Mike Rogge, the new owner and editor of Mountain Gazette magazine, is fully aware of the legacy of the iconic magazine, first published in 1966 as Skier’s Gazette. Some of its past contributors eventually took refuge in and around Aspen, including a few notorious Woody Creatures, such as the late Gaylord Guenin who, years ago, took over the publication from its founding editor, Mike Moore.
The 38-year-old Rogge has worked in outdoor media for 20 years, combining two things he loves, skiing and writing. “I knew how to write and talk about skiing,” he shared.
At age 17, he wrote for local newspapers in Upstate New York and was published in Freeskier magazine at 19.
He grew up skiing the Adirondack Mountains and took full advantage of $10 ski nights. “After I got out of school at 2:30pm, I would ski for seven hours until 10 at night.”
After graduating with a degree in writing and literature from SUNY Potsdam, Rogge moved to Southern California, where he was hired as an editor for Powder Magazine.
He equated those days at Powder to “getting a master’s degree in how to run a media company,” learning from some of the most prolific outdoor magazine editors, like Derek Taylor, Matt Hansen, Tom “T. Bird” Monterosso and Pat Bridges.
“Every Friday night, all the magazine editors would go to this bar, and they taught this 23-year-old kid on a barstool — who just shut his mouth and listened — how to run a media company and take care of people,” Rogge said.
After three years at Powder Magazine, he founded his publishing company, Verb Cabin. His first book was about Haitian art, which he would make into a documentary film that premiered at the Brooklyn Museum.
While he was entirely out of the ski media industry at the time, he said he “was directing films and freelancing — cobbling it all together.”
Rogge was working on a film project in Alaska when he got word that the Mountain Gazette was for sale. He said the purchase negotiations took about seven months, mainly due to busy schedules.
He found the perfect moment one January morning in 2020 at the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Denver. Recalling the details, he said, “I slipped him a personal check because I didn’t have any investors. I said, ‘This is what I can afford, man. I’m sorry if you’re insulted by it.’”
The seller accepted the deal but had one final ask. “He said, ‘I’d also like you to buy me a Coors Banquet beer.’ So, at nine in the morning at a bar across the street, I bought him a beer, and with that I became the proud owner of a magazine that hadn’t been published in nine years,” said Rogge.
A short two and a half months later, the world would shut down due to the global COVID pandemic, and Rogge could no longer travel to make films, but he could focus on breathing new life into the dormant publication.
This fall, issue 200 was published with an iconic golden aspen leaf gracing the cover, an image created by the late Aspen artist Tom Benton and sourced from a collection of his work on display at Aspen’s Fat City Gallery.
The cover is an homage to Benton, whose work appeared in past issues. It’s also a nod to a once frequent collaborator and contributor, the late journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
Rogge said the magazine features some wrenching stories, such as one where the writer survived an avalanche in which his ski partner died. That story follows a timeline of when the avalanche happened and the emotional rollercoaster experienced by the author in the months that followed.
Rogge called it “a really heavy story.” At the same time, it was followed by a piece from a cameraman who takes photos of dogs right before they get treats, which Rogge called “goofy and funny.” He added, “I think that dichotomy is really important.”
Making his Mountain Gazette debut in issue 200, the famous Steve Martin and cartoonist Harry Bliss paired up on a cartoon. The duo have collaborated before as author and illustrator with two New York Times best-selling books. Rogge said readers can look forward to additional contributions next year.
For Rogge, the visual is as important as the words in the 11” by 17” format. Issue 200 has a photo gallery-style spread by world renowned American photographer, filmmaker and explorer Chris Bukard, while another section showcases work by the prolific Swedish adventure photographer Mattias Fredriksson.
For more information about Mountain Gazette magazine, visit www.mountaingazette.com