Amazingly, a year has gone by since I started writing with any seriousness. And though I haven’t made much of a mark, it has surely been an interesting ride. I’ve gone from being a guy who hadn’t done much writing since college, to being published in several leading ski publications. I’ve experienced several frustrating ups and downs, coming face-to-face with the cutthroat world of outdoor online written content, where unfortunately ethics and lofty ideals aren’t always adhered to. But it’s still been a fascinating journey thus far. And through it all, I've come closer to understanding what place I hope this blog and myself can have in the discussion of outdoor pursuits.
I've had the good fortune of being published in several highly read outdoor publications. And the rush of reading my words in those places has been more fulfilling and addicting than I could have predicted. The reward of having the opportunity of being read has made the task of putting words together in a creative and compelling way such a worthwhile endeavor. And it’s made me hopeful for the future of my own blog as something more than an invisible repository for my work. I want eyes on my words and discussions from that..
While I've strived to focus on the positives, there have undoubtedly been challenges and headwinds. I’ve had editors promise to run my pieces, only to go dark shortly thereafter. My submissions have been repeatedly rejected and ignored. I’ve even had a publication take a submitted piece and rework it only the most cursory manner via another author and give me no credit. To recently hear that author on a podcast discussing the article was a confusing and imbittering moment. Still, I move forward.
Through it all I’ve been reminded that no matter what we talk about or what content we consume, the actual execution of our passions is what truly matters. I absolutely feel that our culture – be it the outdoor world generally, or telemark specifically – deserves rich content; that’s what makes a culture in the first place. But the writing and production of pieces truly pales in comparison to the actual gift that telemark, or any outdoor pursuit, gives one.
And it’s a good thing that writing about something doesn’t serve as a stand-in for it. I feel it begs remembering that nothing replaces these things that we do – they are precious and unique. But the creation of content and the culture that comes with that serves an important if ancillary purpose. It is the recorder of the important parts of the actual endeavors that are often not apparent at the time – things like a sport’s ethos, what it stands for, what it means to undertake in these movements.
Furthermore, the last year has shown me that the landscape for the written word is in a very strange place anymore, especially in the outdoor world. Yes, the internet has changed long form forever, social media especially, with it devouring our time, taking advantage of our predisposition towards instant gratification as a species. Worryingly, many an outdoor publication has followed suit, publishing shoddy, easily digestible works to ensnare wandering minds. I worry for the future of long form in outdoor, and hope it is never fully supplanted by quick, entertaining snippets.
But long form is also at risk from unchecked consolidation and merciless commoditization of every corner of the sporting content world. Affiliate link models are putting our entire culture of content at risk. And companies with these models are starting to receive staggering sums of financing from Wall Street investment firms. They are taking over niche, independent blogs and using their goodwill to serve cut-rate mores.
While my goal is certainly to keep writing, I think it’s on all of us, especially in the telemark world, to keep our sport rich, and keep our content rich. Whether that be acting as an ambassador for the sport, or writing articles, or consuming independent, solid content. Not only would telemark benefit from this, the wider outdoor culture needs a return to this thinking before it’s too late.
For my part, I don’t want to be someone who writes affiliate link marketing, I don’t want to take part in this whole thing for free gear; I’m not looking for a free lunch. I can already hear seasoned writers scoffing at my idealism. But I would prefer to look our world in the face and say what I see than not, regardless if I ever get paid for an article ever again.
Honesty is our weapon against the diminished, money-at-all-costs vision that some have for the written word in the outdoor world. Let us show that the outdoor life has utility beyond scalability – it is a lifelong undertaking that indulges in the purity of moments. No affiliate link program or click-for commission online magazine can mirror that beauty. Hopefully I can act in some small way as a counterweight to the new antagonisms our world faces, and capture just a little bit of what makes our undertakings in the outdoors so special.
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