Mountain Athlete Journal: Print Edition

A Magazine Manifesto

For most of my life I’ve felt pretty out of place. A little like a square peg trying to squeeze itself into the round hole of the traditional path. I’m drawn to, shall we say, “alternative” interests and sports. I’m ambitious and creative, yet struggle to get out of my own way. I’m mostly allergic to self-promotion and usually paralyzed with fear, impostor syndrome, and self-doubt.

And yet I keep wanting to make things. The irony is that I feel my best when I’m creating and pushing forward through the discomfort, whether on my bike or in the midst of a creative project. I’ve wanted to create something meaningful, something tangible, but unsure how to do that in a landscape that seems to value digital distraction over depth, volume over substance.

So I’m making a magazine.

Bringing The Mountain Athlete Journal into the physical form feels like a natural progression after two years of writing here on Substack. In the age of phone addiction, AI slop, and short form content distracting us everywhere, I believe we need more tactile art in the world. Something we can touch and feel. Something collaborative that includes work from other mountain athletes who share this itch to create. Stuff that lasts.

The Intersection

Moving through the outdoors as an athlete creates a state of complete focus and feeling: l’état de concentration optimale. Flow state. It’s where movement and meaning collide, and creativity emerges. I’ve lost count of the ideas and insights that have arrived during long bike rides or days in the alpine.

I believe creativity is inherent to being a mountain athlete. Venturing into the unknown and uncomfortable on skis or by bike is part physical performance and part creative act. One of my favorite authors, Seth Godin, defines creativity and art as solving interesting problems, making a generous contribution, risking failure, all with intention to change the recipient for the better. The more I examine my own relationship to sport, the more I realize this is exactly what I love so much about it: not the metrics or grand performances, but the creativity of it all. And the opportunity to make and share something from it that resonates with others on a similar path.

Mountain Athlete Journal exists at this intersection. Where athletics become art, where movement becomes meaningful.

Why Print?

Exhausted by the distraction and noise of the social media slot machine, I wanted to make something tactile and intentional, away from the chaos of the internet.

I’m tired of “content” for content’s sake, disappearing in 24 hours or less. I’m tired of algorithms that reward frequency over depth. I’m tired of the noise and anxiety that comes from the endless feed and the feeling that I’m never going to be good enough against the influencers and sponsored athletes.

Print is slower. It sits on your shelf or your coffee table and lasts. Photos look so much better on the page than on the light up rectangle, words and reflections hit deeper in the long-form than an Instagram caption, and it just feels better to sit with something rather than scroll past it. It also reflects part of the philosophy of the Mountain Athlete. We prioritize and revel in the beauty of the physical world, forced into presence when running down a tight singletrack trail or pushing against our limit riding or skiing up a mountain pass.

There’s something deeply human about holding a physical object that someone made with care. In a world optimized for distraction, a magazine is a small act of resistance. For myself at least, much of the angst and mental turmoil I experience is linked to the digital distraction that has become so ubiquitous in our lives. I feel a sense of responsibility to protect analog art forms. Especially in areas I care so deeply about.

My Vision

Mountain Athlete Journal is a physical canvas by and for the endurance athlete-storytellers and artists, photographers, and philosophers of the mountains. Each issue features stories, photographs, and art from contributors who live and create in mountain sports in a tactile, physical form, away from the noise of algorithms and AI. My goal is to build community and a deeper relationship with the mountains and with ourselves. Published biannually in spring and fall, Mountain Athlete Journal is a refuge from digital distraction — a space for expression, connection, and the stories worth sharing.

Each issue will include a mix of narrative storytelling like race reports and trip reflections done with craft and intention. We’ll have practical and educational stuff in there too: coaching philosophy, nutrition guidance, route ideas. Photography, illustration, and painting with vision beyond the typical adventure content. And interviews with athletes, coaches, and creators thinking deeply about why they do what they do.

The unifying thread: celebrating creative mountain athletes.

A Call for Contributors

I see this as a community-based project, not just a solo endeavor. The beauty of art, athletics, and creativity is the shared experience of doing rad stuff together, and making something greater than the sum of its parts.

Mountain Athlete Journal is looking for contributors: writers, photographers, illustrators, coaches, and athletes with stories to tell and art to share. You don’t need to be famous. You don’t need a massive following. I’m interested in those of us who create because we have to, because the mountains and the ways we move through them provide inspiration. If this resonates, I want to hear from you.

The first issue, slated to be released in the spring, sets this stage with the theme of “Movement + Meaning.” Why do we feel compelled to move in the mountains? What does it reveal? How is physical expression linked to creative expression?

You can learn more about submissions here: https://www.mountainathletejournal.com/submissions

An Invitation

This is, honestly, an experiment. Deciding to put myself out there and make a print magazine is terrifying. It’s imperfect and ambitious. But vulnerability is fundamental to both athletics and art. Stepping courageously into the void can be a vehicle for growth in both pursuits.

I’m betting on print when much of the media landscape favors the opposite. Choosing depth in a culture that rewards speed. Trying to build a community of mountain athletes who want something more than content. I want connection, meaning, something to hold in my hands.

My hope is that this journal deepens our relationship with the mountains and ourselves. That it brings a sense of calm inspiration through the stories and art of our contributors, supporting your goals and aspirations. A breath of fresh air amidst the distraction.

The first issue launches May 2026. Stay tuned for more, and get in touch if you want to be involved. For more info, visit https://www.mountainathletejournal.com.

Thank you for being here. For reading, for moving, for creating.

-jackson