a ski magazine rant

[altagirl]

(I was just going to add this but can't seem to edit...)

It's not like I can't understand where you're coming from at all. I don't like terrain park stuff. Rails? I don't get it. When there are articles on that kind of stuff, I just skip over them. And if there's a review of a resort, I don't care if it has a terrain park, or 10 terrain parks... though I wouldn't be mad that it was included in the review. Obviously it's relevant to someone - just not me.

 

[Thatsagirl]

Altagirl, you said it very well.

Treebunny, you underestimate how many people ski the kind of terrain that you don't happen to ski. You also underestimate how much money those skiers and riders spend on their vacations. Your demographic does not pay all the bills for resorts. Sure, there are some ski bums who do it all on the cheap, but there are a lot more skiers/riders who are older, highly skilled and spend big bucks. The reason resorts have opened steeper terrain and backcountry gates is because there is a real demand for it. The reason snowcat and heli-skiing operators are booming is because there is a huge demand for it. I recently went on a snowcat trip with a group of 36 skiers/riders, we booked the entire lodge for ourselves. The majority were over the age of 60, some in their mid-70s. We all joked about "the geriatric snowcats that weren't."

There are two highly-skilled ski markets out there with a lot of clout: those in their 20s and 30s without kids yet, and those in the empty-nest scenario, and both have disposable income that speaks volumes in the ski industry. And the ski industry is responding to their expectations.

I think the problem goes back to the fact that you feel there is not a magazine that gives you what you want. SKI magazine is probably the closest to what you are looking for. Skiing magazine is definitely NOT what you want to read, and I guess I'm not sure why you seem to be reading it, since it gets you frustrated and makes you feel as if your needs are being ignored. Unfortunately, no magazine can be all things to all people. And the truth is, there probably isn't a magazine that is perfect for you. An even bigger truth is what I said before: the main tarket market for the ski magazines is men, and men are more apt to enjoy looking at pictures of skiers in terrain that they may only aspire to. As long as the magazines sell enough to make a nice profit, that won't change.

I don't know what the answer is. I don't believe a woman's ski magazine can be successful, or at least it's clear that no one has figured out the right ticket to success yet (there have been some great attempts, but women did not embrace them). Which is why the Internet is so popular and helpful, you can find sites like this that provide information you won't find in magazines.

Thatsagirl

 

[treebunny]

whoa whoa whoa!girls girls girls! no need to be insulting! so you like the magazines and the trend they have taken. good for you!i thought it was a fun little thread that was started and only reiterated comments i've garnered over time from other die hard skiers. i read all of the above mentioned mags and frustrated i am not.they make winter come a little earlier.and no need to make assumptions on my skiing ability or where i ski. geez!!

 

[Thatsagirl]

whoa whoa whoa!girls girls girls! no need to be insulting! so you like the magazines and the trend they have taken. good for you!i thought it was a fun little thread that was started and only reiterated comments i've garnered over time from other die hard skiers. i read all of the above mentioned mags and frustrated i am not.they make winter come a little earlier.and no need to make assumptions on my skiing ability or where i ski. geez!!

I did not intend to be insulting, and apologize if you took it that way.

In your posts, you talk about how the intermediate skier is the one who spends all the money skiing, that the industry is alive and well because of this demographic, and also made it sound as if you are frustrated because the magazines don't address your needs. If I made assumptions about your ability and needs, it's because you wrote your posts as if you are talking about yourself. Nowhere did you say you were speaking for others.

I simply intended to provide details to make it clearer as to why the magazines are the way they are.

 

[cyn]

I'd like to get back to the reasons I read Ski and Skiing - and Ski Canada when I get the chance. I read them because they're easily available, and as I said in my earlier post, because my husband and I like to scope out the new gear in the fall.
I also want to read about skiing destinations. The problem I have with the way the two big mags cover this subject is that they seldom provide comprehensive reviews of those places. It's always straight to the trees, or the back bowls or wherever the guide or resort owner takes the writer. That's fine, but what about lifts, and liftlines (good to know if it gets very crowded) the general vibe on the mountain, accomodations, weather etc. ? I get most of that kind of information from "The Unofficial Guide to Skiing and Snowboarding in the West".
The other point I was trying to make is that it's nice to look at pictures of really good skiers doing incredible things, but after a while, there is a certain sameness to them and my eyes start to glaze over.
I don't see myself getting into pictures of novices snowplowing down the bunny slopes either, but I do think those magazines have gotten into a kind of a rut.

 

[ski diva]

Ladies, ladies.

I think the one thing we can all agree on is that there is no one magazine that gives everyone everything they want. I think the best you can do is take what you can get from the one you read, and leave the rest. That's why it's important to get information from multiple sources. Like TheSkiDiva :D !

 

[altagirl]

Ladies, ladies.

I think the one thing we can all agree on is that there is no one magazine that gives everyone everything they want. I think the best you can do is take what you can get from the one you read, and leave the rest. That's why it's important to get information from multiple sources. Like TheSkiDiva :D !

This thread is making it very evident how difficult it's got to be picking what to cover in ANY ski magazine. I assumed it was easier since each one is already focused on a segment of the market - but I'm rethinking that!

I know when I lived in Europe I used to buy an annual book that covered all the ski resorts, including a trail map, info on prices, trails, lodging, etc. I can't imagine fitting all of that into a magazine, and I'm sure there would still be stuff left out that some people want. Not to mention - everything is relative. Define crowded? What's a steep slope? How cold is cold?

 

[Thatsagirl]

This thread is making it very evident how difficult it's got to be picking what to cover in ANY ski magazine. I assumed it was easier since each one is already focused on a segment of the market - but I'm rethinking that!

I know when I lived in Europe I used to buy an annual book that covered all the ski resorts, including a trail map, info on prices, trails, lodging, etc. I can't imagine fitting all of that into a magazine, and I'm sure there would still be stuff left out that some people want. Not to mention - everything is relative. Define crowded? What's a steep slope? How cold is cold?

We were cross-posting.

I worked at magazines when they were starting to demand shorter stories--say it all in 2 pages--which is impossible (so imagine the horror of trying to say it all in ONE page or a HALF page ). Then I worked for a guidebook, which allowed for more detail but still had page constaints. (Page constraints because you can only afford to pay so much to print it, relying on advertising and subscription fees.) And add all those "relative" issues to the pot, and it gets tough.

This is why I like the Internet. You can write as much as you want!

Thatsagirl

 

[SnowHot]

Cyn has brought up a good point that we have drifted drastically from the original thread.

I have taken the liberty of moving some of the drift to its own thread
Girls with goals for air time

The only real casualty of the move was a post by Altagirl(please forgive me) which is a post pertaining to both the content of this post and to the topic of Girls who have a desire for air time.
This is a quote of that post in its entirety.

Again sorry for the mess up in the move:o

I wasn't trying to be insulting either, though I think I got a bit defensive because I felt like there was the insinuation that my views don't count because I'm not the "typical intermediate" skier. I'm a skier too, dang-it! ;) Sorry to make assumptions on where you ski, treebunny.

I think I just have a different view on the numbers of skiers in each category. On the average day at Alta, I would say well over 75% of the people there are there to ski off-piste. (On a powder day, that's probably 95%) Maybe my home resort is an anomaly. Maybe I'm the anomaly. I don't know.

And Snow-Hot - have you met Tyrone? He's a blast. I won't jump off of anything even close to what he's doing, but he's fun to watch and ski with (and has great technique in bumps too). He went to the first Straightline Adventures camp that I did last year, and we mountain biked with him in Moab this summer too (YAY, something I can keep up with him at!). I can't see him pushing anyone off a cliff though... he's way too nice! ;)