Alpinist is excited to announce that current Editor Katie Ives is now Editor-in-Chief. [Photo] David Swift
Alpinist is excited to announce that current Editor Katie Ives is now Editor-in-Chief. Ives is Alpinist‘s longest serving employee, having started her tenure as Copy Editor in the autumn of 2004. Over the years, she progressed from Assistant Editor to Senior Editor. In 2009 she was the sole staff member to make the move from Wyoming to the new headquarters in Vermont.
“Climbing and mountain literature have been the two passions of my life,” Ives says. “Ever since I first joined Alpinist, I’ve felt a sense of vocation in trying to capture the rich diversity of stories and voices that represent our community. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of striving to meet our readers’ increasingly high standards, and I’m committed to preserving Alpinist as a reflection of the essence of climbing’s most profound and genuine experiences.”
In 2009 legendary climber, publisher and editor Michael Kennedy came out of retirement to assume the role of Editor-in-Chief. Under his leadership, Alpinist rose out of its 2008 bankruptcy to become a sustainable magazine, while maintaining its dedication to journalistic integrity, literary quality, artistic boldness and respect for the natural world.
“It’s been a great three years working with Katie and the rest of the Alpinist team,” says Kennedy. “I look forward to seeing the magazine develop into an ever more important source of inspiration for climbers all over the world.”
As Editor-in-Chief, Ives will continue keeping Alpinist true to its core values and to its ongoing spirit of creative innovation and adventure. “I’ve learned a lot from the ideas and practices of both Michael Kennedy and the founding editor Christian Beckwith,” she explains. “I’ve been grateful to have had the opportunity to work for two of the most visionary thinkers in our field. Like them, I view each one of our issues as a utopian endeavor. We aim to create a work of art that enriches, challenges and transforms the way that climbers see their own lives and their pursuits in the hills.”
Ives received a BA in Literature from Harvard University, where she was the librarian for the mountaineering club. After serving in the Peace Corps in Mongolia, she completed an MFA at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and studied at the Banff Mountain Writing Program. Her work has appeared in various publications, including The American Alpine Journal, Mountain Gazette, Circumference, 91st Meridian, Outside Magazine and Patagonia Field Reports. In 2004 she won the Mammut/Rock & Ice Writing Contest, and in 2008 she received third place in the UKC/International Literature Festival Writing Competition. In 2011, she served on the jury of the Banff Mountain Book Festival. She is an avid climber who enjoys everything from late-night ice scrambles to alpine rock routes.
Alpinist 39 will be available to subscribers and on sale this July.