 Poster: A snowHead
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Historically, competition between publishers - and eagerness of advertisers to promote skiing as soon as the summer holidays were over - demanded that British ski magazines appeared in late August. When I worked on Ski Survey - the SCGB's former magazine - between 1983 and 1995 we would produce a first issue in the third week of August, with a September cover date.
It's now the end of September 2013. What's appeared?
InTheSnow. This free magazine has appeared with an October cover date [also viewable online as a 40-page issue]: http://www.inthesnow.com/#read-now
Ski and Snowboard Magazine. What was originally the Daily Mail Ski Magazine [but now published by VOS Media, owned by the Telegraph group and tied to the London and Manchester ski shows] has - I believe - published a first issue a few weeks ago, but you'd be hard-pressed to find any evidence of it on the magazine's website - http://www.skiandsnowboard.co.uk/london/ - which says "error" when the "magazine" tab is clicked. Anyone seen/bought that first issue ... what cover date did it carry?
Fall-Line. The magazine that seems to get the most praise on snowHeads over the years. Issue 117, with an October 2013 cover date, is out
http://www.fall-line.co.uk/magazines/issue-117-the-eric-pollard-issue-09-13
Ski + Board. A 4-issue annual subscription is part of the SCGB's membership package, with the first one published each September. But it's 30 September and nothing's dropped through my letterbox yet. http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/skiandboard/default.aspx#.Ukkjqn9q3Ig
Skier and Snowboarder. "The UK's BIGGEST Skier and Snowboarder Magazine" - to quote its Google entry - doesn't seem to have a working website this morning: www.skierandsnowboarder.co.uk . Anyone seen a new season copy yet?
Good Ski Guide. A long-standing publication, "... acknowledged as the world's leading ski magazine" according to its website - http://www.goodskiguide.com/gsg-online - but doesn't seem to be out yet. Or have I missed something?
Any other magazines seen or heard of?
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 30-09-13 8:52; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Have seen the Telegraph Ski & Snowboard and Fall Line in that free library called WHSmith. But that's all. I skim read them and put them back so someone else could have the pleasure.
Missing from your list is Snow Magazine - comes out once per season http://www.snowmagazine.com/
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Bode Swiller wrote: |
Have seen the Telegraph Ski & Snowboard and Fall Line in that free library called WHSmith. But that's all. I skim read them and put them back so someone else could have the pleasure.
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+1
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Bode Swiller, boredsurfin, in view of your activities as 'unique users' / 'unique browsers' I'm going to suggest to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) that they triple the circulation numbers for all UK ski magazines to reflect 'internet age 21st century' magazine viewers. Old media should borrow all new media wheezes.
Also, with the declining numbers of public libraries, it's good to know that anyone can drop into WH Smith for a daytime nap and a whisper with the librarians.
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| Comedy Goldsmith wrote: |
Ski and Snowboard Magazine. What was originally the Daily Mail Ski Magazine [but now published by VOS Media, owned by the Telegraph group and tied to the London and Manchester ski shows] has - I believe - published a first issue a few weeks ago, but you'd be hard-pressed to find any evidence of it on the magazine's website - http://www.skiandsnowboard.co.uk/london/ - which says "error" when the "magazine" tab is clicked. Anyone seen/bought that first issue ... what cover date did it carry?
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I subscribed to this one last year because they had a free tickets offer to the Earls Court show, offer was £12 for 6 issues inc. the show tickets, a pretty good deal, they had some interesting content, equipment reviews, etc. over the season.
I must have missed the first issue last season so they've sent me the opening October issue a few weeks back. The cover is a glossy extreme skiing shot, Chemmy and Graham get feature articles, a resort guide to Verbier, some equipment tests...and a whole load of resort advertorials.
I notice the offer for new subscribers is 6 months of mags plus 2 free show tickets (Manchester or London) £21.99 for direct debit, £26.99 for one-off card payment. I don't think I'll bother this time.
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Is there actually any point in paper magazines these days?
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Lizzard, I'd say yes. Personally I'm much more likely to read a dead-tree edition of a magazine than an e-zine or root through a website. I subscribe to Whitelines and am on the newsletter list and get odds and sods through Facebook, but i'll dip in and out of that, maybe spend 15-20 minutes a week looking at a movie clip or something that draws my attention, but no more than that. With the magazine in my pack to read on the train, i'll actively read the articles, interviews and reviews in much more depth than I would online.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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In the conventional, highstreet newsagent type model... not really.
Sub-only (plus a few sales in dedicated stores) has a future. And less waste going to to shredders.
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Dropped through my letterbox this morning. Have had a quick flick through it but didn't really see much worth reading.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Lizzard, IMO no, the only magazines I read are Alpinist and Powder and I get both on a digital subscription.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Richard_Sideways, aren't tablets making paper things on trains redundant?
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Lizzard, I think that things like tables change the nature of articles you get though. From a 'proper' long interview or retrospective to a few paragraphs of text with a link to youtube or another website. It detracts from the experience IMO.
Case in point - there is a really good interview with Jake Blauvelt about progressive backcountry riding in this months edition which stretches out to 8 Pages of text. If you were reading it online, you'd be dragged off to his site, his sponsors sites, trailers from the new movie, clips from old movies, all of which disjoint the article and lessen the impact of the real intention of the piece.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Lizzard wrote: |
| Is there actually any point in paper magazines these days? |
Yep. Dropping the paper version in the bath is far less traumatic than dropping your IPad, Kindle or whatever into it.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Sony is waterproof 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Lizzard wrote: |
| Is there actually any point in paper magazines these days? |
I still prefer reading a proper mag (I've got a subscription to Powder and occasionally pick up Downdays) to reading on my comp. Might be different if I had an iPad; pretty pictures don't really work on the Kindle.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I am an avid buyer (subscriber) of magazines for my other hobby (old cars, since you ask) but i have never got on with ski-ing magazines, they all seem the same to me from one issue to the next.
I think it is because magazines about "stuff", whether it is cars, boats, antiques, toy soldiers or whatever, can visually represent things; but when the magazine is about an activity, there are only so many photos of mountains you can look at, and only so many ways of describing a ski-ing experience. Reviews of equipment seem to be the same - the visual difference between this year's skis and last year's is the main thing that photos can show, but that is not the real reason to change.
My theory anyway.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The writing was on the wall for most ski magazines when they started incorporating the word 'board' or 'snowboard', trying and failing to cater for a market that was unlikely to pick up their mag anyway. The snowboard mags resisted doing likewise. It's time for magazines to be more specialised, not less.
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Bode Swiller, the snowboard mag market 'rationalised' a couple of years ago with the loss of several publications, including SnowboardUK and Document got borg'd into Fall-Line
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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There is certainly a place for paper mags; I used to subscribe to the online version of a magazine for one of my other hobbies but have this year gone back to paper. It is a MUCH better experience (though I am guessing the specific hosting format may have much to do with how it's experienced.
Though I think that there is also a place for the web version / magazine website - e.g. technique tips are going to be much more useful if you could also see the actions being demonstrated in (slow) motion, rather than snapshots (e.g. like some of the Warren Smith articles in Ski & Snowboard Mag (which are useful but would be better if you could see how to get from "Figure 2" to "Figure 3a"...)
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I think last year was the first in memory that I didn't buy a single snow mag, can't see that changing - I flip through Powder/Ski/Skiing/ESPN skiing on Flipboard and seem to be on the new Torygraph VOS media email spam list for their non-articles.
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Richard_Sideways, it did and it had to because of being a much smaller market than ski. Think there'll be a similar slim down (or cull) on the ski mag side now.
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Blame your postie, mine's here.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'm a Fall line subscriber, top quality first issue this season. Always seems to keep it's current feel and the photographic content is breathtaking. I haven't seen it on the shelves in Norwich though.
Only ski mag I've seen in the shops so far is Ski and Snowboard, which I bought having been starved of ski all summer. Big disappointment, same old regurgitated content, the date on the front could have been any year in the last decade really.
My Ski + Board hasn't dropped through the letterbox yet.
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I bought a magazine in WH Smith last year as I knew I had a long wait coming up for Mrs M to appear out of Primark (and I certainly wasn't going in). I think it was called "Ski Magazine". It cost over a fiver but only took me about 5 minutes to read, and that included the interesting adverts.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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musher, and therein lies their problem. Magazines need some heft (I reckon 160 pages+ minimum) and a more reasonable cover price. When you think there's no 20% VAT in that cover price, someone really is taking the wee wee. If you can read the thing while standing there why buy it?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Perhaps it's less embarrassing to buy it than stand there looking like some sad loser. I personally think that WH Smith should employ retired traffic wardens to stop people loitering, and get them to move on [to the sweetie racks].
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don't know why but i can't find Fall Line!!!
I used to pick it up from my local Tesco but not this season apparently, i've also looked in a couple of WH Smiths locally too and no luck..... might have to be a subscription for my birthday!
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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| feef wrote: |
Blame your postie, mine's here. |
Had my free socks but still waiting for magazine as well!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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musher, quote: It cost over a fiver but only took me about 5 minutes to read, and that included the interesting adverts.
Spot on.
For years the mountain bike mags drifted downmarket, and yet were still far, far better than skiing mags - which are a pathetic homage to advertisers. I understand why, but it represents severe market failure.
Cycling has sudden seen the appearance of high quality, editorially independent mags. Mountain biking now has the amazing Privateer. Nine pounds (that's 9 of your English Pounds) each copy!!!
...And worth every penny. Fantastic photos, decent journalism. Really, really worth it. Skiing needs the same....and God knows where it's going to come from....
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I wouldn't mind paying £9 for a mag if I could pick it up and read it every night for a week while Mrs M is reading her intellectual book at bedtime. £5 for 5 minutes will not be happening again any time soon. As far as skiing mags are concerned - I'm out.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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valais2, Powder and The Ski Journal fill those niches albeit pretty US focused.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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meh, ...agreed...what i"d like is something English language and very European based....
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You can look back through old copies of Ski and Snowboard from the last 5 years or so, if not longer, and quickly realise that barring the odd update of equipment the magazine's content is virtually the same every year and no matter who publishes it, it seems in dire need of an editorial and artwork update - look on line for the new gear and read last year's and save yourself a fiver.
I'd love the situation to be different but it's become a zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz of a read.
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Fall Line's web page saying it is suspended now.
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davkt, hmmm, so it is.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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No magazine received yet, but this email showing the Ski+Board redesigned cover came today.
Can't wait.
As Swiller correctly pointed out earlier in this thread, the decision of most UK ski magazine publishers to include skateboarding in their titles was an elementary mistake, of the sort that mainstream magazine companies don't make - because they take their readers' specialised interests very seriously. Ski magazines, as he rightly says, should be focused on one pursuit (just as you wouldn't combine motoring with motorcyling just because they share the same road surface).
It's incredible that Ski+Board continues as a dual sport magazine, 15 years after the error was made, having lost over 90% of its newsstand sales since the early 1990s.
Snowboarders buy snowboard magazines. Skiers want ski magazines.
This is not Rocket+Lettuce science.
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| davkt wrote: |
| Fall Line's web page saying it is suspended now. |
A bit surprising. They've paid the printers to print the magazine (one assumes), and I'd have thought the cost of maintaining the website was peanuts in comparison. Unless "Account Suspended" means something like "Sorry, Mistake".
[end of financial commentary]
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