|
bradhill
Aug 28, 2002, 10:27 PM
Post #1 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 22, 2002
Posts: 486
|
The site's been up for a while, hinting at things to come, but they've finally got a sample issue and subscription form online. First issue to come out in November.
Looks to be good.
www.alpinist.com
|
|
|
|
|
kman
Aug 30, 2002, 7:18 AM
Post #2 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 16, 2001
Posts: 2561
|
"copy of da first one ar da oe show.....fluff...... " Wtf are you talking about?? You bin watchin to much Jenny Jones or what??
|
|
|
|
|
mainline
Sep 6, 2002, 7:58 PM
Post #3 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 30, 2002
Posts: 161
|
I got a copy of issue #0 and thought it was great. High quality pics and first hand stories from some of the best climbers in the business. I also liked that there were no ads, although I've heard this will change.
|
|
|
|
|
alpineice
Sep 6, 2002, 8:23 PM
Post #4 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 30, 2002
Posts: 30
|
I have read Issue #1. It had some interesting stories, info, etc in it, but not that much content to make it worth the price. I really do hope that they do alright though because it's great to have a mag all about alpinism.
[ This Message was edited by: alpineice on 2002-09-06 13:24 ]
|
|
|
|
|
john1987
Sep 8, 2002, 6:44 PM
Post #5 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 27, 2002
Posts: 613
|
Way to much cash for a magizine subscription
John
|
|
|
|
|
climbchick
Sep 9, 2002, 3:51 AM
Post #6 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 29, 2001
Posts: 808
|
JEEEEZ, that's ridiculously expensive . . . but if I like the preview, I'll prob get a subscription because there's nothing else out there like that, is there?
|
|
|
|
|
rockprodigy
Sep 17, 2002, 3:38 PM
Post #7 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 10, 2002
Posts: 1540
|
If you think it costs too much, then you're missing the boat. Alpinist caters to people who are used to paying $300 for one ice tool...not bouldering weenies who are too cheap to buy a rope and 12 quickdraws.
|
|
|
|
|
frostbite
Sep 18, 2002, 6:55 PM
Post #8 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 18, 2002
Posts: 10
|
Just because somebody is charging $300 for a tool doesn't make it right. Is this a sport that's about conquering the mountain, the goals, and yourself or is this a marketing scheme?
|
|
|
|
|
rockprodigy
Sep 18, 2002, 7:23 PM
Post #9 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 10, 2002
Posts: 1540
|
I don't think it has anything to do with right or wrong, it's just the way it is. Mountain biking and skiing are relatively inexpensive because so many people do those sports, ice climbing is just the opposite. Gear is made in limited quanitities, so it costs more...these guys aren't making a killing. All I'm saying is Alpine climbers won't think twice about paying 12.95 for a good mag. I hope that the mag stays afloat because I'm getting sick of Climbing and R&I which are starting to look like Outside.
|
|
|
|
|
tim
Sep 18, 2002, 7:54 PM
Post #10 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 4, 2002
Posts: 4861
|
It will fold, just like Boulderdash and all the other good rags, but it will be a lovely ride on the way down. I signed up for it. Always wanted to see some Dean Potter TR's.
Too many posers (Outside consumers) and not enough dirtbags (Boulderdash, Grimper, etc.) to support an honest rag. R&I *might* be okay though, if they keep themselves honest.
Alpinist is already committed to being hard and it will be a tough sell at $11 not to.
|
|
|
|
|
bradhill
Sep 18, 2002, 8:09 PM
Post #11 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 22, 2002
Posts: 486
|
A lot of alpinists, probably the majority who aren't full-time sponsored climbers or work at gear shops, are a bit older and have professional-type, well paying jobs. (doctors, researchers, programmers) We're weekend warrior who get out on one or two big trips a year, and we like to make them big. Maybe there's a mental aspect of alpinism that attracts this type of person, maybe we do it to prove to ourselves we're not just white-collar wussies.
Me? I'm a programmer with more than enough money and not enough free time and the economy these days doesn't let one trade these back and forth as easily as it once did. Yeah, I'd rather climb. But we don't all want to live out of a van with a dozen QDs and a rope as our worldly posessions. It has it's appeal, but not forever.
Alpinists have closets and garages (or whole houses) full of trad gear, ice gear, aid gear, snow gear, ropes, winter clothing, skis, haul sleds, boots, packs, tents, bags, etc.. and huge shelves of books on climbing and alpinism.
My big trip this year to the Canadian Rockies was a bust due to bad weather. So, with all my vacation time burned, I'll gladly pay a few bucks to have something to feed my obsession, inspire and amaze me, and give me ideas for next season. Especially if you're the type of person who would pay their own way for a climbing trip to South America or Asia, $13 is squat for beta. Even an easy climb might totally trash or have you leaving five times that much worth of gear anyway.
Alpinism is expensive. No way around it.
|
|
|
|
|
rockprodigy
Sep 18, 2002, 8:25 PM
Post #12 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 10, 2002
Posts: 1540
|
Brad understands what I'm talking about.
|
|
|
|
|
tradguy
Sep 18, 2002, 8:26 PM
Post #13 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 22, 2002
Posts: 526
|
Alpinist is being published by Marc Ewing, co-founder of Red Hat. He's loaded (even after the stock market crash), so I don't think we'll have to worry about the mag folding anytime soon. As long as they stay true to their audience and the journalistic ideals they claim to aspire to, they will have a loyal, though potentially limited, following.
Personally, I'm happy to pay the $12 cover price for a magazine worthy of displaying on my coffee table, rather than the gearshop ad collage that Climbing and R&I have degenerated into.
|
|
|
|
|
frostbite
Sep 18, 2002, 9:26 PM
Post #14 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 18, 2002
Posts: 10
|
If you want to make a magazine that appeals exclusively to 10% of the climbing population who has over 70% of disposable income and call it fair, then that's fine.
But, you cannot possibly justify a company charging $13 when all of the other companies are producing magazines which have more content and which are more expensive to make at a lower price.
The way Brad is voicing it, it is a magazine that appeals to the BMW community and unfortuntely there's a lot more climbers out there driving Toyota's than BMWs.
As long as people out there are willing to pay $13 for a magazine or $300 for an ice tool, then the price will always be higher. But, as soon members of the climbing population grab hold of their balls and say f*ck these major corporations who are bending us all over before, during, and after every climb we make, then prices will drop and gear will be available to more people.
Then this pristine sport will be opened up for those who come from less fortunate circumstances than the minute segment of the population who has a level of income that justifies paying $13 for a magazine that costs $2 to write.
An worst of all, supporting a $13 magazine is doing nothing but supporting the commercialization of a sport that represents anything but commercial activities.
If you're a big fan of that idea, then why don't we all just pitch in and start a magazine called GQ Climbers, get Sylvester Stalone to pose on the cover sporting his "bolt gun," charge $50 for the magazine, and retire millionaires.
[ This Message was edited by: frostbite on 2002-09-18 14:34 ]
|
|
|
|
|
tradguy
Sep 18, 2002, 10:02 PM
Post #15 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 22, 2002
Posts: 526
|
Frostbite:
Chill dude. It's not like the magazine is essential climbing equipment that you need to buy. It's a freaking magazine!! If you don't want to pay $13, don't buy it.
And before you go spouting off a bunch of ignorant BS about a publication you clearly know nothing about, you might consider doing a little research.
Alpinist is not going to be, and frankly isn't trying to be your typical climbing rag. It isn't going to be packed with commercial ads for junk we don't want or need (thus the need for higher price tag), isn't going to have a bunch of worthless comp results that only 1% of climbers actually care about, and isn't going to be just another pick of the litter publication fit for the shelves at your dentist's office. Unlike those other options out there, Alpinist will hopefully be an artistic work that appeals to the finer points of climbing: aesthetic beauty, purity, and inspiration.
Christ, look at the title: ALPINIST This ain't your trashdog dirtbag bouldering sport climb rag. If you can't understand that, it isn't written for you.
In addition, unlike other climbing publications, Alpinist will accept and publish articles and photos from the general public, and PAY them for it!
Get a grip, and if you feel like educating yourself, check out their mission statement. Maybe you'll learn something:
Alpinist Magazine
|
|
|
|
|
bradhill
Sep 18, 2002, 10:12 PM
Post #16 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 22, 2002
Posts: 486
|
Sorry you have such a chip on your shoulder, frostbite.
Face it, not many people would alpine climb even if the gear were free. It takes a lot of commitment, a wide array of skills and knowledge and a big heaping helping of suffering.
Most people don't like to be freezing cold for days at a time or sleeping in nasty little ice caves. Most people don't like fifteen mile, steep, off-trail, bushwhack approaches with a sixty pound pack to climb one or two pitches of chossy 5.6. They don't like spending three days in the rain stuffed in a claustrophobic bivy sack or their whole two week vacation in the car or a little tent waiting out bad weather. They don't like hours of scary exposure with little or no pro. Or having their life threatened by a turn of the weather.
It's going to be a small community, and the gear has little crossover appeal to other folks. Adventure racing is an elite community, too, but you can sell "adventure racer" shoes to mall-walkers and soccer moms. North Face has done a good job with making 8000 meter down coats a fashion item, but double plastics and crampons are a hard sell.
If there's no economies of scale, specialized gear is going to be expensive. Does this exclude some people from the sport who would enjoy it if they could afford it? Yes. Are there some things that are expensive just because they can be? (#*#@(@& pitons!) Yes. Is it a deliberate conspiracy by rich yuppies to keep the dirtbags off the mountains? No.
We kinda envy the dirtbags, actually; our lives are just in different places.
|
|
|
|
|
cedk
Sep 18, 2002, 10:13 PM
Post #17 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 31, 2001
Posts: 516
|
I think what Frostbite fears, and rightly so, is a sort of Robb Report with ropes. Such a magazine would be truly disgusting and would certainly deserve to fail, but maybe you'll get lucky and this won't be such a magazine.
I say you because there's no way in hell I'm paying almost the price of a #3 Friend for a 4 issue subscription.
|
|
|
|
|
tim
Sep 18, 2002, 10:28 PM
Post #18 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 4, 2002
Posts: 4861
|
They dropped the subscription price to $25?
|
|
|
|
|
topher
Sep 18, 2002, 10:45 PM
Post #19 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 19, 2002
Posts: 477
|
to the guy that said mt. biking is inexpensive i say other wise. when my down hill bike was just over 4g can and it lasted just about 2 seasons of racing thats not cheap. and this is not including all the parts i hade to replace due to breaking and what not!!! cheap my ass. ice climbing is expensive but so is almost every thing.
|
|
|
|
|
dsafanda
Sep 18, 2002, 11:00 PM
Post #20 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 6, 2002
Posts: 1025
|
re.'you cannot possibly justify a company charging $13 when all of the other companies are producing magazines which have more content "
No offense but you couldn't be more clueless.
The number of pages is not the same thing as "content". There are many people who will gladly pay more for a quality magazine that has gorgeous climbing photography and good writing instead of endless reports on who flashed what V"Who gives a shit". The people that produce such a magazine are photographers and writers who are passionate about their sport. They deserve to be paid for their talents. Do you really think they're getting rich working for a climbing rag.
|
|
|
|
|
csoles
Sep 18, 2002, 11:10 PM
Post #21 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 8, 2002
Posts: 329
|
LOL, the kids on this site are funny. Pathetic whiners, but funny. A more accurate description of Alpinist might be "Surfer's Journal for real climbers." It's a quarterly that will contain a max of 12 full page advertisements (no partials). The paper and printing quality will blow Climbing and R&I away--won't be hard to improve on the writing. The preview issue was just a teaser. Wait for the first issue before you diss what you don't know about. I have no connection but did put a bumper sticker on my truck.
|
|
|
|
|
dsafanda
Sep 18, 2002, 11:18 PM
Post #22 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 6, 2002
Posts: 1025
|
Absolutley!! But how you gonna explain the benenfit of quality paper to 13 year old pad people? No worries...they're not the target audience.
|
|
|
|
|
tim
Sep 18, 2002, 11:46 PM
Post #23 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 4, 2002
Posts: 4861
|
yay Clyde! bite the hand that feeds ya!
(I subscribed already... between Alpinist and Couloir I figure I'm set for road trip ideas)
If you don't get it, then... don't get it.
|
|
|
|
|
dsafanda
Sep 18, 2002, 11:54 PM
Post #24 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 6, 2002
Posts: 1025
|
Winter isn't too far away. Already dreaming about free-heeling.
|
|
|
|
|
cedk
Sep 19, 2002, 3:49 PM
Post #25 of 32
(5925 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 31, 2001
Posts: 516
|
I keep hearing "the writing sucks" and "there's too many advertisements"
Personally I don't think the writing in the mags is bad but I also don't read a climbing mag trying to find great literature. I read them for information. The route topos for instance. The R&I cam review with the size chart, that was nice too I thought. Actually if you need to eliminate ads to provide unbiased gear reivews then I'd say that's a good idea but if you think Conrad Anker dancing around in Koflach and a smoking jacket ruins the artistic integrity, then I'd say who cares.
If you guys really feel the need for great literature and no ads I guess I need to clue you in to the library. Most citys have them and they're full of books. Go down and look for books that have won the Pulitzer or Nobel prizes in literature, though I'm sure students of the arts such as yourselves have read most of them you can probably still find a gem or two. The writing will be first rate and there will be hundreds of pages without a single ad.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
