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Making a better ski mag.

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rockymountainmilitia
Posts: 2706 - Karma: 12
I wrote this as a reply to the freeze thread but I thought it was a good topic for discussion what could the mags do better and some good pointers on what they can feature in future issues. Anyone with ideas give'er. I wrote alot, but I think the ideas a good.

I like the set up of alot of surf mags. relevant issues, cool surfspot right ups and always one issue a month on exploration. heres some of my ideas.

1. true life stories from the pros. I bet Seth could tell some good stories. TW Surf has a sick true life from pros and readers, horror sotries and just cool times. it is great everytime.

2. A page on under the radar mountains, all over the world. There is a butload of mountains in western canada that never get mentioned, Its always whistler this whistler that. Whistler has had it. Its packed and its got more flair then Mr. T. Fernie, Kicking Horse, Louise, Whitewater, Red Mountain. Thats 5, theres like 50.

3. Pros girls. One of the surf mags has this cool peice are the pros wives and girlfriends. its cool to read.

4. I think it was ski time that did a quiver shoot with some of the pros. Sick IDEA. certain skis for certain conditions or places. Skis that they love to ride cuz they are there special sticks etc.

5. A couple page trick tip section with relevant new tricks. Josh Kerr an aussie surfer always did em for one of the surf magazines in australia and they were sick. He explained the basics and then how to put his flair on the tricks.

6. A guide to mountain towns. Freeskier could collect enough junk on the regional forums about cool places to hang out for apre ski and cool shit around the mountains from a locals perspective that kinda stuff makes a road trip alot more enticing.

7. A whats up over the season. On site with PBP (any film company) with a behind the scenes look on the new flick.

8. 24hrs with a pro

9. Ski Mags gotta step up their new gear issue. One sentence of a small paragraph about a skis graphic and unchanged core isnt gonna help me. Im sure everyone has hear od the TW good wood award. There are a butt load of skis on the market now. test em all, mention them all and write about the top 25. 3 testers for guys sticks, 3 for girls. Mention the skiers weight, height and past skiing history. racer, freestyle etc. Give awards for best bang for your buck (cheapest) and the best overall ski.

10. Jump on enviro issues. Like the jumbo super resort going up in BC or the revelstoke resort 2hrs down the road. I want to now about this shit. and shedding light on the subject with a page or multipage article about whats happening, the issues and exactly what the resort is offering would be sick. Jumbo is going to be absolutley massive. check it out.
http://www.jumboglacierresort.com/

I am sure other people have some ideas, I like what skis mags are doing now and I know skiiing isnt even close to as big as skiing, skating or surfing, but some of the ideas above are not expensive to do. Anyways others with ideas please share em. I wrote too much.
Mar 6 2006 11:45PM
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B.L.A.K.E
Posts: 932 - Karma: 27
i totally agree with most of this even though some mags already have some of what you talked about, a better non who bought the most ads in the magazine, ski review is in need.
Mar 6 2006 11:50PM
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NWFlow
Posts: 1557 - Karma: 61
Some really good ideas. Powder would have just about all of them if they stepped up their gear issue. The gear dealio is actually pissing me off, I can't seem to find a decent, unbiased review of twin-tips anywhere. Freeskier was ok, but they didn't really give you info on stiffness, or the types of skiers doing the testing.
Mar 6 2006 11:50PM
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telestar6
Posts: 2102 - Karma: 44
I like a lot of those ideas but I think the 24 hrs should be changed to 72 hours like Transworld does. It's cool because they usually show a weekend event of filming session which usually last at least 2 or 3 days. 1 day just isn't enough. Basically I think the best ski mag ever made was Axis and I think if someone could put a mag together with that kind of content but 3 or 4 times as long that would be the perfect magazine.
Mar 7 2006 2:46AM
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Ryno
Posts: 31125 - Karma: 336
right now SBC is the closest you will get.

Ski Time and Freeskier are a joke
Mar 7 2006 2:49AM
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telestar6
Posts: 2102 - Karma: 44
I hate SBC. It's so focused on Canada which isn't very interesting for someone from the US.
Mar 7 2006 2:53AM
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chowe6
Posts: 357 - Karma: 30
^i agree but i like SBC's set up they have alot of shit in there but unfortunately its not pertinant to those of us her ein the states for the most part but good call man i agree with the thread totally they need more
Mar 7 2006 5:15AM
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MacMahoooon
Posts: 9009 - Karma: 3,305
how do you think us canadians feel with 90% of everythign else that comes from the states
Mar 7 2006 9:36AM
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slucky44
Posts: 67 - Karma: 11
I think your ideas are great. Unfortunately, being in the business i know the problems the mags face, it is super expensive to produce a magazine like that. Thewy rely solely on the advertisers and pages that arent sponsored by companys cost the mag money. It would be cool if some of the companies would sponsor some of the spotlight pages like you mentioned, maybe someday
Mar 7 2006 9:39AM
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Kev
Posts: 7411 - Karma: 35
what we need is a magazine that is based in culture and art, and is able to capture that.

There are so many sick indie type skatboarding mags that blow everything out of the water, they have food, film, art, action, everything that appeals to that certain culture and defines it.....

www.writetheotherway.com

I can't wait. Really I can't.
Mar 7 2006 9:43AM
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mooven
Posts: 191 - Karma: 14
interesting theory, but some good friends of mine started a very sucessfull publication house with 4 magz and they provide a lot of the information that was listed above. it is possible, but its a choice. these guys have a ton of money from advertising, but still retain the down home attitudes that got them started in the business.
Mar 7 2006 11:42AM
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marmite
Posts: 201 - Karma: 14
I am taken by this notion.
Mar 7 2006 11:47AM
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rockymountainmilitia
Posts: 2706 - Karma: 12
That is a great idea. An indie-zine dedicated to mountain and street culture, showcasing small articles around events and interviews and large sotries about films, fashion, food, art. Big stories about the start ups of places like the riders palace, or pure freeride ski stores from around the country and world.
Mar 7 2006 12:59PM
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cko
Posts: 1869 - Karma: 32
^ this would be the problem we face right now. People that can somehow justify producing magazine issues that gross hundreds of thousands of dollars without any concern for real content and then have the audacity to complain that it's too expensive to feature real writing. That's bullshit.
Mar 7 2006 1:43PM
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slucky44
Posts: 67 - Karma: 11
^Im not saying that i agree with it, it sucks. Everything seems to be about big business and even the smaller publications get bought out by larger corporations that are all about the bottmom line and then that in turn destroys the concept, visions and content of the mag
Mar 7 2006 1:48PM
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cko
Posts: 1869 - Karma: 32
I don't buy the 'big business' excuse. I don't want to single out Freeskier as the sole culprit, but their tagline is "Skiing's Independant Magazine", yet they're the ones that seem to be taking the most heat for 'selling out' (at least from everything I've seen). So, they're not owned by a huge multinational corporation, yet it seems to be no secret that if you want exposure, editorial or advert, you're gonna have to pay. Does anyone else question the nobility of this situation?

Are companies just selling ads and subs based on the fact that they're the only option? Is the concept of creating something that contributes to the sport (not the 'industry') something that has somehow gone out of fashion?

Not to say the mags are fully to blame, yes they bare the most responsibility but the companies that toss down $7000+ for pages simply so they can get some editorial love should be questioned too.
Mar 7 2006 2:06PM
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1990
Posts: 1787 - Karma: 52
here in germany skiing mag is really good. most of the points you said are in the magazine!
Mar 7 2006 2:17PM
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TheClint
Posts: 112 - Karma: 10
The problem for smaller mags (Like Switch) is that the cost of publication is high. Real high. So getting a foot hold in the market place is difficult. You put out a small mag and hope that enough companies will take you seriously enough to start buying ad space.

Like many here, one of my big complaints with the bigger magazines has been that it covers aspects of the sport I can't relate to. They rarely give coverage to areas I'll ever actually ski and the gear guides read like whoever wrote them picked up the company's marketing materials and pulled a couple lines out of it.

So I started my own magazine. Admittedly there's plenty of room for improvement (and I'll take the suggestions above and see what I can work into the magazine) and growth, but at least I'm trying.

I've considered trying to work with one of the bigger skiing publications because they simply have more resources at their disposal than I do. More money, more people, more connections. If you want to see the smaller mags that haven't "sold out" be successful, you've got to make sure the industry knows that's what you want. Until the industry recognizes that, the small mags like mine will continue to struggle and fight for ad dollars.
Mar 7 2006 2:56PM
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GotamaBCshredder
Posts: 5062 - Karma: 424
I really want to start a mag and get it running, but I asked on here and other places about it and I got Like absolutely ZERO feedback. But if I did, I would just take requestests like on here, and just make it happen. It is decently expensive if you don't have much advertising. But after you get your foot in you are golden
Mar 7 2006 3:04PM
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cko
Posts: 1869 - Karma: 32
I think this is a very important point, and was part of the reason I tried to spread the blame beyond simply the magazines in my last post.

The big question for me is, how do you reach those ad buyers and convince them to rethink 1) what successful advertising means in 2006, and 2) what they could be doing to grow and support the sport.
Mar 7 2006 3:16PM
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GotamaBCshredder
Posts: 5062 - Karma: 424
See for a first issue it would be pricey, but like if you worked your way up, it wouldn't take long to go somewhere. the biggest problem is. There are no core companies anymore. Like there just aren't. I would make a DOPE magazine and print it if I wound up a grand in the hole, why? Because it would be SO FUN to make. why would it be so fun? Its like skiing photography, its skiing and its just AWEOMSE and skiing is awesome. But everyone is just wanting to make themselves look more important in the end. So core, is practically non existant right now. Most core companies, or peeps you don't know.
Mar 7 2006 3:21PM
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