Alpinist Magazine publishers to launch Wild magazine

The publishers of Alpinist Magazine have 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.

“We ski the backcountry for six months a year. We run the footpaths of the Wind Rivers and mountain bike the Pinnacles of Togwotee Pass and listen to the elk bugle in Lupine Meadows through the early morning mist. We live in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for the lifestyle it affords: the opportunity to immerse ourselves in its wild beauty and rugged inspiration is worth more to us than any job. When we travel, we seek out the wilds wherever we go, be it surfing in Mexico or trekking in Morocco or fishing a river on the Chinese-Kyrgyzstan border no one has visited before. Our love of the wilds extends far beyond the mountains. Problematically, we find no expression of what we love in the mainstream publications of the day.”

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.

Thus was born the idea to create a magazine that explores the deeper side of wild. Using the values they have brought to Alpinist, Wild Magazine will create an editorial environment for the adventure lifestyle. This in turn will be supported by an advertising environment of like-minded companies, who draw inspiration from the wilds and who have a commitment to its preservation.

“Wild will be the most affordable option for advertisers wishing to reach the core of the outdoor community,” says Wild publisher Andy Leinicke. “Wild’s authentic voice, taken from our culture and its outdoor experiences, as well as our clean, bold design, environmentally sustainable publishing practices and like-minded advertising environment, will stand as a refreshing alternative in the homogenous magazine landscape.”

According to Leinicke, Wild will have limited ad pages; only 26 full page ads will be available per issue. The premium format and rich editorial environment will focus more reader attention on each ad, he continued. “Based on our experiences with Alpinist, we anticipate that readers will spend more time with each copy of Wild—which will have 100 pages of edit to explore—than those of peer titles.”

“The resulting publication will offer a perspective on our encounters with nature that is at once authentic and inspirational, gorgeous and respectful, provocative and real,” said Beckwith.

Beckwith and Leinicke will be available at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City to discuss Wild further. For further information, contact Leinke at andy@alpinist.com or Beckwith at cb@alpinist.com.