Now Selling NEW Issues of Summit Journal

Hello friends, just a quick note to say I have six issues of the brand-new Summit Journal 325 for sale, purchased directly from the publisher. So far I have been exclusively or almost-exclusively selling used books and magazines; this is an experiment to see how new stuff does on the site. This magazine is published twice yearly - this issue is Fall 2026; the next issue will come in Spring 2027.

In my opinion, Summit is the best climbing magazine active today. (And that number is greater than you might think: just in print we have Alpinist; The Climbing Zine; Gripped; add online publications to the list and it swells significantly). The magazine is only available to subscribers and in a very limited number of climbing shops, like this one. So this is a great way to check out a single issue, before committing to a subscription.

The focus of Summit is nutritious writing and yummy photography. It's quite pleasant to read about current events in climbing outside of an instagram caption, and to appreciate the detail in photos without having to pinch and hold your fingers to enlarge the post. These mags measure about 9.5"x13"; they are significantly larger than the old-school Summits.

Here are some of my favorite stories from issue 325:

• A profile of Michael Kennedy, former editor-in-chief of Climbing magazine and father of the late Hayden Kennedy.
• A photo essay on Scottish mixed climbing - some truly stunning images of rime-ice-coated cliffs and the crazy lads questing up.
• A feature on re-bolting efforts at the New River Gorge. Not a sexy topic but an important mechanic function which keeps the climbing world humming along as safely as can be managed.
• A profile of Steph Abegg, "The Beta Collector." Steph Abegg's name and work will be familiar to you if you have ever Googled for beta on just about any major route in North America.

At 144 pages with minimal advertising, there is a lot more to discover in these magazines. Price is $30. Buy Summit Journal 325 here.