The end of Ski Magazine is on the horizon

[Philpug]

It is never healthy for an industry to lose a major player. Outside Inc, Ski Magazine's parent is announcing that there will only be two additional issues published. Skiing, Powder, and now Ski. If you work at Freeride, is it time to update your resume?

Edit to add second page of the email.

Is Print Dead?

There was a time before the 1s and 0s of the digital age that skiers had to wait until fall when the new buyers' guide arrived in the mail. It was almost an inch thick, a true skier's bible; it made me feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I...

www.skitalk.com

 

[Jim Kenney]

Is there a typo in the last sentence of the second paragraph? ...Ski annual is will look like...

 

[Philpug]

Is there a typo in the last sentence of the second paragraph? ...Ski annual is will look like...

Thats what you took out of it?

 

[Tricia]

Crazy times, eh?

 

[SKI-3PO]

Is there a typo in the last sentence of the second paragraph? ...Ski annual is will look like...

Probably not a good time for their ability to hire an editor.

 

[Philpug]

If they are shutting down because of a typo, Pugski wouldn't have lasted the first 12 hours.

 

[James]

Unfortunately it’s been pretty irrelevant for awhile. I read most of Skiing History, but not much of Ski.

Is there a typo in the last sentence of the second paragraph? ...Ski annual is will look like...

Should be ‘issue’.
See, those who read have left the proverbial building already.

 

[graham418]

Unfortunately, or not, it is a sign of the times we live in. Media is forever changed.

 

[fatbob]

Hard to care - it was hardly acclaimed for fierce, independent, relevant, quality journalism was it?

I still have some piles of old ski, snowboard, music, mtb mags languishing in the bottom of a wardrobe. Can't say I've even flipped a copy on a rack the past few years.

 

[wnyskier]

As the hard copy ski magazines shut down, what are the leading media sites that are filling the void?

There are a number of forums that seem to be draws for hardcore skiers such as SkiTalk, TGR, and NewSchoolers, but what about more "traditional/generalist" ski media that exist as entities on .com, YT, etc?

I'm assuming there must be a market for the more casual skier....

 

[Philpug]

As the hard copy ski magazines shut down, what are the leading media sites that are filling the void?

There are a number of forums that seem to be draws for hardcore skiers such as SkiTalk, TGR, and NewSchoolers, but what about more "traditional/generalist" ski media that exist as entities on .com, YT, etc?

I'm assuming there must be a market for the more casual skier....

This is the problem, there are still many people that are unaware that sites like this/these exist.

 

[motogreg]

Frankly it's been nothing but an advertising circular for....30? 40? years now? I mean glossy ads are great and all buuuuut

 

[Jim Kenney]

Just checked out the SkiMag.com website, which I think is where the online version of Ski Magazine resides? Haven't perused the website too much in recent years, but looks like the site has been remodeled as a subset of Outside Mag's online presence? Website contains lots of interesting article topics, with about half behind a paywall.

 

[fatbob]

As the hard copy ski magazines shut down, what are the leading media sites that are filling the void?

There are a number of forums that seem to be draws for hardcore skiers such as SkiTalk, TGR, and NewSchoolers, but what about more "traditional/generalist" ski media that exist as entities on .com, YT, etc?

I'm assuming there must be a market for the more casual skier....

I think you probably have to define more casual skier. I'd say there are plenty of websites/channels that serve all sorts of skier from travel to family to instruction to stoke to jerries (I mean even Ed Sheeran is a follower of Jerry of the Day). Of course quality is variable and badly edited cut and pastes, poor listicles and naive personal experience abound but wheat from chaff is essential in parsing all media. The fact that poor listicles, resort funded travel articles and repetitive tips are not harboured in a glossy mag which is more ad than content doesn't mean the casual skier has been failed.

 

[Tony S]

Just checked out the SkiMag.com website, which I think is where the online version of Ski Magazine resides? Haven't perused the website too much in recent years, but looks like the site has been remodeled as a subset of Outside Mag's online presence? Website contains lots of interesting article topics, with about half behind a paywall.

This does expose what, for me, is one of the weaknesses in online subscription content vs. print. I am prepared to plunk down the five bucks for the print copy of the annual SKI gear issue so I can have it next to the toilet. I am not prepared to subscribe to Outside Online for whatever-it-is per month, so that I can realize at the end of the year that I've spent $120 on the stupid thing. I understand that what for me is a bug is a feature for the publishing industry. But guess what? Not only are they not getting my $120, they're also not getting my $5.

 

[fatbob]

Yep - all online media need to think about a pay per month model which doesn't depend on a recurring subscription. There are so many things I'd be willing to pay a one off charge for but simply don't want to risk forgetting to cancel or don't need for the full year - e.g. maybe a travel mag is useful when planning a vacation or a consumer mag when buying a washing machine. Of course that would expose the reality of how consumers want to use media

 

[Tricia]

When I first started working in ski shops 12 years ago we would occasionally see a customer walk in with a ski buyer's guide in hand as a reference to look at skis. I haven't seen that in at least 8 or 9 years.
I'll admit that I've been a subscriber, in part because it makes sense for us to keep tabs on what's happening, and we skied with one of their editors back in January.
Sadly its been obvious that the print magazine has been a shell of what it once was for a very long time.

Think about it, going back to Epic days someone always posted with excitement when the buyer's guide landed in their mailbox but we haven't seen that kind of excitement for a very long time. I wonder how much is because reviews like ours have been available for several months before the buyer's guide is printed.

 

[James]

As the hard copy ski magazines shut down, what are the leading media sites that are filling the void?

Youtube. People go there to learn anything.

 

[Tricia]

I was trying to remember how long ago SKI was acquired.
It's only been two years!

Ski Magazine Acquired by Pocket Outdoor

Pocket Outdoor Media Acquires Three Divisions from Active Interest Media and Completes Its Series A Financing Series A funding allows Pocket Outdoor Media to expand its active lifestyle business to over 20 new media businesses including Yoga Journal, SKI, Climbing, BACKPACKER and Warren Miller...

www.skitalk.com

 

[doc]

Won't be long before I will have nothing hard copy to read whilst on the toilet.