The Mountain Gazette Revival

An Interview with Mike Rogge

My first exposure to the Mountain Gazette was in November of 1976. I had completed my first backpacking trip that summer and wandered into The Mountain Air, a high end outdoor store. I was supposed to be in school, but instead I was dreaming about my next mountain adventure and a new backpacking stove. Entering the store, I picked up issue number 51 of the Mountain Gazette because my journalism teacher had mentioned it had an article by Edward Abbey. I had just finished Desert Solitaire and was already a huge fan.

I took the counter copy and headed over to the display tents and found myself a cozy nest. Over the next half hour, I was deeply absorbed by Abbey’s treatise about the death of Telluride. Fortunately, I managed to finish the article before a friendly salesperson wandered over, shook the tent and said “Can I help you?” I should have grabbed the subscription card but instead I hurried out of the store and pedaled back to school. Thinking back, reading that one article became a cornerstone of my life. Since then I’ve written countless articles regarding the overdevelopment of our area.

Fast forward to the year 2020, and I read an article that described ski writer Mike Rogge’s plan to revive the Mountain Gazette. If you have spent much time reading ski journalism of any sort, you should be familiar with Rogge’s name. He’s written for Newschoolers, The Ski Journal and Powder magazine, to name just a few. Rogge relocated to the North Lake Tahoe area around 2011 and now is the executive producer at Verb Cabin, a media production company which is the new owner of the Mountain Gazette.

This will be the third life for the Gazette, the previous two runs being from 1966-1979 and again from 2000-2012. The magazine is known for several traits. It has long accepted articles from serious outdoor writers that have something important to say, and it’s been willing to publish those articles at full length. This is not a magazine written by some copy kooks hoping to fill a 750 word space by next week’s deadline. It’s also been known for its commitment to outstanding photography.

I’m allergic to list-icals like “Top 10 Hot Tubs in Aspen,” but gravitate toward the dirtbags and ski bums who made the United States, Canada, and Europe must-visit destinations.

Mike Rogge, new owner of the Mountain Gazette

The new version should be spectacular. The format is 11 inches by 17 inches. It won’t fit into your standard magazine rack. Spread wide open, it will nearly cover most coffee tables. It’s probably better to think of the new Mountain Gazette as a coffee table book, published twice a year. Issue number 194 is shipping in November, after the election rush. I can’t wait to receive mine.

Normally, I like to do interviews on a chairlift. Since the chairs are not spinning yet, and I wanted to get this article out, we did this interview via a few emails. I still hope I get a chance to spin a lap or two with Mike soon. Here’s the interview:

How did you fall in love with skiing?

Skiing is a gift my father gave me. My mom, sister, and I traveled many wayward adventures with Dad. He’d drive us four hours deep into Vermont to find a Christmas tree or show up at the house with a three-wheeler death machine to play with. Dad’s always been this way, so chucking me in rental equipment at 5 was par for the course. 

Skiing is part of the fabric of my life. Virtually every “first” in my life happened at ski area—first friends, girlfriends, heartbreaks, beer, etc. 
I participated in after school clubs that allowed me the freedom to explore our little local mountain from 3:30 pm until 10 pm each night. Work study and free periods were scheduled in the mornings so I could do homework before class leaving nights for skiing, Monday through Friday. I lived off of cheese fries in the lodge for a lot of years.

 I fell in love with skiing through my friends, early issues of Freeze, and VHS/DVDs of Poor Boyz and Level 1 films. I devoured skiing and found my people when Newschoolers.com was launched by three ski nerds in Montréal.

 The New Canadian Airforce was a huge influence. Ski media puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of The K2 Performers. That was before my time. JP Auclair, JF Cusson, Vinnie Dorian, and Mike Douglas made me want to ski a certain way—mostly backwards. Although I’m only 35, I do remember a time when twin tip skis were a novel idea.

 For a huge part of my life skiing was an activity performed at night with close friends. It took me a long time to move West and find powder skiing. That experience is deeply personal and something that fuels my soul. 

Losing resort spring skiing to COVID was harder on me than I care to admit. It’s shameful, in a way, because the world has serious problems and I’m in a privileged position. We lost a great deal in 2020. I miss long, mindless laps on Summit. I miss taking my boots off after morning laps and going straight to my sandals. I miss arguing with friends about the best time of day to get great snow. Perhaps it’s shallow of me to think this way now, but this is who I am and losing a spring of skiing was a tremendous loss. 

You certainly have a passion for writing about skiing and the outdoors. Who inspired you to become a writer?

Without a doubt, Norman Maclean is my personal hero. It’s a shame so many folks only know him from the Brad Pitt film. The book is better. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories is the bench mark for outdoor writing and it’s an American classic. We gave our son the middle name Maclean. I developed a relationship with Norman’s son, John, who I hope will be contributing to Mountain Gazette. He’s a brilliant writer.

 In the ski world I relied on my peers to share with me what was happening on the glaciers in Whistler or Mt Hood each summer. I fell in love with early blogs and how many different ways a writer could experience skiing. In the early days of the twin tip movement a new trick was born in seemingly every video part, but to understand those tricks we needed words. The guys at Freeze put what I was seeing into context for me.

I fell in love with the quirkiness of Warren Miller’s early writing. It’s dry humor. Later, I would discover the treasure trove of writers in the Powder archives in San Clemente. I’d grab a stack from the 70s and head to the beach on Saturday for a formal education in the history of ski bumming. I’ve joked for a while that my undergrad was English Literature and my Master’s was in Powder magazine.

 I never wanted to be anyone other than myself, but like all writers I’m influenced by what I read  I’m a devoted reader. My writing has become more personal over the years. I assure you everything I write now is something I felt in a moment in time when it was written. That’s probably why I don’t write a lot of gear reviews anymore. It’s hard to get a deep or even a shallow feeling from a binding. 

What drew you to to revive the Mountain Gazette? What has that process been like?

I wanted to make a magazine that would speak to what my community cares about. I wanted a space for other writers to do the same.

 Outdoor titles are in large part stale and boring because they’re trapped in an endless vortex of gear. Gear is great and all, but reflecting the culture in our pages seems to me to be a higher calling.

 Bringing back a relic takes time and care. I don’t want to eff this up for the folks who loved Mountain Gazette. Learning and respecting that legacy has been important. I’m taking that information and building on the foundation lid by Mike Moore and John Fayhee which is no small task.

How will the Mountain Gazette of 2021 differ from the Mountain Gazette of 1971?

I casted a broader net in finding contributors and in defining what an outdoor title can be. For our editorial purposes a Mountain Gazette story can happen anytime one walks out their front door. That freedom allowed me to assign more progressive, thought-provoking pieces in issue 194.

 We’re going to release two issues per year. Everything is so in your face now. I find bi-annual to be the right frequency. You don’t need to have MG be part of every three seconds of your life. There are plenty of low-grade, all-the-time options out there. I’m a fan of them too, but I think we can be a healthier, more substance-based part of a balanced media diet. 

What part of the future of the Mountain Gazette is the most exciting for you?

New contributors, young writers and photographers will keep me young at heart as I get older in this position. This isn’t Mike Rogge’s Personal Magazine. It belongs to the people and our young writers and photographers will keep it fresh. 

What draws you to Alpine Meadows?

In a word, everything. Alpine Meadows feels like home. I get a lot out of riding the lifts with folks I don’t know. I cannot wait to teach our son how to ski there. 

What is your “go to” run at Alpine Meadows, your every day favorite, given average conditions?

Hot Wheels Gully, for sure. If you just moved to the area, I encourage you to only ski Hot Wheels Gully for a few seasons. You can never go wrong with a Gary’s proper or Rainbow Bowl. 

You can find out more about the Mountain Gazette here. Subscriptions for your next coffee table collection are $70, which is less than you would spend on one lunch at Northstar.