After enjoying yet another article from Outside, I figured it was time to subscribe, you know, give the magazine makers some money for their work.
I decided to wait for three issues to offer a verdict because the first two were really disappointing. Subscriptions run $2 an issue with a list price of $7. I haven’t really talked about subscription prices of other magazines before but this one is quite high. It’s staggeringly high for the amount of ads that are in the magazine, too. They have a half a dozen advertorials which look like articles (which I hate) and all those personals in the back. Plus the mag is littered with ads for gear (which I know gear people love but still it should impact the price of the magazine. Sheesh).
So the articles I’ve enjoyed in the past were personal stories (from the likes of Wells Tower, etc). They are extended pieces by reasonably famous authors and they have a great voice. In the issues I’ve received so far, the feature stories have been the 50 Best Jobs and Are You Tough Enough? That Jobs one seems like a fun article and indeed the places they chose were interesting. Although this was more of a fluff piece than a real article–no one is getting a job looking at these companies–certainly not just because they read about it here. Also, note that none of the companies are East of the Mississippi. There’s also later article on adventure seeking entrepreneurs. Yawn. I gather that the Are You Tough enough type of article is the real meat and potatoes of the magazine, with headlines like “Eat Like a Champion” and “Surfing Monster Waves,” the actual target audience for this magazine must be slim indeed. I know it’s not me. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 