Sounds like the initial decision to create the “Alpinist’ was simply a poor business decision. No different albeit slightly more sustainable than the businesses that open and quickly close at any strip mall.
As visual porn it was a great resource but in many ways it was a backward looking enterprise selling its own particular myth. Ultimately for me it was just as sterile as Climbing or Rock & Ice. Big names, big mountains, big ratings => same old homogenized shit.
Ivan’s stories, although often incomprehensible to me, are far more inspiring or at least to my mind seem to show a greater sense of excitement and passion than the articles in the Alpinist have.
On Monday after reading one of Ivan's adventures I feel crappy for staying indoors over the rainy weekend.