Even though I’ve been a lifelong snowboarder, I’ve had a subscription to Powder for years. Their quality journalism and in-depth stories of off the beaten path ski resorts kept me glued to their pages. But from a snowboarding perspective, I had a Snowboarder subscription too. So, it’s with a sad heart to hear that both Snowboarder and Powder Magazine are closing along with a slew of other outdoor publications.
Why Is This Happening?
Back in 2019, American Media acquired 14 of the best-known niche-sports magazines in Sports Media from ASN (Adventure Sports Network) aka TEN Sports & Entertainment Group. The idea communicated to the public was that it was to expand their portfolio into the alternative sports realm. In the CEO’s words:
“The opportunity to merge the incredible ASN brands with our recent acquisition of Men’s Journal establishes a significant digital network and underscores American Media’s commitment to diversifying our brand offerings and revenue streams.”
Is American Media Really Diversifying?
Within a few weeks of this statement, we reported that AMI shut down Transworld Snowboarding. It got us wondering out of those 14 brands that are supposedly diversifying their brand, how many are left? When we started looking further into it, it came as a shock we couldn’t find ANY magazine still open. Here’s a small sampling of the magazines that they obtained:
Transworld Snowboarding: Closed 2019
Transworld Moto: Closed 2019
Transworld Skateboarding: Closed 2019
RideBMX: Closed 2019
Surfer: Closed 2020
Bike Mag: Closed 2020
Snowboarder Magazine Closing
Powder Magazine Closing
Subscription Replaced By Men’s Journal?
Instead of attempting to provide a voice for these sports, they’ve decided to shut each of them down and give readers an alternative: Men’s Journal. Personally, when I received my automatic substitute of Men’s Journal, I’ve just thrown it out and subsequently cancelled my subscription. This is not what I want to read. I’m not interested in readying about the next razor or the newest car. I’m about skiing and snowboarding.
Local Freshies Is Here For You
Seeing two of our favorite outlets shut down has really emotionally struck a chord. So, who is going to be the voice for unique stories and places that are off the beaten path? Places like Pebble Creek, Saddleback, and Otsego Ski Areas. My wife and I left the corporate world many years ago when we started Local Freshies® to do just that. We won’t always get it right. But that’s how we all grow and learn. And I know we have a small voice compared to global brands, but we’ll do our part to share stories that are different. That we can stand behind.
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Wow, what another sad shocking development! No other media comes close to the deep dive into wintersports that Powder has carried on for decades. I was lucky enough to have a feature article about skiing the ridges of Taos published there many years back, a letter to the editor extolling the virtues of “ski moms” and a few other smaller pieces over the years. It was a trusted source of info and great stoke, stories about famous and obscure ski locales, backcountry adventures, industry personnel and on and on. I hope it can be resurrected! I’d be willing to double or even triple my subscription rate–anyone listening?
I can’t agree with you more. Just the quality of the content was above and beyond anyone else. I haven’t seen a consolidation in ANY industry that’s better for the consumer. The voice of skiing has definitely gotten quieter. 🙁
Any chance that we can start some kind of class action lawsuit as subscribers against them? Who the f*** wants men’s journal? I paid for a subscription to Powder, and that’s what I want nothing else
Harry, totally agree with you. I was mad when they took away my Snowboarder subscription, then TW Snow, and now Powder? 🙁 I’m not a fan of AMI.
I was very sad to learn about Powder closing it’s doors. As others have mentioned I would be happy to pay several times the current subscription price to keep it going.
Pecker is a good friend of Trump and spikes any negative stories about him. He’s probably closing all these magazines because they represent a culture he and Trump can’t stand.