20 Years of The Ski Journal

Flying Forward

Various covers from The Ski Journal
Words: Jeff Galbraith

It was a clear early fall day. The kind that seems particularly resplendent in the temperate rainforests of Puget Sound, WA.

My friend Travis, a professional pilot and flight instructor, had agreed to fly us to Vashon Island. As he opened the hangar and began prepping the Cessna four-seater, he turned, lips slightly pursed: “It’s a grass strip. The only municipal grass strip in the state. You didn’t say anything about a grass strip.”

I smiled. “It’s fine, man. You’re a pro. And I’ve skidded sideways on glaciers in fixed-wings; we’ll be good.”

He bucked up a bit. “I know we’ll be fine. I’m just saying: it’s a grass strip.”

This was our first ad meeting for our new launch, The Ski Journal, a proposed long-form catalog of ski culture, icons and adventures. Knowing we would be one of many budget-seeking parties making our ways out to the fabled Vashon ski factory, I wanted to make sure they saw us in a different light.

Back to Issue 20.1