A conversation with Michael Levy, editor and publisher of Summit Journal, America’s original climbing magazine, founded in 1955!
Michael is a journalist and lifelong climber who has spent time on everything from the big walls of Yosemite and the limestone cliffs of Southeast Asia to peaks in the Alaska Range and Cordillera Blanca.
In this episode, we talk about Michael’s winding path into climbing journalism, from studying English and Middle Eastern studies to guiding in Asia, pulling espresso shots, working construction, and eventually joining Rock and Ice and Climbing Magazine.
We get into the history of Summit, which was founded by Jean Crenshaw and Helen Kilness, two women who helped shape climbing journalism beginning in the 1950s, and what it took for Michael to bring the magazine back nearly 30 years after it disappeared.
We also talk about finding stories that go beyond who climbed what, why long-form storytelling still belongs in print, and how Michael works with writers and photographers to bring each issue to life. He shares a few of his favorite stories from the magazine, why some of the best inspiration comes from outside climbing, and how each issue finds its shape without starting with a set theme.
We also get into the less glamorous side of independent publishing, from international shipping and paper availability to websites, events, and building a community around a magazine!
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