It’s being a big few months for the old writing gig. In fact I will go as far as to say that this Northern Hemisphere summer was really hectic and I don’t know how I managed to produce so much content for so many mountain bike magazines, all of it I am really proud of because there’s a great depth to all of it. It was hectic juggling so many things at once but I love having a million different balls to juggle. I was coaching five days a week in Whistler, then every week there seemed to be a different photographer coming through town that I had to work with, either in front or behind the scenes in any free time I had, and then I was writing in any spare moment I had. Somewhere in the schedule I also managed to squeeze in endless rides with close friends and held down a relationship with Emily. In fact I have to thank Emily hugely for always being supportive, acting as my hot little editor and being a source of great inspiration due to her need to be constantly doing something too.
Well a lot of the content I produced has made it into the magazines and on the shelves for everyone to critique now. All the hard work is there in physical form for people to have an emotional reaction to perhaps. I hope the people that buy or read (not always the same thing) get something from all the content that so many good people in a select few very magazines put so much work into.
I struggle to find all the issues of everything I have content in as I move around so much that I’m always missing issues, but the new digs in Portugal have a bunch of recent magazines lying around that I have content in. So here is a recap of some of the fruits of my hectic summer.
Dirt issue 106. Most recent issue I've seen and contains a boat load...
Starting from the front, Whistler Diaries - Albert Kinsey and the All-Marketing project. It talks about gay issues in mountain biking and how that relates to the increasing spectrum of bike categories...you'll have to read it to make sense of it, maybe it still won't. As usual Jon Gregory kills it with the illustration.
The Coastal Crew mega spotlight. Mattias Fredriksson and myself were super motivated to do this project since long ago. I think these boys kill it and are bridging the gap that is emerging between old school ethics and modern mundane communications. Products of the hyper speed culture we live in, they are busting their balls to get it done, and done right.
Yeah it's a big spread. I'm stoked for the boys to get some decent coverage in the best gravity magazine on the planet. Their videos might get a lot of views on the net, but nothing beats some quality coverage in a magazine. But that's just me saying that, magazines are dead apparently. Somehow I couldn't see Mattias' photos and the depth of the insight into the lives of the Coastal Crew ever looking so good on a website like PB. But that's ok, shaky camera phone pictures are good enough for PB. It only needs to be 75% good enough according to PB themselves.
In the same issue a six pager that Grant Robinson and myself teamed up on. Dave Watson knows a thing or two about working towards quality even in the face of adversity. This piece was a great chance to sit down and hammer out some global hyperbole and big picture thinking with Watson and the piece reflects that.
Dirt issue 104 (I am missing 105 which is a shame because it's my favorite in a long time). Hylands gets the cover with Tracey Moseley in celebration of her finally winning the World Champs.
Crankworx photo essay that I introduced and captioned. Great chance to go wild on the captions. I decided to focus on the 30,000 stories other than the pros that make up Crankworx, even if the photos are of the fast and burly boys.
Dirt issue 103. Not so much in this issue but it is stacked with content. Between these three issues I have enough reading material for a long time coming. In fact I'll probably re-read a lot of it. I don't know how Dirt comes so stacked with content every month. They knock out a 160 page issue which is stacked with amazing content. Thank goodness my dad has a subscription to Dirt so when I retire from roaming the globe I'll be able to go round his for a cuppa and go through all the old issues over and over again.
The Whistler Diaries that issue is a memorial to our fallen friend Ken Klowak who was killed in June. Rest in peace Ken, you'll need your energy for the trails wherever you are.
The Seasonaires project that Mattias shot for, Tom Grundy videoed (check out the videos HERE), and I cried poems for. This was a crowning achievement of the summer and I like marks a huge step forward as it has being widely regarded as having a last change upon the people that read it or watched the videos. This actually appeared in Dirt issue 105 but I don't have a photo of the cover. If you haven't seen the feature in Dirt then I strongly advise you to go track a copy down, and I'm not just saying that because I wrote it, but because the whole package is beautiful. Mattias' shots are stunning and Jon Gregorys layout is so brave and epic. Go find it and you'll see what I mean.
In the same issue (105) is a gonzo 6 page piece on Vegas Interbike that Sven shot for. Also in issue 105 there is a two page interview with Kelly McGarry, as well as Whistler Diaries. Which means over three issues I had 43 pages with my name attributed to. There is also a boat load in the forthcoming issue 107, and that was just one publication. Doesn't look like it's been a bad few months. That's Ferrentino in the top left. Go read 104Bronson.
Two pager on the ultimate all-mountain event, the Four Queens. A four day super test in Whistler which really does test it all. Photos by Todd Hellinga.
Saint Deep Summer Photo Challenge 300 word write up. Save the space for the pictures. Kelly McNasty sending it condor style for Steven Lloyd.
One pager on Specialized Demo 2011. I was fortunate enough to shred some laps with Buckley and Sloan from Specialized (they rip!!!) and then sit them down for a natter about the bikes, the scurge of internet pirates, and taking down the young lads in the office. Good blokes, and did I say they were fast?
If you like real content (and I’m not talking about just mine), having something nice to sit on your coffee table for visitors to ponder over and think what an adventurous, rugged, exciting person you are, and having a little piece of mountain biking history that you will want to look back at in years to come, then please go hook yourself up with a subscription to this magazines. And others magazines…more on that tomorrow.
For DIRT MAGAZINE click HERE to be redirected straight to the subscription page.
For [R]evolution magazine click HERE to find it on ISUU and see the preview, or click HERE to find it or subscribe to it.
Magazines aren’t dead, they are better than ever.
2FLAT 
Super props to your work, your life and dedication bro. Most of all you hit the scene worldwide and you name is discussed in mtb hairdressing salloons in tiny wee county towns and cities around the globe mate. Absolutely wicked acheivement Seb.
Cheers for spreading the words.
D.
you said you like to juggle balls. i heard if your writing gets on PB you get multimillion dollar contracts…it’s practically guaranteed. until you get published there, keep slaving away. looks totally unfun and fruitful.
You pack it in Seb! From the gay issues in mountain biking (particularly interesting to some of my mates), to the Coastal Crew spread, I’m looking forward to the great reads! I don’t get the hate on Pb though, it seems like you have it on for them, which is not especially becoming given your position popping up in all those great rags above. Did they kill your cat or something? I guess thats why it’s your blog, you’re the boss! Anyways hopefully we cross paths at some point and I can give you a canned beer or 7 for all the awesome work you do,
Jus.