Rumours had been swirling over the weekend of the demise of Powder Magazine. While the team at the sister magazine, Surfer, had already confirmed on Instagram that they would be shutting down, the team at Powder were yet to make an official announcement.

Current Powder editor, Sierra Shafer, herself tweeted in response to the reports on the weekend.

Before then confirming, today, what we all sadly knew already, Powder Magazine is shutting down after 48 years in the business. Powder skiing life will be duller come November in a year that we would all rather forget.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

The Future of POWDER: As we are all painfully aware, COVID-19 has dramatically impacted our lives this year, leaving the future shrouded in uncertainty. There is little it hasn’t touched and, going forward, this now includes POWDER Magazine. Effective November 20, our entire staff will be placed on an indefinite furlough when operations of the magazine, our website, and our social channels will be paused. We do not know if or when this hiatus will end. We do know, however, that in the coming days, we still have two more issues of the magazine to make, including the Photo Annual. Beyond that, we do not know what will become of POWDER. We hope that it has offered you a home; a place for skiers to come for humor, reflection, inspiration, honesty, and a small taste of the joy we know can only be found, as the founding editors articulated, in getting away from the crowd to a place where there are no lines, no lift towers, no snow fences, no bodies in the way. Just snow. Powder To The People, —Sierra Shafer, Editor in Chief PC: Ryan Day Thompson

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It’s big, and sad, news in an industry already hit hard by travel bans, operating restrictions and industry wide redundancies to combat the impact of the covid economy.

Powder is a stalwart of the ski world, filled with nostalgia of years gone by and hope for a slower, conscious, focused future.

Of course, with staff being “furloughed” there is still hope that these iconic publications may still be saved. Crowdfund, anyone?

Please help SnowsBest survive  2020 and remain your independent source of snow news with a “Covid contribution“, from as little as $1, so we can continue to deliver the news and content you value in a season when we need each other most. Contribute here.

 

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