I subscribe to “Mountain” magazine which is a very high quality periodical with great photography and articles pertaining to the mountain life. I like to get lost in the articles and photographs and I am especially thrilled when it shows up in my mailbox. There is something still in me that likes print media and “Mountain” is one of the better quarterly periodicals that has survived. The editor is Marc Peruzzi who is also the founder of the magazine. Marc is an excellent journalist who I have followed over the years. He writes about cycling, skiing, and ski mountaineering in many other magazines like “Outside” and “Ski” . He is well known and has made his living creating interesting articles related to the outdoor industry, outdoor sports and general life of adventure. Marc- seen here on the left on the podium for the Breck Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race.

I was surprised at Marc’s editorial page in the current issue which was named “History Doesn’t Stop”. I found it to be a bit too political for my taste and called Marc to task in an email . My point to him was that I want to read” Mountain” to get away from the political media editorials of today and just plain enjoy a magazine dedicated to the outdoors. To my surprise, he immediately responded with a well crafted message culminating with the following:
” Just as I always take my own opinions and beliefs to task, I am always willing to be taken to task by readers like you. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts instead of just reaching for the cancel button.” We went on to have an increasingly amiable dialog in which he aptly explained his views, but also respected the spirit of his magazine. He felt that today’s political journey does not exclude the mountain population and therefore would always be faithful to putting forth opinion that would relate to that community.

Marc also commented on the fact that I support his print media with a subscription. He thanked me. He also went on to say that it has been hard to attract the advertising that he once had and that print media in general was having difficulty. He wrote most of the articles in his latest issue and said that hopefully things will get better and the ads will start flowing more freely again. I understand his pain as I saw the demise of a lot of quality periodicals that fell prey to a vanishing ad base. Magazines like “Dirt Rag”and “Skiing.” But Marc’s exemplary journalism skills carry the magazine and I went on to tell him so. What started as a rant about his political views in an outdoor magazine, turned into a “discourse” of the spirit of the magazine and his thoughts on the publishing of “Mountain.” My wife Janet was amazed at the time spent on the email discussion with someone who took the time to have a half hour dialog with me on his editorial. Although our political views may slightly differ, the discourse and discussion was enlightening and educational.

Discourse is defined in some circles as ” written or spoken communication of debate.” My point this week is that in today’s divided world, there is often not much discourse. There is a lot of opinion on either side of the political spectrum which oftentimes turns personal in response instead of a healthy dialog or discourse. In this surprising interlude with an editor of an outdoors magazine, I found that discourse with Marc, which is so rare today. I found a person who was willing to discuss his views without getting personal and find a common ground with me. We both love the outdoors and both like to write about it. I was impressed with his passion about the current political scene and how it relates to the outdoors types for whom he writes. It is not often that one ever receives a reply from a letter to the editor, much less such the civil response that I received. But it shows you that people can disagree, but in the continuation of discourse, can find common ground. The Founders did it. Why can’t we all? Thanks Marc for the healthy dialog and thanks for reading folks. Subscribe to “Mountain”. Worth the read.