On the hunt for some Throwback Thursday fodder, editor Tyler Cohen took a trip down into the depths of Backcountry’s basement. Amid the dust bunnies, the third and fourth editions of le Chronicle du Couloir lay in wait. The issues, each just 15 pages long, represent the early days of backcountry skiing journalism. Started in 1988 by Craig Dostie (now a Senior Editor of Backcountry and the guy behind earnyourturns.com), the publication was xeroxed onto lightweight paper and shipped to a handful of diehards around the West. A year’s subscription, which included four issues, cost readers $10.00.
Then, in 1991, Dostie began publishing Couloir nationally, and in 2007, Backcountry and Couloir combined forces. “By combining the experience of both titles, a bigger, better Backcountry Magazine has emerged—with thicker issues—and more of them,” the Editors wrote in the merger issue. Now, 26 years after the birth of Couloir and on the eve of Backcountry’s 20th birthday, the words printed on Couloir’s subscription card still ring true. “Thanks for your patronage. We are not a big corporation, so your subscription will make a difference in the life of this publication.”
We’re working toward publishing our 100th issue and celebrating 20 years of Backcountry Magazine. Can you believe it? Well, since we all can’t put our beers together with celebratory cheer, we’ve unearthed early editions of the mag, dug through them and pulled stories, photos, quotes, gear relics and more for your enjoyment. —The Editors
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