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climber
Texas
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Oct 17, 2008 - 04:47pm PT
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Aw, man.
Sad day, indeed.
Alpinist was a bright light, and there were times it touched me deeply. There are words and pictures I've gone back to again and again. I've probably read Voytek Kurktya's article "Losar" a dozen times over the years. I ordered my subscription after being blown away by the History of Big Wall Free Climbing article in Issue 3.
I've been fishing around the net... Mick Ryan mentioned a couple of times on ukclimbing.com that there was a chance this wasn't the end. Beckwith's words on alpinist.com suggest otherwise, though: http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web08f/wfeature-last-one#comments
And here's the Outside article about Alpinist from '05:
http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200503/alpinist_1.html
It mentions in that article that there were only 5,000 subscribers, and they were hoping they would triple that before too long. That was 2005... There are only 9,000 now. I guess the growth they needed just didn't happen... I wonder if they could have survived if the warehouse hadn't burned... I have every issue but one; ordered a T-Shirt, sweatshirt, calendar... Wish I'd done more...
I would say that an early death is better than compromise. But, all things considered, 7 years was all we could really expect. So maybe it wasn't "early." That saddens me as well - that something of such quality and vision can't reasonably expect a long life in today's increasingly commercialized, pop culture driven world.
While the Alpinist shuts its doors, issues of Urban Climber (that I'm getting for free for some reason) pile up in my recycling bin. Something wrong there.
So much waste, so much excess, and yet good things, well-made things, still disappear for want of support.
EDIT:
Just read CMac's post. Perhaps there is hope, after all.
Maybe some sort of fundraiser should/could be organized?
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up2top
Big Wall climber
Phoenix, AZ
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Oct 17, 2008 - 05:09pm PT
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I'll pile on with my condolences, too. It was the only climbing mag I've continued to buy the past few years and it was an OUTSTANDING publication. Not just by climbing industry standards, but by any standards. The publication was on par with the best on any news stand.
Katie, thank you and the others at Alpinist SO much for your hard work and dedication over the years. It will be sad to not be able to pick up a new edition in the future but you guys can be very proud of your efforts.
Ed
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Oct 17, 2008 - 05:25pm PT
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Hi Greg
David - How could there ever be a final issue of Ascent? If Alpinist has shown anything, it's that there is plenty of the "right stuff" floating around out there to fill issues of Ascent into the future. Seems a shame if it just fades away.
The problem isn't a lack of the "right stuff". And perhaps there will someday be another climbing publication to carry on the Ascent/Alpinist tradition. I hope so. But it won't be Ascent, and it won't be Alpinist. Which is not to say it won't be as good, or even better, but it won't be the same. More to the point, it shouldn't try to be the same.
Oh, sure, if you rounded up some dollars you could publish something under one of those names, but why try to relive the past? What is the point of that? Celebrate the past. Honor it. Learn from it.
And then stand on its shoulders in your attempt to reach the next level.
D
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10b4me
climber
the gray bands
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Oct 17, 2008 - 06:08pm PT
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I didn't see any mention of reorganization on the Alpinist site.
maybe I missed it.
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Flashlight
climber
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Oct 17, 2008 - 08:12pm PT
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Liz, e-mail me your snail-mail addy and I'll send you #25.
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Nate Furman
climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Oct 17, 2008 - 08:21pm PT
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As others have noted, this is truly a disappointing turn of events.
I remember seeing Alpinist for the first time at a Barnes and Noble in Redding, California. It shocked the bejesus out of me. It was gorgeous, and I was instantly mesmerized. I ordered a double-triple hot iced latte mochachino and read it from cover to cover. Then bought another copy that didn't have the creases in the binding that I had put in mine.
Reading Alpinist was an emotional experience. Four times a year I got a glimpse into the dreams of others', dreams that I'll never personally realize, but got a vicarious rush all the same.
I used to save all my climbing magazines; rock and ice, climbing, etc. After seeing Alpinist for the first time, I wondered why.
Alpinist has been described as a reader supported magazine, which seems fairly damn true. They didn't publish millions of adds; subscription cards didn't fall out when you opened it; articles were long and well-written; photos were spectacular and the artwork unparalleled.
Even the stupid little caption that sits on the binding was interesting, funny, and insightful. I think those few, colored words probably summarized what climbing was about more that anything other mags have done recently.
Anyway, I would post up $20 as a one time donation to get them going again. Heck, I'd probably throw down $50 or a $100, if I knew it would help.
Time to go re-read the back issues,
Nate
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roy
Social climber
New Zealand -> Santa Barbara
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Oct 17, 2008 - 08:50pm PT
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Alpinist is a spectacular magazine; great images, humour and excellent writing. Those that produced and contributed have reason to be proud; I'm really sorry to see it go.
Roy
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Keeper of Australia Mt
Trad climber
Whitehorse, Yukon , Canada
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Oct 18, 2008 - 06:28pm PT
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No retreat - no surrender. Climbers don't accept the way things are but rather what they can be. If the collective wants Alpinist to survive - it will. Everyday, amazing dudes and lasses are meeting tough challenges and from within - finding ways to surpass a variety of limitations to summitting. This is really no different. I expect the likes of Sue Nott, Karen McNeil, Todd Skinner and others would be kicking our butts and telling us to get on with making it happen. No retreat, no surrender. Few summits are won by retreating at the first sign of adversity. This should simply provoke a creative and sustained collective charge to find a solution.
The quality and value of Alpinist and the people central to its production are seen in Katie's well crafted and passionate words.
We should not let her and ourselves down but meet this front on.
My collection has a few holes as I picked up my first one (10) on a trip to Vancouver and subsequent pickups were based on random trips south. I attempted to purchase a subscription but the system rejected my legit credit card - an e-mail did not produce any response. I never followed up , I suppose thinking that it would always be there and I could always continue to pick up issues on trips south. Things improved when the local bookstore (which is a local legend in terms of what it stocks for mags) started to carry it. I have been meaning to send in a cheque to get issue #20 and will do that next week.
If everyone committed to and followed up with a three year subscription and we met whatever the viable threshold there is for publishing this thing - then it could happen. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE - WHERE THERE IS COLLECTIVE WILL - RESULTS COME IN!
Anything of value IS worth fighting for - our role models are all around us. Let's gear up and go for it!
The Keeper (from Up Over)
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Oct 18, 2008 - 06:36pm PT
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My prescription to Alpinist has about a year to go, so in effect they've already got an advance from me.
There is no information on whether there is any hope of reviving/sustaining Alpinist. That is, whether the owners and management would be interested, and what financial numbers would make it work. Perhaps something can be worked out, whereby a commitment of a set number of subscriptions for a certain period would do it. People could send in the subscriptions, with the money held in trust until it's clear whether or not the plan would work. If it doesn't, of course the money would be returned. It's probably a stretch, but might work.
It's somewhat dismaying that someone noted upthread that Alpinist has only 9,000 subscribers.
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jbar
Mountain climber
Inside my head
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Oct 19, 2008 - 01:39am PT
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"Thats a real shame - one you got past the Americanisms it was a pretty good magazine." quote from UKC
The Poms really love the mag over there though.
It really is a shame. Especially considering the quality of the articles, photos and the stock it was printed on. You could rely on Alpinist to have genuine, cutting edge articles about actual current events. Not just dribble some journalist thought up and got paid to take a vacation to write. Next - Rodale's climbing magazine??
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Estebi
climber
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Oct 19, 2008 - 11:52am PT
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Dear Scared Silly,
How much do you want for Alpinist 1?
I'm looking to buy Alpinist 1, 11, & 15
Very sad about this.
regards,
Esteban
estebanlardone@gmail.com
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Oct 19, 2008 - 09:46pm PT
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hey there chris.. say, an idea worth a try, sounds like...
i dont have many folks interested, but i'll give it a shot, too... as, they just may know more folks, too...
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dogtown
climber
Where I once was,I think?
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Oct 20, 2008 - 01:18am PT
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(Pitty) R.I.P.
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MisterE
Trad climber
My Inner Nut
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Oct 20, 2008 - 01:37am PT
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I just love the British perspective:
"climbers are just naturally tight fisted old gits"
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Oct 20, 2008 - 03:21pm PT
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We should remember the corporate supporters of Alpinist. If I recall rightly, Alpinist didn't have any in-issue advertising for the first eight or ten issues. They might have had some corporate support, though. I don't have any inside knowledge, but believe there was something of a reorganization at that time, and they then started to run ads. But relatively discreet ones, and a relatively small proportion of the total magazine.
Issue 25 contains (in order) ads from Marmot, the North Face, Scarpa, Omega Pacific, Arc'Teryx, W.L. Gore, Black Diamond, Sure Fire (?), Save Our Rivers/New Belgium Brewery, Millet, Sterling Rope, Asolo, Wild Things, "GU", Mountain Hard Wear, Patagonia, and Five Ten. (Insert ™, ®, and © as necessary.) I believe that some of those companies made long-term commitments to Alpinist, and may have paid significantly more for their advertisements than the space and readership warranted, so as to support a quality publication and service. There's still far less advertising than in most publications.
Perhap we should also thank the publisher Marc Ewing, who I believe put quite a lot of money into Alpinist.
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GDavis
Trad climber
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Oct 20, 2008 - 03:38pm PT
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The ads in Alpinist never realy bothered me. It wasn't like they were advertising McDonalds or Match.com. Arcteryx, New Belgium, heck between the magazine and its sponsers I probably spend about a third of my paycheck!
Some ads, like the north face or Mountain Hardwear, have shots almost as cool as the contributing photographers. There is a lot to be said for a full page ad that has Croft and Conrad racking up in the eastern sierras...
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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Oct 20, 2008 - 07:46pm PT
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"The thing I can't stand are those ads for the SUVs where the vehicle is depicted in a pristine wilderness with no tire tracks evident."
Even worse, many of the SUV's are overloaded fat suburban assualt vehicles that likely will never touch a real dirt road.
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