Early Winter 2009

Winter’s First Blast: Resort Guide

We begin our publishing cycle with our exclusive insider’s guide to North America’s 30 biggest destination resorts. More than  just another tired ranking of mid-mountain cheeseburgers, we bring the entire mountain experience to life via local knowledge and stunning landscape, culture, and ski action photography. Our core belief? Inspiration is the best form of service. And the mountains in winter are inherently inspirational.
Also: “The Gear Swami,” our team of gear specialists makes sense of the season’s best equipment. (Fat skis, carvers, snowboards, goggles, gloves, jackets, and skiing body armor for the masses. Yes, body armor. Well, maybe not.)
Plus: Profiles of the skiing entrepreneurs behind Utah’s Backcountry.com. Daron Rahlves on skier cross and raising kids in Tahoe. Iraq vets rip Vail.
Space Close: September 1

Materials Due: September 4

On-Sale: October 5

Winter 2010

The MS+L Top 50

Mountain Sports + Living correspondents scour the high country for the winter’s top deals, new terrain, trends, bars, restaurants, real estate, shops, trends, and people that comprise both the moment and the future of mountain life.

Also: “Diamonds in the Fluff,” a special 16-page package that highlights the mid-sized resorts and mountain towns where the snow piles up deep but the lift lines never grow and you don’t need dinner reservations. We detail where to ski, stay, eat, and drink for a weekend well spent—above it all.

Plus: The Gear Swami weigh in on boots, Nordic gear, and extra puffy coats for January chairlift rides. * Post-bubble real estate tycoons offer insider advice on how to buy a ski condo without getting flayed. * “A Break for Tired Legs,” from marathon spa sessions to ice climbing lessons to mellow cross-country tours, we turn your down days upside down.

Space Close: November 2

Materials Due: November 4

On-Sale: December 1

Spring 2010

Tear it Up this Spring, Gear it Up this Summer

Celebrating the fact that March is still a peak-skiing month, we look at the top spots for late season turns and last minute lodging deals. Then it’s on to warm weather with a 20-page “Mountain Gear Guide,” highlighting the best bikes, golf clubs, trail running shoes, waterproof shells, whitewater boats, fly rods, and daypacks for life after skiing.
Also: “Last One, Best One,” an eight-page package highlighting the best ways to end the 2010 ski season, from a hike up Tuckerman Ravine to a tailgate extravaganza at Arapahoe Basin to a corn skiing epic at Heavenly. We build the ultimate insider itinerary.
Plus: “The Mud Season Mindset,” crackpot essays on the weirdest time on earth—May in a mountain town—and the sweet redemption of June. * “Mountain Transitions,” a photo essay taking readers from peak snowpack to budding leaves
and dry trails.
Space Close: January 11

Materials Due: January 19

On-Sale: February 16

Summer 2010

Getting Above it All

Roasting on the beach beneath the giant orb of cancer while trying to keep the kids from playing with the medical waste flotsam? No thanks. In an age of warming temperatures and chilling portfolios, low-cost and healthy mountain adventures have evermore appeal. Our cover package salutes mountain resort towns in summer, where a typical week breaks down as follows: ride, fish, swim, run, golf, nap, grill, microbrew, repeat. Here’s the where and the how.
Also: “Festival Roundup,” we find the summer’s best mountain film festivals, whitewater rodeos, and mountain bike jams—it’s where you need to be.
Plus: Features and profiles of mountain characters and adventures.
* Photo essays, gear reviews, columns and more.
Space Close: April 12

Materials Due: April 20

On-Sale: May 17