The interplay and roles of the climbing media were really hammered home to me in a recent international meeting of climbing editors in the USA. Meeting and climbing with the staff of Alpinist, Desnivel, and many other publications, I became acutely aware that each media fills a very individual role.
The American Alpine Journal (AAJ) and, to a smaller extent, the British Alpine Journal, do a fantastic job of maintaining the historical record of world mountaineering, but after the sudden announcement of the closure of Alpinist, I wondered who would take over in bringing that information to climbers on a more regular basis? The Alpinist website was kept up to date by the tireless efforts of Erik Lambert, and with his work gone, an information gap could occur.
Step in Mr Mountain Info himself, Lindsay Griffin. Lindsay is a walking mountain encyclopaedia, well known for his guidebook work and of course the monthly feature in Climb Magazine - Mountain Info. Lindsay has taken a role with the BMC, keeping their website hot with news of world class mountaineering ascents.
Alex Messenger of the BMC commented: "Hopefully Lindsay is a permanent thing. We've signed him up to write detailed news items to build up a reliable source of mountaineering news."
In the UK, guidebooks, magazines and websites do a great job of keeping the historical record of our rock climbing up to date. We have a wealth of information, literally at our finger-tips. The load is shared between various types of media. No magazine or website takes on the responsibility of being a comprehensive record of all activity, but between us all, we seem to do okay. But what if one of us were to close?
Climber Magazine have just announced that they are looking for a new editor (UKC News Item), which shows how quickly things can change in the climbing media world. So while we at UKClimbing.com are looking forward to the return of Alpinist, we are also aware that in the current economic climate, anything could happen. We wish them the best of luck.
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Radish
Trad climber
Seki, California
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Jan 21, 2009 - 11:17am PT
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I remember when Climbing magazine got sold to some mass media publication company who also handled bowhunting and knitting. Something got lost in there somewhere. I hope that not only the quality of the photos and the format are the same, but also the choice of photos and articles. I think I'll wait and see.........
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day
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Jan 21, 2009 - 11:21am PT
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I hope they don't forget that they owe me 5 issues on my subscription.
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micronut
Trad climber
fresno, ca
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Jan 21, 2009 - 11:25am PT
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Great news! I felt like a part of me died when they went under. Looking forward to the first new copy.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Jan 21, 2009 - 11:26am PT
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Radish, can you imagine shooting knitting needles out of a bow?
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Jan 21, 2009 - 11:29am PT
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That's awesome, I hope they can maintain the quality of the original.
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Prod
Trad climber
A place w/o Avitars apparently
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Jan 21, 2009 - 11:36am PT
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Twisted,
The article says that they will honor all existing subscriptions.
Prod.
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Forest
Trad climber
Tucson, AZ
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Jan 21, 2009 - 02:21pm PT
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my subscription had just lapsed prior to the collapse. Where do I sign up?
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Phil1465
Trad climber
Brooklyn
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Jan 21, 2009 - 04:13pm PT
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Thats very good news about the Alpinist!
Now if they can only bring back "The Montain Yodel"
Ahhhhhhhhhh now there was a climbing mag
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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Jan 21, 2009 - 06:05pm PT
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Great news. The only climbing mag the Mrs and I read anymore.
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10b4me
Ice climber
the sads
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Jan 21, 2009 - 06:10pm PT
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fyi, for those of us that are backcountry skiers, Backcountry recently bought Couloir magazine. There are now only two bc magazines out there. Backcountry, and Telemark. both onwed by Backcountry.com
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Thorgon
Big Wall climber
Sedro Woolley, WA
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Jan 22, 2009 - 12:42am PT
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That is stellar, I know I have read
a few cracks about Alpinist, but I
thought it was a niche that nobody
was filling! Big walls in remote
places, that is interesting to me,
call me crazy, O.K. don't!
Thor
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gee double
climber
victor idaho
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I am a subscriber...Where is my new issue?
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TYeary
climber
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fyi everyone,
I spoke with Denise, in subscriptions at HOL, and was told all subscriptions will be honored. They will start with #26. She told me I had four issues left on my current subscription, which was correct. So it seems they are on the up'n'up.
Tony
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Handjam Belay
Gym climber
expat from the truth
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KELLY FUQN CORDES FOR EDITOR
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Brian
climber
Cali
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I second Kelly, if he wants a "full time" job that is.
Brian
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Michael Hjorth
Trad climber
Copenhagen, Denmark
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Today is March 1st, and it's been a while since the announcement of "Alpinst to be re-launced".
Any news out there?
Should I wait for my prepaid 10 issues, or is it more likely that the S.T.-published issue 13 will come first?
Michael
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James
climber
My twin brother's laundry room
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Sounds accurate. I know Katie Ives and others are working hard to make this magazine a viable source for climbing information.
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Katie_I
Mountain climber
Wyoming
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Hey all,
We're working on Issue 26. It had been on the presses in October when Alpinist folded. But, as we found out recently, a large number of the original Issue 26 articles had been sold to other mags while Alpinist was closed (and have since appeared or are forthcoming now in those publications). So we're now re-editing and redesigning the issue to fill in those gaps. And some contributors are working hard to finish replacement articles. I'll let you know as soon as we get a sense of the print date. We're aiming, now, for early April.
Thanks so much for your patience and support. It's exciting to get Alpinist going again. We hope to make the magazine worthy of all of you. Advice of all kinds is welcome....
best,
Katie Ives
katie.r.ives@gmail.com
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Michael Hjorth
Trad climber
Copenhagen, Denmark
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Thank you for good answers; looking foreward.
The prepayed issues are not the most important; would be OK to re-contribute for a viable and good magazine. Just need to know if there is anything I should do to stay on.
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Katie_I
Mountain climber
Wyoming
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Dear Michael,
All old Alpinist subscriptions will be fulfilled by the new Alpinist folks, so if you have a subscription already, you should be set to get Issue 26, etc., when it goes to print.
Thanks for your support,
Katie
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Katie_I
Mountain climber
Wyoming
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Thanks. That's how I feel. I've never been so happy working on a beautiful Sunday before in my life. =)
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Is there anything like a sample issue? I'm in a position to throw down for something on the lines of the old mag, but I don't want to buy into a 'Rock and climbing' kind of deal. Can we still get the hats? I'd pay full price for a sample.
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J. Werlin
climber
Cedaredge
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Welcome back Katie.
Can't wait for the Phoenix Issue.
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Bullwinkle
Boulder climber
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Corprate art still sucks. DF
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Katie_I
Mountain climber
Wyoming
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Dear Jaybro,
I'll bring up the idea of a sample copy.
There's no intention to make Alpinist like other magazines. I know that Adam Howard, the Backcountry-Alpinist editorial director, wants to preserve the qualities that formed the essence of the old Alpinist--that emphasis on the human experience and internal adventure of climbing, that effort to push boundaries both in the mountains and at the crags--as well as at the level of words and art and creative expression--that determination to attempt to rise to the level of the world's wildest and most compelling places, whether those are in remote regions or in our backyards or within our dreams. To quote Matt Samet's editorial about Alpinist in Climbing (272), it's about "the duty of a vertical publication to inspire the imagination."
We feel that duty keenly.
What Alpinist has, as a reader-supported quarterly, is that incredible, uncommon privilege of nearly unrestricted creative freedom--and of a much longer time span--to explore new ideas, to try to craft deeply envisioned narrative, to seek out authenticity and integrity, to put art above commercialism, to turn breaking news into in-depth, carefully thought-out feature stories. To reach for the timeless, rather than the time-bound. And we owe this privilege to readers like you.
We're still aiming for the best quality imagery and the best storytelling that we and our contributors can achieve. There may be a couple more ads to help pay the bills, but the magazine's ethos and overall appearance will be the same. We'd like, of course, to keep striving to make Alpinist better--to find new ways to get closer to expressing the heart of the climbing experience.
Of course it’s a tough economy, and it will be an adventure in its own way--we want to carry it out successfully and in the best style we can. To do so we'll definitely need help from our subscribers, our readers, our writers and from all the people who have advised us in the past. I've always felt as though Alpinist was a community effort (as certainly the numbers of folks on this site who assisted me and Tommy Caldwell in researching, collecting and fact-checking stories for the El Cap issue can attest--I’m very grateful). And in return, we’ve wanted each issue to be a service to the community, reflecting your climbing lives and your voices; preserving the rich legacy of climbing’s history; and also, we’ve hoped, helping to inspire and enrich your own future dreams.
Issue 26 will be a hybrid--a mixture of the articles originally slated under the old Alpinist, as well as new ones to replace stories that were lost to other mags, while Alpinist was closed. So please, when it does arrive (and it may take more than a month now--sorry--between the writers finishing their new stories; the designer adding them to the issue; and the printers and distributors getting the issue to you), let us know what we can do better. Alpinist exists, above all, for its readers. We want to be worthy of you, if we can.
best,
Katie
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Thanks, Katie, that's exactly what I needed to read. i'll send $, for a year, anyway.
Please, keep up the good work!
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Katie_I
Mountain climber
Wyoming
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Thanks, Jaybro. =)
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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de nada, Katie. =)
edit;
I signed up and threw ($) down. This was the coolest climbing journal ever, the best melange of Ascent, Mountain, Vertical, with the highlights of 'off Belay', 'Summit' , even 'Climbing' and 'R & I'. A bit of National geographic production values as well. A high bar, and we aren't talking Limbo!
Good luck, we all need this!
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Katie_I
Mountain climber
Wyoming
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I know you're working hard, Tami--can't wait to read the article. I have to go back to work, too. I have four articles to edit all at once, and my head's spinning. =)
back to it, then,
Katie
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Bullwinkle
Boulder climber
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Tami what I mean is art is not made for profit, we make it because we have to, Alpinist was made because CB, et al, had to make it.
Corprations by their very definition are out to make a profit, not "art" MONEY which always seems to trump the "soul" or the "truth"
Alpinist went under because it did not make a "profit" the new owners are already selling AD space, yes folks more underware and black down jackets. And if they need to change the "content" to sell more mag's well, remember what the corprate bottom line is. . . money. . .
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there... this is very nice to know...
say katie... good wishes and the best, to all your edit work that you got....
nice to know, once again, that the magazine is setting-sail for adventure... the ol' rock-climbing way...
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Conrad
climber
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Nice news Katie.
Is Ed Webster's mountain profile still in for 26?
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Katie_I
Mountain climber
Wyoming
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Ed's piece will be in 26. =)
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pip the dog
Mountain climber
planet dogboy
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good to hear. especially as they still owe me 8 or 9 issues.
me, i always liked the photos and the quality of the printing. the text varied all over the place -- from truly outstanding to truly lame.
pay a bit more attention to who writes (and, equally or more importantly, who edits those who write) and you might well end up with the best mountain mag ever.
will the newswire be resurrected? always my first read in the morning, BITD. learned of all manner of great stuff there.
^,,^
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