“HARD PACK is a new type of ski magazine that combines edgy reportage with cerebral writing to create a new lexicon for the sport that is weird, philosophical, and dangerously fun.” Since its launch, Hard Pack has challenged the conventions of ski media—treating skiing not simply as a performance spectacle, but as culture. Drawing from fashion, architecture, literature, and contemporary art, the magazine expands skiing beyond the mountain and into a broader creative world, positioning the sport within conversations about design, philosophy, place, and aesthetics. In this conversation, Zach Seely shares how he built Hard Pack—from a background in academia and the creative industries of New York, to co-founding Sandwich Magazine, and eventually self-funding the first issues of Hard Pack out of what he describes as a creative existential crisis. We talk about what it means to launch an independent print publication in a digital-first era, and why he has intentionally resisted turning it into a content machine. Zach explains why he invites photographers and writers from outside the ski industry into the fold—fashion photographers, poets, critics, and novelists—believing that outsider perspectives can unlock new language for the sport and reveal skiing in ways that feel fresh, strange, and alive. Rather than focusing solely on tricks, lines, and technical feats, Hard Pack searches for tone, texture, and feeling. We also get into the realities of building a print magazine today as well as cultivating a readership that lives not only in mountain towns but in cities like New York, Tokyo, London, Milan, and Berlin, and creating in-person extensions of the magazine—gallery exhibitions, collaborative art shows, and unconventional ski film events—that bring the community together beyond the page. Explore more at Wander Studios Subscribe to the Wander Substack for long-form essays and interviews. Follow along on Instagram Wander is an independent platform centered on movement, creativity, and connection in the outdoor space. We share conversations with athletes, creatives, and culture-shapers building thoughtful lives around sport and the landscapes that shape them. This episode is part of our ongoing print-focused series exploring slow media in the outdoor world. If you liked this episode, share it with a friend or leave a quick review :)!
