As the saying goes, "I've had it up to here!" Okay, well, maybe not quite but close. I am not at the point of completely writing climbing magazines off, but I am extremely tired of grabbing the latest issue (insert any climbing magazines name here) and seeing some overly ripped guy or gal cliff-hangared on some gnarly overhung problem hanging on one handed picture.
As if that is what really happens when or while climbing. I know that I don't have the worlds most experience when it comes to cimbing. However, I have been climbing 5+ years now and have never once encountered the above mentioned situation nor have I ever heard of anyone else. Staged and posed images are stupid.
I'm not going to say that it is false advertisement because I don't think that is what it is. I understand that imagery and capturing your audience's attention is necessary. But come on! Is that really the best that your "creative" team can come up with for your cover image? It seems like such an artistic cop-out. I guess my other question is, does anyone care? I can't think of anyone who picks up or buys a climbing magazine because of the uber fake climber on the cover.
While image is important and everyone knows that it's not how good of a climber you are but how good you look most climbers i know aren't into the images depicted on the cover of those magazines. Really, for me it reduces my desire to even pick up the magazine let alone read it. In fact, it turns me completely off to the sport and reduces my desire to go out to the climbing gym or my local crag.
Also, I think that it stereotypes the men and women who climb and makes them less approachable and intimidating, which is bad for the industry. The more intimidated new climbers or interested climbers are the less likely they are to start or go climbing because they have this mental image of climbers as the people on the cover of the magazines.
Honestly, the cover images are so over the top and fake it is just ridiculous. It's not like climbing magazines need to follow suit with Cosmo, Vogue, or Mensblahblah! I guess I thought that climbing was better then that, but lately I have been proven wrong.
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