Winding down

Here & There - 12.16.22

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Outside Mag fiasco and predicted that the future might lie in smaller, more efficiently run, less frequent titles (and independent creators) with less overhead. A focus on quality over quantity, niche communities, and human connection.

I'm planning on exploring this further, and spent the last week talking to friends in the industry and doing a bit of research. I posted in the Basecamp Outdoor FB group, which generated an unexpected swell of interest and ideas (and I now have a long list of people to follow up with 😅).

However, between the end of the year doldrums (aka complete lack of focus) and the amount of feedback I’ve been getting, I might split this topic into 2-parts for the new year. One focused on the industry/PR side of things, and another on the new class of creators + “mini media companies” that I’ve been so excited about. Plus, I don’t really feel like trying to wrangle Zoom calls over the holidays, nor do you really want to get more emails this time of year.

In the meantime, I started a little directory of interesting, independent, niche, publications and creators in the outdoors/travel space. It’s a work in progress, and I plan on keeping this updated as I stumble across more folks doing cool things. Feel free to reach out if you’ve got anything/anyone you want to add!

https://www.hereandthere.club/directory

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A few more quick thoughts, then I won’t clutter up your inbox until 2023.

🙏 Thank you. If you’re here reading this, know that I’m tremendously grateful that I’ve kept you interested enough to read, subscribe, and share with friends. I’ve been writing on and off since 2020, but recently I feel like I’ve been finding a groove, and there’s some fun potential in my little corner of the outdoors/travel space.

🚞 New places. I spent most of the year in London, which is my new favorite (big) city. While many places in the Alps were amazing, Engelberg and Chamonix stood out as places I felt like home and will definitely return to. At the moment, it’s nice being back in Boulder.

🏃‍♂️ I ran 1000 miles. That may not be significant for more serious runners, but it’s the most consistently I’ve run in many years (despite some injury issues). At various points I was in good enough shape to run a 5:00 mile and *almost* win a 20-mile trail race. Looking forward to planning more trail running adventures in 2023…Via Valais, anyone?

📖 I read 41 books this year. I mostly ready sci-fi and fantasy, so if that’s your jam I’m happy to provide recommendations. Stand-outs this year were Dark Matter (gripping, thrilling, heart-wrenching, mind-bending), the Red Rising trilogy (a wild sci-fi ride that continues to build throughout all three books), and Psalm for the Wild Built (cozy sci-fi with a sense of optimism).

🤷‍♂️ 2023? Hopefully I’ll get to ski more than I have in the past few years (hit me up!), do a bunch of trail running, visit friends, and I’d love to work a few more photography + storytelling projects back into my life, whether trail or travel-focused.

Happy holidays, y’all.