UKH

I was given a subscription to Climb magazine for Chritmas... Wow, what a load of clean shaven, GQ aspiring shite! If it's not the constant flogging of gear that will turn your stomach it will be the tales of some City banker complaining about having to spend time on his Beastmaker during conference calls.
Get your nails dirty 'Climb' and I feel your following would improve, then maybe you could ask the red angry one for some of your soul back.

In reply to Stephen3005:
Mick Ward captured the golden age of climbing mags in his excellent recent article. My take on this was that while large scale new routing was taking place at grades (E5 and below) that even a fat punter like myself could aspire to given some dedication, then the monthly mag full of derring-do on Stanage was brilliant (cf Crags, High, OTE).
In the context of dedicated YouTube channels and anything at a reasonable grade having been done, then that's a big chunk taken away from what a mag can offer.

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:
Mick Ward (not Mick Ryan)

In reply to Rick Graham:

Sh*t, I'm only half awake!
Edit!!!!

In reply to Rick Graham:

Sorry Mick!
Paul

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:
I have had to edit my post as well now

I do agree with the first two posts.

In reply to Stephen3005:


The person who mentions hanging off a Beastmaker during a conference call is Paul Reeve. He's not a City banker. I believe one of the "small businesses" he's involved with is the Foundry.

In reply to Stephen3005:

People still read climbing mags? Printed on paper?

In reply to Bulls Crack:

Aye, and strangely, despite being bi-monthly, both seem to appear on the shelves of WH Smith on the same day for some reason. I more often than not buy one or other and then regret it soon after. The writing is often below par, and the sub editing appears to be non-existent: not a great combination but not uncommon with specialist magazines these days.

Ken Wilson would no doubt have taken a view on such matters.

In reply to Tony Jones:


Gotta agree about those clone mags.
Unfashionable and controversial, but I'm afraid that for a crag rat and someone who's old but not old enough, Mountain Magazine was as dull as ditchwater.

In reply to Stephen3005:

i liked it. lots of nice photos, interesting articles and inspiring ideas for places to go on holiday. if i want to read controversial writings about climbing by unshaven people with dirty nails i know exactly where to come

In reply to Stephen3005:

It's hard not to agree. I get my subscription as a Christmas present also, not sure I would get any more if it was my own money!

In reply to Tony Jones:


A quick glance at this bi-month's Climber reveals several mentions of the 'Upper tier of Scafell' where there is a route called 'Eastern Hammer' as well as a full page picture of Crithmum at Mother Carey's claiming to be Rock Idol.

I was so enraged I couldn't bring myself to read the rest...

In reply to Stephen3005:

I won't argue with what you wrote (don't read Climb often), but do hope that whoever got you the subscription as a present doesn't read this thread.

In reply to Stephen3005:
I feel the same as Wayne. I get a subscript for a Christmas present but wouldn't part with my own cash for it.
Although I thought this months was a fair bit better than usual.

When I look through most of the magazines in WHSmith they usually tend to target people who are in their early years of a particular hobby. I used to get
Camera mags when I bought my first camera, then guitar mags when I bought a guitar. It was no different when I started climbing.

Let's be honest, no magazine can really compete against Ukc.

In reply to Stephen3005:
What does this mean? Seems to be a good spread if destination articles to whet the appetite?

All magazines have advertising, they always have seems unfair to pick on one small circulation magazine for (what you seem to perceive as) the ills of capitalism!

I've not read the article but I'm not sure why you think someone who has managed to climb and fell run to a very high level, into middle age, whilst holding down a busy work life, shouldn't be a suitable person to be featured in a climbing magazine.

What does this mean? What do you think the articles should be replaced with if not inspiring pictures of places to visit and profiles of people?

I'm not a purchaser of climbing magazines and they have probably had their day but I fail to see that Climb is doing anything wrong given the limitations of the format, it's better than any UK magazine has ever been (and yes I'm the sort of geek who has every edition of Mountain, Crags, Mountain review, OTE - I've binned all my copies of High though!)

In reply to Tyler:


not OP, but i suspect he wants stories about john redhead asking alex megos what he's ever done on grit, knocking him out with a #9 nut and then drink-driving over to the cromlech to solo left wall in nothing but a pair of "keep calm and carry on" socks. you know, stuff real climbers can relate to

In reply to teltrabm:

Haha!!

In reply to Stephen3005:

I think given that climbing is a fairly alternative sort of past time, it really is a subculture, that part of it never seems to come across in much climbing media, apart from maybe a few low circulation zines like Friction and a few others many years ago.

I'm sure there'd be a call for something that played on this alternative lifestyle side of climbing. I don't know if you've seen any of the old surf mags put together by surfer and graphic designer David Carson. Carson pretty much broke every rule in the graphic design book yet his style was not only popular with surfers but spread much further. It would be great to see something like for climbing.

Though as others have said I'm not sure about the longevity of print media in these days of the accelerating world wide web.

In reply to stp:


I'm sat in the Depot I. Manchester as I write this, I think you'd be hard pressed to see evidence of any counter culture here (I'm assuming no one considered full sleeve tattoos alternative any more?)

In reply to Tyler:

I don't think sub cultures necessarily have to be about look, style or fashion.