The High Route Media Kit 2024-2025
The early bird gets the worm. Slator Aplin eyeing the Otter Body. Photo: Aidan Whitelaw
Being fans of The New Yorker, we eyed their media kit for inspiration. We were auto-directed to a Condé Nast media kit where a luscious, PR-worthy statement is big and bold amidst buzzing videos: “Unleash influence everywhere.”
Try not to laugh or even eye roll. We know you know The High Route is a nascent media entity. Our place in the cosmos entails not unleashing influence everywhere. Our main priority when it comes to influence is generating enough stoke to get first-timers into the winter backcountry and inspiring old salts to dream even bigger. In short, whether it’s meadows skipping or the steeps, we’re here to unleash inspiration.
We provide good reads and photos for those who find solace backcountry skiing and splitboarding. We report on ski alpinism best-practices. We write in-depth gear reviews that serve our community. We educate. And yes, we have podcasts too.
This is to say, if your budget is flexible and you can consider supporting our vision, we’d appreciate it.
The Backstory
The High Route went live on September 1, 2023. In our first season of coverage, we published over 250 pieces which includes podcast episodes. We are a reader supported website with monthly and annual subscriptions, podcasts are free.
For 2024-2025, we are expanding our coverage of the scene to include stories based in the Alps and beyond. We will host “office hours” for subscribers allowing community members to glean information and best practices from leading ski alpinists, guides, and avalanche educators. We’ll continue production of both our podcasts: The High Route Podcast and our Gear Shed Podcast.
The bigger news is that we’ll be offering a single print issue of The High Route this winter. Think coffee-table book quality showcasing longform storytelling, journalism, and visuals. (For 2025-2026, The High Route journal will be bi-annual.) Our website will still house gear reviews, op-eds, news, short and long-form stories, and interviews. If you have more questions about The High Route, please reach out.
THR magazine Timeline
Late August—Announce Launch of The High Route magazine.
End of September—Finalize print design.
October—Sustain & Continue the subscription drive. Firm up the editorial roster for issue 1 and continue the layout.
December—print and ship the first issue. Copies delivered to readers starting January/February ’25. The High Route magazine will be a single issue for ’24/’25. We will bump to a biannual model (fall/winter) for ’25/’26. And a helpful reminder, The High Route website isn’t going anywhere. We’ll be a joint digital/print endeavor moving forward.
The Ask
One year into our journey, here’s what we ask: Trust our vision. Trust we have good intentions and the interest of our core community (which includes you) at heart. That’s a lot to ask but actually a pretty simple and straightforward promise from us.
As a reader-funded model, we shy away from traditional banner ads and affiliate links. Yet we plan on highlighting our industry supporters while remaining as commercially quiet as possible.
Top-Tier Support: $10,000.00 reserved for two industry partners
- Website: Above our website footer on the 2025-2025 homepage, we will highlight our core industry partners/supporters by featuring logos from our top-tier partners. Each respective logo will link to the company’s mission statement, social media accounts, and homepage.
- Podcast: Advertisement read on each 2024-2025 podcast episode. This will include a custom brand-approved ad to start off the show and a “thank you to_____for supporting The High Route,” at the podcast’s conclusion.
- Magazine: The back cover of print issue 1.0 is reserved for our first top-tier supporter. We’ll reserve the inside front-cover and adjoining page (for a two-page ad spread) for the remaining top-tier supporter.
Second-Tier Support: $5,000.00 reserved for three industry partners
- Website: Above our website footer on the 2025-2025 homepage, we will highlight our core industry partners/supporters by featuring logos from our second-tier partners positioned below the top-tier. Each respective logo will link to the company’s mission statement, social media accounts, and homepage.
- Podcast: Advertisement read on five 2024-2025 podcast episodes, and a “thank you to_____for supporting The High Route,” at the podcast’s conclusion.
- Magazine: The inside back cover of issue 1.0 is reserved for the first industry partner to sign on as a second-tier supporter. The next second-tier supporter to sign on receives an ad placement opposite the Contents page. The final second tier-supporter to sign on receives an ad adjacent the Editor’s Note. (These are full page ads.)
Third-Tier Support: $2,500 reserved for four industry partners
- Website: Above our website footer on the 2025-2025 homepage, we will highlight our core industry partners/supporters by featuring logos from our third-tier partners positioned below the second-tier. Each respective logo will link to the company’s mission statement, social media accounts, and homepage.
- Podcast: Advertisement read on five 2024-2025 podcast episodes, and a “thank you to_____for supporting The High Route,” at the podcast’s conclusion.