Empire Attire

As winter approaches, so does the most important issue of every ski magazine, the Buyer’s Guide. This is when we finally get a first look at all of next year’s gear and can start planning our winter kits. What the reader does not see is the vast amount of work that goes into this issue. Every ski, binding, boot, jacket, pant, goggle, glove, and gadget must be carefully photographed, captioned and reviewed for the pages. These writers prepare for deadline months in advance, and it still comes down to the wire. I sat down with Freeskier Magazine’s Online Editor, Henrik Lampert, to discuss what really goes on behind the scenes of the Buyer’s Guide.

This was your first Buyer’s Guide at Freeskier. Congratulations on getting it finished. Were you surprised by the amount of work you had to do?

Thanks, it’s pretty darn exciting. Truth be told, blue lines [which are essentially a proof of the magazine] are due tomorrow, so we’re not 100% done. But once all the final touches have been made, Harvey [Matt Harvey: Editor] will hit the “Submit” button, and that’ll be a wrap. No looking back.

Over the years, as a friend to many of these guys, and roommate to Shay [Shay Williams: Photo Editor], I always heard everyone talk about how much work went into the Buyer’s Guide. I heard about many an overnight at the office, endless fact checking, and copious amounts of gear.

As it turns out, it’s all the work I expected, and quite a bit more. There’s the initial wave of trying to get tons of companies to send their gear in, which is surprisingly difficult. Then photos must be shot of the gear, reviews must be written, and tons of layout and organizational stuff happens.

Then there’re the endless revisions of the reviews, going from editor, to editor, to editor, and back again. Something you wrote on the first draft oftentimes ends up coming out completely different after it’s been marked up by everyone’s different colored pens [each editor has a different colored pen assigned to them].

Then the design phase starts happening. Pages start coming to life, and the magazine starts to take some shape. Then the infinitesimal amount of specs, claims, assertions, prices, URLs, all those crazy little details must be fact checked. It’s daunting.

Meanwhile, the Sales team is busting their butts to get ads and brand directory pages in, and to ensure all the ads are appropriately sized, etc. So there’re lots of different angles that go into making the final product.

It’s crazy how many changes are being made all the time. Even right now, with less than 24 hours before the magazine is going to the press, we’re making all kinds of small tweaks. It’s a bit scary to do last minute, but it’s part of the game.

That was a lot of rambling. I guess to sum it up, it’s one hell of a group effort.

How many hours would you say you put into the Buyer’s Guide? How did that compare with your coworkers?

It’s tough to think of an actual number, but it’s a shitload. It’s been a few months since we started, and I’ve spent many late nights at the office, and put in many late nights at home, too.

As Online Editor, I still have to stay on top of the web stuff. So I do my part, and then also try to focus on the website.

Some of the other staffers have been totally balls to the walls. The sales team starts to pitch to clients months and months in advance, and it’s a non-stop battle to try and sell ads. The rest of the edit team has been working around the clock getting this thing together. They’re absolute workhorses, it’s crazy.

I guess one thing I’ve completely neglected to mention is all the ski testing we do during the winter. It’s weeks and weeks of long days on the hill, putting every ski to the grind, and that’s a lot of time that should also be considered.

It’s always the biggest issue of the year, and it’s the most-read, so it’s important for us to dedicate the time and effort.

What was the craziest thing you witnessed in the office during the deadline period?

I wouldn’t say there’s a standout crazy moment or anything like that, but like I mentioned earlier, it’s just super damn impressive to see so many people pour their hearts and souls into making this the best possible magazine that it can be.

I’m sure I’m making this sound like it’s almost unpleasant or something, but the reality is everyone is enjoying this. I can’t imagine how it’s going to feel to hold the finished product. It’s like raising a kid or something.

What is going to make this year’s Buyer’s Guide better than the years in the past?

Every Buyer’s Guide that Freeskier has ever produced has been an insane effort by so many people, so it’s hard to say that one is better than another.

This issue is absolutely massive though, which is pretty exciting. It’s actually the biggest issue of Freeskier ever. There’s lots of new blood in the office this year, and there’s a really positive energy in the whole group. It feels like we’re headed in a great direction, and I think this first issue is a testament to that.

If there is one assignment you wish you never had to do again what would it be and why?

Like I mentioned earlier, there are some things that are not super glorious to be doing, but the fact of the matter is any of these tasks beat the hell out of lots other jobs out there, so we can complain all we want, but it’s important to remember that we’re lucky to be a part of such a cool brand.

As the Online Editor, now that this issue is complete are you off the hook for editorial content?

Pretty much. I did one small travel piece that will end up in the October issue, and I’m sure my red pen will be making some passes on lots of the content that will be going into the other issues, but for the most part now I can go back to focusing most of my time and energy into creating and aggregating web content.

If any three celebrities were to read the 2012 Buyer’s Guide who you want them to be?

This one’s easy. Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Tim Thomas.