Random News: Rock and Ice Magazine Sold?

[JayB]

"Rock and Ice magazine based in Boulder, Colorado has been sold. For the last five years Dougald MacDonald has been at helm of this

increasingly glossy and successful climbing magazine. MacDonald and a group of investors bought the magazine off George Bracksiack, the

magazines founder.

 

The buyers? None other than Duane Raleigh, the publisher and Quent Williams the production manager of the Carbondale (Colorado) based

Climbing magazine. Both Raleigh and Williams recently resigned from Climbing magazine.

 

The new Rock and Ice magazine will be based in Carbondale, opposite the offices of Climbing magazine and it looks like there will be an

exodus of Climbing magazine staff across the road to join their old boss, Duanne Raleigh .

 

The first defection was Tyler Stableford, Climbing's photo-editor who will now be the editor at Rock and Ice. Unfortunately most of the

staff at the old Rock and Ice are now unemployed, and the future of Climbing magazine, once owned by climber Michael Kennedy but now owned

by the media-giant PrimeMedia is assured, but a little murky."

 

Mick Ryan

[freeclimb9]

Cool. I liked Climbing mag when Duane Raleigh was the editor. Maybe I'll get a subscription now.

[cj001f]

Rock & Ice definitely has potential under Raleigh. And Climbing probably doesn't have much potential with Primedia (I can't say they've done much to improve their other publications)

 

On magazines - has anybody heard anything about "Alpinist" a new rag that's coming out?

 

http://www.alpinist.com

 

A short story's here:>

 

http://www.jacksonholenews.com/Archives/FeatureArchive/2002/020327-feature.html

 

I've also heard Dean Potter's name affiliated with the project

 

Carl

 

[ 05-17-2002, 07:22 PM: Message edited by: cj001f ]

[bellemontagne]

I was never much of a fan of Rock and Ice. I felt it was too "duuuuudish" and just a tool for climbers to spray about their redpoints (or pinkpoints in Beth Rodden's case). I guess all climbing magazines are that way, but I always found Climbing's articles to be much more substantive. Well anyway now that R&I has changed hands, I might just get a subscription.

[Crackhead]

Looks like I'll be switching rags to wipe my ass with.

[cj001f]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Crackhead:

Looks like I'll be switching rags to wipe my ass with.

---

That's what Outside Magazine's for!

[Guest]

yes it's true. now this is a strange one. from what it looks like there is going to be a big shift. and basicly we are going to have virtually no competition on the market. i don't know if it's good or bad, since R&I sucked ass for the past 5 years and climbing was not much better. for all you guys looking for a decent mag i must recommend high mountain sports from the uk. yes it is not a cheap mag, but the info is pretty good. at this point there is a huge vaccum and a space to create a mag that informs and is not a wagon for self promoters....at this day aand age maybe just an on line mag would be the best?

[JayB]

More Of The Same...

 

Boulder outdoor magazines are sold

By Matt Branaugh

Camera Business Writer

 

Rock & Ice and Trail Runner, two Boulder-based magazines owned by North South Publications, got sold and shipped out of town this week.

 

Duane Raleigh and Quent Williams bought the outdoor-oriented periodicals through Big Stone Publications, a venture they recently formed for the transaction.

 

Terms of the deal, which closed Wednesday, weren't disclosed.

 

Raleigh left his post as editor and publisher of the well-known Climbing Magazine three weeks ago.

 

"Owning a magazine is something I always wanted to do since entering publishing in the late 1980s," Raleigh said. "I missed out on some opportunities, so when the Rock & Ice opportunity came up, I had to. I had an excellent job at Climbing and liked it, but I wanted to do this anyway."

 

Both magazines' assets were moved this week to Carbondale, a town just south of Glenwood Springs, where Raleigh plans to set up shop and go after the publication he once led. Carbondale, an area Raleigh believes draws talented writers, ad representatives and climbing enthusiasts, is also home to the 32-year-old Climbing.

 

Raleigh said the move was needed because Boulder is too expensive for employers and employees.

 

The upcoming issues of both publications produced by North South will still go out to subscribers, and should hit newsstands at such places as Boulder Bookstore and King Soopers in the next few weeks.

 

The fate of the 16 employees at North South is clouded. Raleigh said he'll consider those workers for jobs if they apply.

 

His goals include bumping up the frequency of Rock & Ice — a climbing magazine that prints eight times a year — and growing its circulation from the current 32,500 issues closer to Climbing's 50,000 issues within two years.

 

He hopes to double Trail Runner's circulation from the current 13,000 paid subscriptions this year, and hopes to double it again the next year, he said.

 

He said he plans on adding more coverage in both magazines that relates to equipment, gear and training.

 

Dougald MacDonald, who was North South's publisher and a minority owner, also edited the 18-year-old Rock & Ice. He said Friday he doesn't expect to catch on with the new ownership.

 

When the possibility of a sale sprung up this spring, MacDonald said he opposed the idea. But, as one of eight owners, he said he found himself outnumbered.

 

"I liked what I was doing," he said. "It is hard to sell out to a competitor."

 

He expects to see circulation grow for both Trail Runner and Rock & Ice, but more so for the former. He conceded North South possessed limited capital that hindered its ability to grow either magazine.

 

Brian Metzler, the editor and associate publisher of Trail Runner, said he may apply for a job at Big Stone. The move is sad for the Boulder community, he said, but a step forward for the 3-year-old periodical.

 

"I think it's going to be a good move for Trail Runner magazine, in that it will allow the magazine to grow and thrive," he said.

 

Camera Business Writer Matt Branaugh can be reached at (303) 473-1363 or branaughm@thedailycamera.com.

 

May 18, 2002

[Off_White]

Well hell, things just haven't been the same anyway since Off Belay and Summit folded. There have been several attempts at both online (Rock and Groove springs to mind) and regional rags (I saw several issues of a Southern California Sport Climbing mag) that I know of. They usually seem to be some underfunded vanity press project, and don't usually stick it out. Seems to me this board serves a lot of the purpose of a regional rag, with trip reports, gear debates, new routes, info, and as much spray as you have time for. Price is right too...