Rock climbing magazines are certainly a niche publication, geared toward an audience that’s often on-the-go—so it makes sense that many have moved online. Prominent publications like Rock & Ice, Climbing, and Ascent have drastically scaled back their print editions and now focus primarily on digital content. But the shift online often favors snappy, click-worthy pieces over depth, nuance, and thoughtful reporting. In contrast, Summit Journal offers a refreshing return to long-form storytelling—carefully curated, print-focused, and deeply rooted in the climbing community’s history and spirit.

Summit was resurrected by the name of Summit Journal in 2023, bringing long-form journalism, large-format photography, exceptional writing, and photographic art into the climbing community. These aspects elevate Summit beyond that of a mere climbing journal to create an experience that is immersive and captivating.. (Sidenote – all photos below are photos of my physical copy of Summit, taken with my iPhone.)

Summit Journal’s design and inclusion of photographs reflects its goal to immerse the reader in a world where words and images converge. This is the table of contents page! The information contained within these two pages could have surely been put on one page, however, that would require the ice climber in the photo to be overrun with text. This is to say, not a single page in Summit Journal comes without an experience and an adventure story.

Their design philosophy extends even to advertisements which extend to two pages and are visually rich. This is the inside of the cover and the first page of the issue. These two pages are featuring one of Summit’s sponsors; Mountain Hardwear. However, I find this beautiful photo of  Jesse Grupper climbing “Full Metal Brisket in the New River Gorge less of an advertisement and more of an artwork.

When reading Summit Journal, I do not skip over the advertisements, for they are all beautiful photographs. When’s the last time you savored the page of a magazine devoted to a sponsor?

The extreme detail in the print allows the reader to see something new every time they look at the photograph. With each turn of the page, Summit beckons the reader to look closer and explore the landscapes for themselves, creating a lasting impression that will remain with them as they continue throughout the story.