An Important Message From the Publishers of Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine

Since 2001 the team at KMC Productions has been publishing Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine, a free bi-annual publication distributed throughout the Kootenays and beyond. Over the years it’s evolved considerably, from the depth of its storytelling to the sophistication of its design. You could say the magazine grew up with the Kootenays, a place that, over the last two decades, has emerged as a culturally rich collection of people and places.

We feel we evolved as the Kootenays evolved. Our pages have been a true and unencumbered outlet for writers, artists, photographers, and organizations to tell their stories. Because it is free, people find it in the most unlikely places: in the outdoor loo with a view high in the mountains or a perfect little coffee shop with the best latte you’ve ever had. People collect them, send them home as Christmas gifts, even return them back to us because they couldn’t bring themselves to throw them in the recycle bin. Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine, like this place, is built to both endure and inspire.

While publishing a free magazine in the hinterland isn’t necessarily an easy endeavour, for us as owners, it’s been worth it. From our incredibly talented team of editors and designers, who’ve all been with us for the better part of the journey, to the true depth of this region when it comes to subjects and stories, we are grateful for this ride. Twice a year, spring and fall, people clamber to grab an issue of KMC, and we are incredibly proud of that.

But the world is changing, and it’s time we did too. We’ve been working off of the same model since our inception. Advertisers who believe in how we approach our content buy ads, and we then toil over words and photos, illustrations and layout, paper stock and print quality, before hand-delivering it to the world. And, sure, we’ve pissed some people off, and we made mistakes, but our readers and our advertisers always let us know we were way into the good. Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine gave this spectacularly unique region, our home, a voice. It has been our true honour to represent it.

Like the Kootenays, and the world around us, we know that we need to evolve. We are not printing a Summer 2024 issue. Will we print again? We can’t be sure, and if we do, it will be different, and that’s a good thing.

In the immediate future, KMC Productions isn’t going anywhere. We are in production on the third season of our podcast, the Headwaters. We recently launched a new website and continue to do good works by helping noble causes raise money. And through our marketing division we help good businesses develop and share their stories. Over the years we’ve developed a large, interactive audience, and we want to keep sharing great stories with them. That’s what drives us. It has since the beginning.

If we could continue to print Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine, we would. But we’re now focused on an opportunity for something great to grow into something better. It might take some time to figure out. The economic snowpack of our times is a tricky one, and when we drop in, we want to be sure we’ve chosen the right line.

In the interim, we’re open to feedback and ideas. In fact, we plan on engaging our readership more as we strap on the skins for another climb back up the mountain.

For now, we thank all of you. Our families, our friends, our contributors, our advertisers, this incredible community, from our base in Nelson to Valemont, Fernie, Rossland, Revelstoke, Kimberley and everywhere in between. We thank the people and organizations doing amazing things near and far, our readers who are our advocates, no matter where you’re from. You have made this near quarter century ride a beauty. Over-the head blower for the most part, with the odd patch of wind crust for sure, but hardly noticeable looking back on it now.

Stay tuned. We’ll let you know when we’re back at the top.

Peter Moynes & Mitchell Scott – KMC Productions