In the past five years of working as a writer and editor covering the outdoors, I’ve noticed a crop of new, independent print publications — many of which would make a great gift, especially if there’s an outdoorsy person in your life. These magazines feel more tailored and specific than generalist outdoor publications, and they go deep on topics like skiing, climbing, backpacking, and travel, while exploring angles that feel weird, new, and refreshing.
Some of them feature long-form stories about life in the mountain West, a few showcase adventure sports photography on huge prints (which make them feel more like coffee-table books), and still other titles have been recently revived after being out of print for decades, while several are only available in print. Here are a few titles that have caught my eye this year.
For the person committed to mountain life
Mountain Gazette was first published in the 1960s, stopped printing in 1979, and then was brought back in 2020 when editor Mike Rogge bought the rights to publish the title for the cost of a beer. If the story takes place in a mountain town, it’s fair game for Mountain Gazette — and part of what makes this magazine noteworthy is the physical size. It’s printed on 11-by-17-inch matte paper, with photographs that sometimes spread across the two pages, so it’s visually quite impressive and feels like you’re leafing through a stack of posters (and, in fact, you can purchase many past covers as prints). It’s published twice a year, in the spring and in the fall, and its stories are available only in print.
For the adventure seeker
The stories in Adventure Journal — which began as a blog in 2008 and now comes out quarterly — remind me of my favorite travel stories from old National Geographic issues. They touch on every part of the globe (I never thought I’d learn about Slovenia’s most important mountain peak — and now hiking it is on my bucket list), but feel thoughtfully curated.
For the backpacker
This reader-supported quarterly is my favorite magazine that covers all things backpacking: from trip inspiration and thru-hiking culture to smart commentary on public land issues and thorough outdoor gear reviews. What stands out to me about Trails is its earnest approach to how it covers backpacking. Each story has practical takeaways that read like advice from a friend for a new trip you’re about to take, whether it be a local out-and-back or the Appalachian Trail. Some pages that I dog-eared in a recent issue had details for a secret wilderness area in the Adirondacks and a recipe for hot Japanese curry.
For the climber
Climbing photography — which can include shots of big walls, close-ups of small, intricate granite holds, and mountain vistas — looks best when it’s presented in large format, as it is in Summit Journal. (Summit was the first monthly climbing and mountaineering magazine published in the U.S. and is now published twice a year as Summit Journal.) Even if it’s not quite the same as seeing the Winds or the Bugaboos in person, it’s full of inspiration for future trips.
For the traveler who wants to experience a place like a local
Ori is a new biannual travel magazine that just published its first issue last year. Instead of following the old formula of sending correspondents to far-out places and reporting back, Ori hires local writers and photographers to tell its stories, like this article I loved about the Afrobeat scene in Lagos, which was documented by Nigerian photographers and writers. (There’s even a scannable QR code that links to a curated Afrobeats playlist.)
For the surfer
This isn’t exactly a new publication, since it’s been in print since 1992, but The Surfer’s Journal is the gold standard for those who are interested in riding waves (or reading about the people who do). Unlike other surfing publications, TSJ is not always about documenting hard-charging surfers doing aerials. I like that it takes a slower, more holistic approach to its storytelling, which ranges from long-form pieces, to photo essays on undiscovered breaks, to profiles of board shapers and forgotten surfing legends. TSJ often features stories that focus on different eras of surfing’s rich history and are accompanied by slideshows full of archival photos. (I once got a surfing lesson in Hawaii from an instructor on Waikiki beach, and a few months later, I spotted him in an old photo from the ’70s with other notable Hawaiian surfers in my copy of TSJ.)
For the skier who doesn’t miss a single gallery opening
Ski culture has influenced the art and fashion and style worlds, but ski media hasn’t always shown how it works the other way, and how art can inform skiing. Hard Pack editor and founder Zach Seely wanted to showcase that in this new biannual ski magazine. He grew up skiing in Utah, but found that the ski industry mainly produced two images of the sport: a crunchy, mountain-town vibe and an elitist, bougie approach — and often, from what I’ve observed, a blend of the two. Hard Pack is a refreshing read, because it views ski culture through a more artistic lens.
For the person who has watched every sports documentary on Netflix
Produced in Brooklyn, Victory Journal is equal parts Vice and what I’d imagine the print version of an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary would look like. I like flipping through its heavyweight 11-by-17-inch pages, which have huge spreads of athletes frozen in motion next to stories about players grinding it out in competitions at every level, from the NCAA to the Olympics. One of my favorite pieces in a recent issue covered the Icelandic soccer scene.
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