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jstan
climber
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Aug 26, 2014 - 08:11am PT
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Daisy Duck, notwithstanding, I fall into Werner's camp. After Sheridan Anderson, Joe Kelsey, and Summit, one has had to temper the expectations. Running into occasional superb writing like the recent TR, on ST of all places, is just made that much more enjoyable.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Aug 26, 2014 - 09:23am PT
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I don't think there has been much of a qualitative change in magazines over the past fifty years.
Hmmm. I guess I might disagree with that a bit. No one's ever gone back to publish a "Summit's greatest hits" book, or, Off Belay. Some of the writing was "ok" and the subject matter, given the times, was titillating, but, most not that great.
Although the writing in the Summit resurrection was pretty fair.
The Best of Rock and Ice: An Anthology. 25 spellbinding essays! Ha ha.
I think there's been quality out there for the last fifty years, but, not consistantly like, say, Alpinist is today.
And, I do think most climbers who are writers do a fair job at their craft.
Great thread with great thoughts. Thanks!
Geez, even though I should be settin' in a chair with a snifter and some fine literature, I do find myself entertained by 'net chatter, or, chaff, as the case may be. Sound bite. Ugh.
Unlike DMT (we're about the same "vintage", ha ha), I still keep up on the rags. But, most spicy, controversial, wild news seems to break on the internet prior to being set into print. The virtual campfire.
Reading good climbing literature is a niche sport! There's too few to appreciate the few that are great at it...
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Magic Ed
Trad climber
Nuevo Leon, Mexico
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Aug 26, 2014 - 10:11am PT
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I noticed that the quality of the writing, and the magazines in general, declined drastically with the advent of sport climbing.
The writing used to be about adventure and emotions and then devolved into being about numbers.
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Aug 26, 2014 - 11:07am PT
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The writing used to be about adventure and emotions and then devolved into being about numbers.
In parallel was a change in climbing photography. From photographs that were of big, scary cliffs, featuring puny, unidentifiable climbers, like this:
Puny climbers on an adventure into the unknown. Who are those people? What are they thinking? Are they scared?
To this:
A portrait. Cliff barely exists except as out-of-focus backdrop to focus attention on the climber. Rikki Ishoy might be pretty to look at, but it's eye candy. There's no story, no depth.
The best climbing writing of the 1970s and earlier, like Dickinson's photo, tried to capture something of the place of the climber within in the landscape. Can the experience of climbing create a more meaningful relationship with the landscape--and if so, can that deeper experience be conveyed to a wider audience in word or picture?
In the main climbing magazines, for a couple decades, the writing (and photography) have tended to focus inward, on personal growth, personal goals, individual attainment. Yes, numbers are part of this. How can they not be? How else for describing redpointing a 5.15 like Realization? The landscape itself becomes more a backdrop, a setting for an intense, personal, emotional drama.
Alpinist, to its credit, tries to capture the best of it all. To create something that transcends both. This was Beckwith's vision, one that we are very lucky to see continue under Katie Ives.
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Aug 26, 2014 - 12:36pm PT
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voted the best cover shot in Climbing magazine history
That photo? Oh Gawd....
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Aug 26, 2014 - 12:43pm PT
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I bouldered with her once...
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c-plus
Trad climber
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Aug 28, 2014 - 10:02pm PT
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Thank you Katie Ives for chiming in. I for one think Alpinist is awesome and am glad there's a mag out that still finds a story in the adventure of climbing and not just the grade.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Aug 28, 2014 - 10:14pm PT
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Aug 29, 2014 - 09:17am PT
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I've worked with a wide range of talented writers, from all kinds of backgrounds, many of whom are (or were, until we published them extensively) unknown. I do have a commitment to helping emerging writers, because that's part of our responsibility--to help mentor others, as we have been mentored ourselves.
As a rookie writer who's had the pleasure of publishing his first piece with Katie I can say that this is entirely true. I mostly worked with Matt who was amazing, but Katie had some insights for me as well and I value those lessons. With their help I was able to turn my trip report into an actual story. I felt my writing improved significantly throughout the process.
I'm currently working on something new, and have gone back to my emails with Matt and Katie as well as my article for inspiration to improve my style.
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