Alpinist Team to Launch Outdoor Mag

This is from a press release at the Outdoor Industry Association website:

"The publishers of Alpinist Magazine today [Jan. 24] announced that beginning in August, 2006, they will publish a new title focused on the adventure lifestyle. Called Wild, the magazine will explore 'the deeper side of wild,' where outcomes are still uncertain and dreams remain to be discovered. 'While Alpinist Magazine was born in Jackson, Wyoming, and raised in the mountains of our backyard, the people who work at Alpinist are far more than just climbers,' explained Alpinist editor and Wild founding editor Christian Beckwith....

"Beckwith noted that most outdoor athletes feel the mainstream outdoor publications are directed toward the periphery of the lifestyle. 'We recognize the journalistic and business niches of these titles. At the same time, we believe they leave a vacuum, one that the core of the outdoor community yearns to have filled,' Beckwith said....

"According to [publisher Andy] Leinicke, Wild will have limited ad pages; only 26 full page ads will be available per issue."

In other words, the Alpinist model. No word yet on the format or cover price. (Alpinist is oversized and $12.95.) Wild should be a beauty. Can it work? No doubt, the mainstream mags burn a lot of pages on gear "reviews," superficial "best of" articles and other fluff; many readers would welcome a deeper look at the outdoor world. Yet it's extremely unlikely Alpinist has returned a dime on the investment of founder Marc Ewing, and Wild will require even deeper pockets. This is an idea many magazine people have dreamed of pursuing for years. I applaud the Wild team's courage and wish them great success.