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Snow Awards Informed?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I see the SnowAwards claims that "Our informed & impartial panel have put forward nominations over the 30 categories"

and yet, under best winter magazine there is Dark Summer... which, although much hyped hasn't yet published a single issue to my knowledge. I wonder which informed member of the panel was the person who suggested this mag?

http://www.snowawards.co.uk/Panel
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
According to this Natives report, the first issue should have appeared in October 2003? No idea if it really did materialise on time, or whether that was just hype.
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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?
In fact, according to this Natives follow up, it seems that a first issue did appear around that time....

The website seems to be taking its time to get going though.... they promised in the Natives piece on April 29th that they would be up and running "next week". The current message on the site states that "the sun is shining and the beers are slowing us down...." rolling eyes
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PG wrote:
In fact, according to this Natives follow up, it seems that a first issue did appear around that time....


AFAIKS that was just a mock up for advertisers. Has anyone ever seen a copy of Dark Summer apart from this?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
davidof, yeah, dark summer did publish two editions last season, one in october and one in feb, i think. it's still very much getting off the ground - it really is a small publication but quite a good read. zack (ed) tells me there gonna try and get c. 4-5 issues out next season. i think it'll do ok when it's up and running - found a niche in the ski mag area with lots of freeriding, backcountry articles etc. website has been very slow though! if zack were any more laid back though, he'd be dead.

if you email zack i'm sure he'd be happy to provide a few issues for interested parties...

http://www.zackwragg.co.uk
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tough crowd wrote:
davidof, yeah, dark summer did publish two editions last season, one in october and one in feb
http://www.zackwragg.co.uk


Thanks for the useful information, I didn't get a response to an email I sent via the DS website but I will try Zack directly. Dark Summer must either have had limited circulation or was very popular because no-one I know in Cham managed to get a copy. Perhaps it should win an award for the most elusive ski mag? I still question SnowAwards including it in this year's vote.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Presume they're mainly boarders, which would account for it Wink
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
davidof, I believe Snow Awards policy was to list a nominee after it had received ~50 nominations...whether the nominee gets anywhere is down to the voting public - and you know what trouble they can cause !
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
True Ian, but SA did 'get the ball rolling' with a few choices of their own in each category. So who knows where it came from?
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
As mentioned earlier Dark Summer was produced by Zack Wragg and Danny Crawford. They had hoped to get more issues out, but problems of funding and printing limited them to just the one. This was distributed free at the UK ski shows, and at dry ski slopes.

It is a freeride ski mag (no boarders in sight) and for a first issue produced by (dare I say it) amateurs, it is a good read. Unfortunately, the team are having to work to fund their activities, which means that they can't devote 24/7 to producing the mag/website.

If you draw blanks getting in touch with Zack, then pm me and I'll pass enquiries on...and yes, I have 2 spare copies of Dark Summer (and a mention in it Wink )
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Is that cos you're 'freeride-chick' numero uno Liz?

just saw this re snowAwards:
1. natives on 367 votes
2. skiclub on 351 votes
3. ifyouski on 214 votes
4. theboarder on 211 votes
Don't know where they came from but I was surprised by how 'attainable' the figures seemed.
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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.
admin wrote:
Is that cos you're 'freeride-chick' numero uno Liz?


Obviously Wink

No, I was working with Zack at the time, and he wanted someone to proof read the first edition (any mistakes were put in later Cool )
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Elizabeth B wrote:
As mentioned earlier Dark Summer was produced by Zack Wragg and Danny Crawford. They had hoped to get more issues out, but problems of funding and printing limited them to just the one. This was distributed free at the UK ski shows, and at dry ski slopes.


In that case it looks like what I was told is true and that there was effectively just a proof. Dark Summer was in at the very start of SnowAwards so I assume it was not there by votes.

Quote:

It is a freeride ski mag

Freeride... or freeski?

Given the fate of 2Freeski it is a very hard environment to get such a mag going. Good luck.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
davidof wrote:

Freeride... or freeski?


According to the caption on the front page, they are

Dark Summer
Freeride Ski Magazine
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
First, let me start by congratulating you on a nice site. I found it quite by accident last night. Looks like you have a nice community going on here.

Now, I thought I would post and answer a few of the questions that have cropped up in this thread.

My name is Zack and I am the Editor of Dark Summer magazine.

I will start with a brief bit of background (I will try to keep it breif as I think most of this stuff is contained within the Natives articles linked to above). About a year ago, Daniel Crawford (ex-Fall Line) and I decided that there were no real ski magazines in the UK that catered for more than the family, holiday skier. In the snowboard market there are many magazines that support the snowboard community at a core level, but we felt this was lacking in skiing. Rather than bitch about it we decided to start our own magazine. Hence, Dark Summer.

In November 2003 we put out 10,000 copies of a 32-page 'sample' issue. This was distributed at the Daily Mail Ski and Snowboard Show, through ski shops and through artifical and indoor ski slopes. I still have some copies left at home, so if there is anyone who would like a copy of this, please feel free to email me (zack at darksummer dot co dot uk) and I will opst one out to you.

Based on the response to the first magazine, we had hoped to put out a second issue around Jan/Feb 2004. However, with very limited funds, after a good deal of thought it made much more sense to wait and work on getting out 4 good issues of the magazine this coming season. This will effectively be our debut season and we want to make sure that the magazine we put out meets our goals. We want a good magazine that will provide a beenfit to the people who read it and will help the ski market.

OK, rather than hijack the thread and make it sound all marketing-y, I will answer specific points in the thread.

davidof, I apologise for us not getting back to your email. Due to the sheer number of emails we are receiving, I think one or two may slip thruogh the cracks. I know that is no excuse, so sorry. If you want to email me (zack at darksummer dot co dot uk - sorry for the cryptic way of writing but it helps avoid getting lots of spam) then I will get back to you.

I appreciate the questionning of our inclusion in this years SnowAwards vote. We are a new magazine. We have put very little into the public domain yet. However, in our short lifetime we have already become the major conduit for many UK and European competitions and events, and have had remarkable feedback from the UK and European ski industries and the public. I'm not going to comment on whether we deserve the nomination or not, but we are grateful that they felt to include us.

Freeride or freeski? Well, Liz is right, we call it Dark Summer Freeride Ski Magazine. To be honest, there is no fixed definition of either term. One persons freeski is another persons freeride. To me, freeriding is skiing the who mountain and using it to have fun. By my definition this includes freestyle, big mountain, even urban skiing. Some may disagree with this. We had a long conversation about this when we started the mag and we felt that freeride was the way to go.

As for the website, as Liz mentioned, both Danny and I have to work regular jobs as well as doing the magazine. Setting up a magaznie takes quite a bit of work and we had hoped to get the site up earlier, but we have to prioritise. It is being worked on at the moment (I was actually up quite late last night doing some stuff on it) and should be up soon. I won't give a date as I don't want to disappoint. Rest assured we will be letting everyone know when it is ready.

OK, that ended being quite a bit longer than I had expected.

If anyone has any questions or comments then please feel free to get in touch, either on here or by email.

Thanks for the interest in the magazine
Zack

PS - Who is tough_crowd? Is it Pete?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
DarkSummer, welcome to snowHead snowHeads snowHead
Oh and how about voting for this site ? You seem to like it. Wink
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Welcome to snowHeads, DarkSummer snowHead

Nice website, btw!
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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?
Hi DarkSummer, this is Will from The Flying Squirrel in Peisey-Vallandry - we had some email banter earlier in the summer.
If you do have some spare copies of the first edition, I would love to get my hands on a few to leave in the bar - makes good reading to people on bad weather days!

(and a better read than the average ski mags, of course!)
Thanks.
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Ditto - to leave a 'read only' copy or two in the apartments we let in town, here in Bourg St Maurice..... SNOWeSCAPE
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thank you for the warm welcome.

I will try and drop some copies in the post to you this week flying_squirrel and PG. Can you email me over the addresses you would like them sent to. (zack at darksummer dot co dot uk)
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DarkSummer, what took you so long to find us? Anyway, welcome to snowHeads, Zack Wink
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
DarkSummer, welcome, and best wishes for your Magazine.
Like Ian Hopkinson, I too enjoyed looking round your site (Zack Wragg).
This picture intrigued me: please explain.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
That looks suitable for a caption competition!
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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.
Quote:
"...........................................................................!"

[high-frequency sound wave transducer required]
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
"John felt he had been tree-hugging long enough to take the relationship to the next level"
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
John wasn't just a good carpenter, he was awesome!
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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.
Mark Hunter, do you mean he was TREE-menduous?
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Ha, ha. I was shooting with Camelia Liparoti in Chamonix and the snow was terrible. It was late season and far too warm to be hiking anywhere, so we thought we would have a little fun. We saw that tree which had a gap in it so we thought it may be fun to try and climb into it and do some bizarre random shots.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
WTFH, Laughing Very good! Oh, and thanks for the name John - getting that in with carpenter was too good to pass up. Welcome back from your jollies BTW - good time?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
DarkSummer, thanks, copies received. There's some good stuff in there, some nice photos... just a thought, know it's a bit more expensive, but perhaps it could do with being on glossy paper?

Anyway, if you decide to do some more, best of luck....
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Glad you like it. The next issue is out in mid-September.

We actually chose that paper on purpose. The way we see it, skinig isn't all pretty and glossy. It has a rugged edge to it. We thought that a rough textured paper reflected that.

Incidentally the paper we used is more expensive than glossy paper. You can see that it has a greater weight and a nicer feel, and glossy paper tears very easily.

Our next issue will be on similar paper but we will be usnig a semi-gloss cover.
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