Feud Between Outside Inc., Writers Goes Public

For decades, Outside Magazine has offered its readers some of the best outdoor journalism found anywhere. Many of its contributors — from Jon Krakauer and Hampton Sides to Jimmy Chin and Tommy Caldwell — have become iconic authors, photographers, and athletes.

Now, some of those icons have asked for their names to be removed from the masthead of the legacy publication. They say the magazine’s parent company, Outside Inc., has abandoned “bold, spirited journalism” by laying off senior staff and discouraging investigative work or political coverage, according to a letter signed by nearly 40 writers, photographers, and editors.

That includes many luminaries of outdoor journalism, like Oscar-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin and bestselling author Hampton Sides. There’s also travel writer Tim Cahill, longtime magazine contributor Katie Arnold, and many others.

“Your company now seems intent on destroying what Outside once stood for,” the group wrote to Outside Inc. CEO Robin Thurston this week. “We urge you to return to the values that made Outside successful, and that it must embrace to navigate an uncertain future.”

The letter, sent to Thurston as an email, was posted on several social media accounts of the signees. Outside Inc. sent GearJunkie the response from Thurston, who said he “understands that not everyone will agree with our business strategy.”

“Outside is not immune to the substantial headwinds in the media market that impact advertising, subscription, and e-commerce, and we are working to build a healthy and viable business that supports the content our audience loves. If you’re open to a conversation, we’d welcome the feedback and the opportunity to share more about our vision,” Thurston wrote.

“We will of course honor your request to remove your names from the masthead of our next issue before it goes to print, and we thank you for your contributions over the years,” he noted.

Another Round of Layoffs

Outside Magazine, which has become merely one property of the larger corporation known as Outside Inc., laid off about 20 people last month. As first reported by Adventure Journal, the layoffs included the magazine’s editor-in-chief, managing editor, senior brand director, and other editors and production managers.

Those cuts followed even larger layoffs from 2022, when Outside Inc. laid off 85-90 employees across its online properties, including Climbing, Backpacker, Trail Runner, and more.

Thurston sent a company-wide email with news of last month’s layoffs. The email also announced the purchase of Inntopia, a travel booking software common among ski resorts like Vail and Alterra Mountain Company.

“With the acquisition of Inntopia, we decided to restructure some of our editorial team to allow our outdoor vertical experts to own their categories across the entire platform,” Thurston said in a statement provided to GearJunkie. “Our editorial team across all of the Outside Inc. brands remains one of our largest groups of full-time employees.”

Thurston also dismissed the accusation that Outside’s leadership has discouraged investigative journalism and political coverage, according to another statement given to GearJunkie this week.

“Outside remains committed to our award-winning investigative reporting, and our editorial team of over 60 people will continue to provide accurate, fair, and balanced storytelling,” Thurston said.

‘Saddened, Frustrated, Bewildered’

Thurston’s responses have not mitigated the ire of author and magazine contributor Hampton Sides, who wrote an additional letter under his own name.

Sides criticized the company’s general direction, and Thurston in particular, since Pocket Outdoor Media purchased Outside Magazine in February 2021. That’s when Pocket Media changed its name to Outside and raised money through venture capital to start buying up properties throughout outdoor media. In the last few years, it has picked up Gaia GPS, Backpacker, Ski, Skiing, Yoga Journal, Climbing, Velo News, and others.

By turning magazines into mere “properties,” Outside’s leadership has betrayed the principles that once made it “one of the greatest magazines on the face of the earth,” wrote Sides, the bestselling author of books like Ghost Soldiers and Hellhound on His Trail. Instead, the magazine has become a “crass and soulless purveyor of gear, nothing more,” he wrote.

“You need to know that there are many thousands of people, young and old, who are saddened, frustrated, bewildered, and infuriated by what you have done. Bit by bit, you have hacked the meat off the bone, fired the best minds, and jettisoned all the institutional memory,” Sides wrote.

“That is why so many of us refuse to have our names associated with Outside and its masthead. We don’t want anything to do with the worthless widget you’ve made out of a supple creation that was once bright, beautiful, elegant, and original in American letters.”

Outside’s newer leaders would disagree with that assessment, however. According to Heather Dietrich, Outside’s chief media officer, they’re opening up “new roles in the world of video and gear.” They’re also pushing more of their audience toward the company’s Activity Feed, which combines social media functions along with content updates from the company’s many publications. Dietrich said that the company’s editorial employees (about 60) remain “far and away our biggest team.”

So, will Outside Magazine continue to be printed?

“Absolutely. We totally believe in the value of print,” Dietrich told GearJunkie. “We have been working to reimagine the magazine as an improved product in 2025.” 

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