RIP Outside?

The magazine that brought us such luminaries as Kevin Fedarko and John Krakauer is no longer – at least as we know it.

According to a Feb. 11 report by Adventure Journal editor Steve Casimoro, the parent company of Outside magazine laid off 20 staff members last week, leaving doubt about the ongoing viability of the publication. The news came in a companywide email last Thursday from CEO Robin Thurston announcing the acquisition of Inntopia, an online travel booking software used by Vail, Alterra and others.

Among those who lost their jobs are longtime top editor Chris Keyes, 30-year veteran and head of sustainability Kristin Hostetter, and brand director Mary Turner. According to insiders, just one print editor and three online editors remain. The layoffs included eight people from Outside’s HQ in Boulder. 

Thurston did not respond to a request from AJ for comment, but Outside’s public relations firm emailed this statement: “With the acquisition of Inntopia, we decided to restructure some of our editorial team to allow our outdoor vertical experts to own their categories across the entire platform,” read the statement. 

Thurston did comment to “A Media Operator,” which covers online publishing. “Many people come to our properties, they want to know where to go, right? They want to know what to do. If we write a story about the top five ski resorts in North America, we don’t guide you after that into the travel booking,” he told AMO. “We just kind of say, ‘Hey, here’s some great information from a travel writer, good luck on your own.’”

Backed by venture capital, Thurston’s Pocket Media bought Backpacker, SKI and Climbing in 2020. He purchased Outside from longtime owner Larry Burke in 2021 and also bought Pinkbike, Gaia and numerous outdoor-recreation publications. Since then, he has funneled editorial content into the subscription-based Outside+.

“Outside magazine is dead. The company will argue otherwise, but you don’t lay off nearly your entire editorial staff and continue as a viable publication,” Casimoro wrote Wednesday. “Near as I can tell … the last edition was November/December 2024.” 

For Outside’s part, it said it is working to reimagine the magazine, which debuted in 1977, and plans to introduce a new and improved print product in 2025.