Powder Magazine closes

Every subculture has its leading media, which hardly anyone outside the specific thematic niches notices, but which are influential within their bubbles. For the powder sports niche, this has long been, well, powder. Rumors about the imminent demise of Powder first spread via Twitter, then became more concrete on the blogs and social media pages of various former and current Powder editors and were finally confirmed in a concise statement on Powder.com: Everything will be closed from the end of November, future uncertain.

Apart from the niche media, there have always been niche communication channels that serve the exchange between like-minded people - IRC chats, internet forums, modern social media and, in the past, analog versions of these: regulars' tables, bulletin boards, smoke signals. Currently, the few remaining powder-related forums with more than two active members are debating whether the end of powder is the beginning of the end of the ski industry, or simply the natural course of events? And perhaps even long overdue?

While Powder was always primarily an institution in the USA, many people here in Germany are also nostalgic: finding Powder in the mailbox in the fall created anticipation for the season. The pictures are always fun to look at, they are not immediately forgotten like on Instagram. What are you supposed to read on the toilet now? Powder was escapism and dream fodder. With the best editorials, you had the feeling: "Someone understands me here." The worse ones at least made you feel like someone like-minded was trying to make an engaging magazine. Former Powder editor-in-chief Steve Casimiro writes that the stacks of magazines in the editorial archives were always a symbol of optimism and hope for him.

Of course, Powder hasn't had the relevance it had back then for a long time, but without Powder, Bob's life and that of many others would have been different. Of course, you can never say for sure in hindsight, but everyone knows the butterfly effect of small impulse decisions based on, for example, a photo in a magazine, which unplanned turn into life-changing decisions. And when a magazine like Powder was so clearly involved, then you can bow down with a certain reverence to a declining scene magazine, think of times gone by and become nostalgic.

In this sense: Thank you and good bye, Powder. Perhaps a rich investor will step in after all, or the employees will start something new. Steve Casimiro is now also publishing a print version of his online magazine Adventure Journal, Mike Rogge, also formerly at Powder, is currently trying to revive Mountain Gazzette, and The Ski Journal also frequently features articles by photographers and authors whose careers started at Powder. So if you're looking for alternatives to a Powder subscription, you still have a few options to support snow-savvy American niche magazines in print.