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8-Apr-2008 12:41:59 PM
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Just wanted to let everyone know that CRUX Mag issue #6 — the “Girl Power” special — is out and will be finding its way to the furthest corners of this country over the next few days. Subscribers and contributors copies were posted out last Friday, and all the shop and climbing gym orders were shipped out yesterday.
With Neil currently walkabout overseas I don’t have the full list of all contributors at hand. However I know that this issue had more than 70 people contributing articles, photos and helping out with editing. On behalf of the entire CRUX team I’d like to thank everyone who contributed; it was really awesome! It was a massive team effort and I think it has resulted in something that the climbing community can be very proud of. If you contributed be sure to check the last page to see if you won any of the contributors prizes.
This issue is once again a bumper 80 pages packed with the kind of informative, entertaining and irreverent content you’ve come to expect from CRUX. This issue’s features includes Hero Fukutu giving the dirt-bag lowdown on Europe on $5 a day, Tim Haasnoot reveals deep-water bouldering at Port Stephens, Gemma Woldendorp gives us “Two Chicks, Sixteen Crags, and one Naughty Van”, Kent and Wendy Egan describe some thin and fat Stapylton classics, another Voyeur gallery extravaganza, a Totem Pole slack-lining pull-out poster, a “Hot” Henry profile, then there’s The Truth about Thailand, an dog gone epic rescue, Olivia Kemp on a women’s Everest expedition, Lyle Closs waxes lyrically on an unusual climb in Greenland, Sarah Matthews describes an unusual comp in China, Dr Julian Saunders shares his osteo expertise, physio Naomi Gibbs tackles knee pain, Lauren Chandler climbs with the Gods in Kalymnos, Teresa Cause is on El Cap with Gareth, and we even have a women’s fashion extravaganza. And of course there’s the regular news, reviews, Loudmouth, Culture Vulture and much more!
After much feedback on the last issue we have decided to stick with the larger A4 format. There were good arguments both ways but in the end it was clear that the larger format is something that advertisers were particularly keen for.
Many thanks to those local climbers who came around here on Sunday and helped package up all the shop orders, that was a huge help. Just a reminder that outdoor equipment shops and climbing gyms are the only outlets where CRUX can be purchased; we do NOT distribute CRUX through newsagents. The CRUX team decided early on in the piece that whilst if we used newsagents we could print many more magazines, which might sound good for our advertisers, but that, in fact, printing over 10,000 magazines a year in the knowledge that they would just get pulped was far from the most environmentally responsible way to go about it. Incidentally CRUX #5 completely sold out — except for 9 copies which we had reserved but have now made available from the online shop.
Single copies of CRUX #6, back issues, and subscriptions can be purchased via the Onsight online shop here. Subscriptions will always be distributed first. FYI, I don’t make a cent on helping out with distributing the magazine; it’s something I do because I think the mag is a great thing for the community and I already have the infrastructure in place whereby I can help this way.
This issue marks the two years of CRUX publication; quite a milestone! The team is still psyched and committed to pumping out more issues. With your help they’ll be even bigger and better. Contributors deadline for the next issue is the end of July, however don’t leave it to the last minute, work on the next issue starts now. Especially if you have and idea for a major article or column then please get in touch early. It seems that no matter how many editorial pages we can print it’s hard to fit in everything that we’d like. For editorial queries contact Neil on: editor “at” cruxmag.com.au, or see the guidelines on the CRUX web site.
Thanks again everyone!
Simon Carter
CRUX Distribution
distribution “at” cruxmag.com.au
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8-Apr-2008 12:51:37 PM
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The cover...
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8-Apr-2008 1:09:28 PM
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It's a great issue. Good work
I had a thought for a regular feature -
"skeletons from the past" or something, just get readers (oldsters) to send in old photos of ethical and fashion disasters.
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8-Apr-2008 2:44:28 PM
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we could have a timeline of your clothing choices over the last 40 years mike!
the last 10 years could be represented exclusively by those beautiful pink flower boardies ;D
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8-Apr-2008 4:40:18 PM
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On 8/04/2008 mousey wrote:
>we could have a timeline of your clothing choices over the last 40 years
>mike!
>the last 10 years could be represented exclusively by those beautiful
>pink flower boardies ;D
When you think about it we're not collectively known for our fashion choices. Its sort of Kathmandu sample sale meets Centrelink queue meets Evil Knievel.
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8-Apr-2008 6:25:08 PM
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i think at one stage there was a market for "alley cat fur " chalk bags!!!
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9-Apr-2008 6:39:40 AM
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Its unfortunate that "Rock" also did a special on women climbers in its current issue.
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9-Apr-2008 9:24:48 AM
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Why unfortunate? Rock just published one article on women climbers. I think it's good that both mags made an effort to increase their coverage of womens climbing. The approaches were pretty different.
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9-Apr-2008 10:24:51 AM
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Agreed, that it is great to get coverage of Women climbers,
Obviously i havent seen the Crux issue yet but reading the headlines on face value seem pretty similar to the Rock one. (women climbers, totem pole slackline, etc.)
Probably coincidental, and no doubt not a big deal when you actually open the mags. just less inspiring to buy both if the content is similar (even on face value)
I tend to prefer Crux format and content these days anyway so well done.
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9-Apr-2008 11:41:01 AM
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Hmm. I just read through the new crux mag last night.
I have been really looking forward to the chick special to come out, and stole Simey’s issue as soon as I saw it (he was given a contributors issue > but I haven’t received mine yet)! But I have to say that I was disappointed. It didn’t seem too much of a chick issue at all, there were still a large amount of images of males rather than females in the climbing shots, and the centre-fold was of a bloke on the totem!!! How can you miss the opportunity of having a female CLIMBING centre-fold? Bloody weird if you ask me.
The fashion section in the back was mildly amusing and interesting, but considering the amount of pages that it took up in relation to the pages of women actually climbing , I think it is bordering on offensive that this is what “girl power” translates as.
Also, the bikini girls in Thailand reminded me of looking through surfing mags. (And this is not a compliment by the way).
When I spoke to Simey about the mag, he commented that he didn’t even realise that is WAS a chick issue!!!
I realise that a great deal of work has gone into Crux, and I can forgive the occasional errors and lack of labelling due to the fact that you guys are doing a lot to create a great mag. But for me, this issue wasn't exactly inspiring.
esther renita.
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9-Apr-2008 12:06:44 PM
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On 9/04/2008 estherrenita_ wrote:
>and stole Simey’s issue as soon as I saw it (he was given a contributors issue but I haven’t received mine yet)!
Mine wasn't a contributors issue. It was a subscribers issue, which might account for a slight difference in mail-out times.
Enjoyed the mag a lot, but agree with Esther.
I thought it was a 'blokes' issue, given the pics of bikini clad women.
Anyway, there is no need to limit the focus on women to one issue. I won't complain about seeing more pics of fit climbing women in future issues.
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9-Apr-2008 12:20:14 PM
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esther, must say your comments did have some resonance for me (agreed on the centrefold, and that fashion article...hmmmm) - sorry to say, but yes I was a little dissapointed too.
Maybe I had different expectations for this mag's issue 6. Certainly from what was advertised, a focus on the 'Gals', I was expecting a lot more on women climbers/climbing/etc etc ...but can't really see how it lived up to that - to me it looked like just your 'normal' mag. Perhaps I was after more profiling/interviews with female climbers of all types - not just the elite competitors (who are always very inspiring!), but also the loads of women out there who work and contribute to the sport in their way whether they be bumblies(sp?) right through to sport champions - for example, there are plenty who work at building and promoting the climbing community....Unfortunately, it is so easy to say but so hard to do - I would've loved to have contributed with an article for this Issue in such a way, but this PhD has a hold on my life at the moment that is quite stressful...anyway, off-topic.
So yeah, I really appreciate the efforts that go into Crux, I genuinely look forward to it ...more so than I ever did for Rock. But maybe for this "Girl Power" issue the editorial could have gone to a "guest" female editor for example? ...ahhhhh....should've, could've, would've .....;-)
BUT, having said all that, you guys at Crux really rock and your work is awesome and very much appreciated - but some constructive criticism is necessary sometimes for improvement such as in this instance (this is to help you stand out from the rest even more!) :-)
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9-Apr-2008 2:46:19 PM
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On 8/04/2008 mikl law wrote:
>"skeletons from the past" or something, just get readers (oldsters) to
>send in old photos of ... fashion disasters.
I think I covered that pretty well in the last issue.
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10-Apr-2008 12:58:08 PM
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On 9/04/2008 qman wrote:
>and no doubt not a big deal when you actually open
>the mags. just less inspiring to buy both if the content is similar
There is always the potential for overlap with two mags around. I don't think it's a problem in this case when see the actual content - as you say.
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10-Apr-2008 1:06:44 PM
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estherrenita, Simey and Romfrantic:
Many thanks for the constructive criticism. Really! I'll make sure it's noted.
I'm personally not involved with many editorials decisions, but I do know that CRUX is prepared to be different, take risks, cop the flak and learn from it as need be.
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10-Apr-2008 1:11:57 PM
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On 9/04/2008 estherrenita_ wrote:
>stole Simey’s issue as soon as I saw it (he was given a contributors issue
>> but I haven’t received mine yet)!
Let me know if you still haven't received it and I'll take care of it. Subscribers and contributors went out at the same time but might have overlooked something with Neil away at the mo. Please use the email address I posted above so we can't overlook it.
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10-Apr-2008 2:52:57 PM
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Just a minor thing:
Page 31, lower right corner: it's not Ceuse but actually Seynes where you can find this route (Le tube neural as described in the text).
I personally liked this issue the least of all so far - but that's my personal opinion. I really liked the Kalymnos article and as usual the pics but somehow overall it's not my favourite issue. The fashion thing is a bit weird ...
But still a great mag, keep up the good work!
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10-Apr-2008 3:12:16 PM
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It would seem to me that women contributed on or were the focus of the majority of the main articles in the mag. I can't see a published Aussie example of where this has been done better previously.
One pet peeve of mine is the overlap and/or reuse of material between the various climbing magazines. Personally, if Crux is going to do a pull-out poster of a tote slackline, I don't want to have already seen this image in one of the US mags. Same goes for articles. I understand Julian is now writing a regular(?) column for Climbing (and does so very well), but I'm not interested in reading it again in Crux. Contributors need to make a choice; go for the cash, or go local. Alternately, do both, but with different material and images.
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10-Apr-2008 3:45:13 PM
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> Contributors need to make a
>choice; go for the cash, or go local. Alternately, do both, but with different
>material and images.
This is absolutely true. A magazine only sells because of it's unique content, although, with Crux at a lower price point than others it wins!
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10-Apr-2008 6:50:49 PM
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I'd have to agree that it wasn't the most girl filled girl power special imaginable. But i guess there are 2 possible reasons for this.
1. There was heaps of appropriate material offered but the editors chose otherwise
or
2. There wasn't enough girl power material offered to make it a really standout girlie mag.
I would assume the problem is largly issue 2. Without meaning to sound holier than thou, a community mag is only as good as what the community puts in.
Having said that, some things which were under editorial control that would have made a difference are: the editorial and photos. Whether written by Neil or not, it would seem appropraite that it addressed the theme. Especially if they were struggling for material, that could have been commented on. And I would expect that photos of women are actually far easier to come by than articles about and by women - having the whole photo spread women would have stood out.
My other question would be about how well the theme was advertised. Are the mag itself and Chockstone the only ways it was promoted and material sought? Sometimes, especially when we are looking at limited subject matter, it's necessary to scout out and promote things more. On line forums are also a male dominated area ....
And finally, you guys may want to check your editing! You have my name down as Eden (correct) in the contents, and as a photo subject, but as the article author and photographer credits, Egan!
Inspite of all that, I enjoyed reading it, keep up the good work.
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