Extreme sports magazines

4130 Publishing Back to top

Part of three-way merger that formed Factory Media in December 2006. Based in Dorchester, Dorset. Titles include:

• Ride BMX (9 times a year)
• Moto (6 times a year) for BMX
• Dig BMX: formerly independent title taken over by 4130 in October 2005 but still run from Glasgow
• Dirt Mountain Bike (6 times a year): mountain bike downhill and free ride
• Document Skateboard (9 times a year)

4130 profile

328 Media Back to top

328 Media is based in Lewes, Sussex. It launched Kiteworld in May 2001 as a worldwide kiteboarding magazine. This now claims to be distributed in more than 60 countries, six times a year.
328 profile

Action Sports Media Back to top

Part of three-way merger that formed Factory Media in December 2006. ASM has a pan-European business model whereby all its titles are published in English, French and German and distributed in 74 countries.

• Onboard: launched in 1994. Claims to be Europe's best-selling snowboard magazine. Available in English, French, German, Spanish and Swedish, and under licence in Russian
• Surf Europe: launched in 1999. Published seven times a year in five languages: English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese
• Kingpin: launched in November 2002. Covers European skateboarding, lifestyle and culture. Four language editions, nine times a year: English, French, German and Spanish
• Cooler (quarterly): surfing for women. Launched summer 2005

ASM profile

Arcwind Publishing Back to top

Titles include:

• Inline Skating
• Kitesurf 6 times a year since June 2001
• Powerkite 6 times a year since June 2003 for people who fly sports kites
• Unity skateboarding title eight times a year
• Wakeboard & Waterski 8 times a year since June 2002
• Windsurf published 10 times a year. Launched 1979. Has a digital subscription for £21 ($38) compared with £30 for the print version

Contact: Arcwind Publishing, The Blue Barn, Tew Lane, Wootton, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1HA, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1993 811181

Cornwall & Devon Media Back to top

Cornwall and Devon Media is part of the Northcliffe local newspaper group, which in turn is owned by the Daily Mail & General Trust (profile), owners of the Daily Mail. CDM publishes five weekly newspapers in the two counties and runs websites, such as Cornwall Today. It took over Wavelength, the UK’s longest running surfing title, in 2004.
DMG profile

DMG World Media Back to top

DMG World Media is an international exhibition and trade publishing company. Daily Mail Ski and Snowboard Magazine is published from its Harrow offices
DMG profile

Factory Media Back to top

In December 2006, Factory Media was formed as a holding company for the merger of three specialist sports publishers: Action Sports Media, Permanent Publishing and 4130 Publishing. The merger brought together 12 UK titles,13 international editions and 13 websites. The titles under the Factory Media umbrella are:

• Dig BMX (4130)
• Dirt Mountain Bike (4130)
• Document Skateboard (4130)
• Moto (4130)
• Ride BMX (4130)
• Cooler(ASM)
• Kingpin(ASM)
• Onboard (ASM)
• Surf Europe (ASM)
• The Surfer's Path (Permanent)
• Sidewalk (Permanent)
• Whitelines (Permanent)

4130 profile
ASM profile
Permanent profile

Freestyle Group Back to top

Freestyle Group set up in 1999. Has had titles in adventure sports, fish-keeping and men’s lifestyle sectors:

• BMX Rider monthly founded in 2002
• Paddles monthly founded in 2002 for adventurous kayakers and canoeists
• Scuba World monthly founded in 1972
• Snowboard UK eight issues a year (September-March). Founded in1991

However, it very much focuses on Boys Toys, a lifestyle-oriented gadgets title, which was found in 1999.

Freestyle profile

Future Publishing Back to top

Highbury Back to top

Inherited Maximum Mountain Bike and Pro Cycling when bought Cabal. Former closed and sold latter to Future.
Highbury profile

Huck Limited Back to top

June 2006 launch for Huck, a five-times-a-year title devoted to board sports - surf, skate and snow - with music, film and the arts thrown in. Second issue was in September. The title is published in English, French, German and Italian. Set to appear in the US in 2007. Available at Borders, Waterstone’s, Harrods, Selfridges and selected newsagents. In November 2006, the independent publishers of music title Plan B, film magazine Little White Lies and Huck announced a partnership to co-operate on the commercial aspects of publishing. Contact: Huck Limited, 45 Rivington Street, London, UK EC2A 3QB. Tel : +44 (0) 207 729 3675
Huck on MySpace

IPC Country & Leisure Back to top

Division of UK's largest publisher has Mountain Bike Rider, Cycling Weekly and Cycle Sport in its portfolio. IPC controlled by AOL Time Warner, which also controls Transworld (below)
IPC profile

Media Cell (closed 2004) Back to top

• Adrenalin: English, German and French versions of this surf, skate and snow lifestyle title

Media Cell profile

Metropolis Back to top

Metropolis was established in 1994 and has an eclectic mix of consumer and business titles that includes:

• Adrenalin covers music, art, literature, film and fashion for people who surf, skate and snowboard. It is a quarterly and was first published in autumn 1999. It has English, German, French and Italian editions. The title appears to have been used by three companies in recent years: Alliance International Media (1997 launch); Media Cell (owners in 1999); and now Metropolis

Contact: Adrenalin, Metropolis International (UK), 140 Wales Farm Road, London W3 6UG, UK. Tel: +44 (0)870 737 8080
Metropolis profile

Network26.com Back to top

Extreme sports portal run by Permanent Publishing for its titles and other publishers.
Permanent profile

Orca Back to top

Based in Newquay, Devon. Publishes three surfing titles:

• Carve: surfing magazine published eight times a year. Launched 1994
• Surfgirl: quarterly with Carve. Launched in 2002
• Threesixty: specialises in bodyboarding. Published 11 times a year. Launched in 1981. Claims to be Britain's longest-running surf magazine

Orca profile

Permanent Publishing Back to top

Part of three-way merger that formed Factory Media in December 2006. Permanent is based in Abingdon, near Oxford. It was established in 1995 and set up a US arm in California in 2002.

• The Surfer's Path claims to be the 'first (and, so far as we know, the only) truly “green” surf magazine'. Has UK and US editions. Published six times a year
• Sidewalk: monthly for skateboarders
• Urban Climber: covers bouldering, sport and competition climbing, and gym climbing. Published six times a year
• Whitelines: for snowboarders. Published six times a year

Also runs Network26.com, a gateway to the above as well as two extreme sports titles from smaller publishers
Permanent profile

Pitpilot Back to top

British surfing magazine founded in 2004.
Contact: Pitpilot, PO Box 441, Newquay, Cornwall
TR7 2XQ

Scuz Mountainboarding Zine Top

Scuz Mountainboarding was set up in 2003 'as a harmless poke at the industry and the sport' by Welly and Andy W. It plans to relaunch as as a more mainstream glossy Mountainboard in 2007. Contact: Scuz Mountainboarding Zine, Cardigan Centre, 145-149 Cardigan Road, Leeds, LS6 1LJ.
Scuz Mountainboarding
Mountainboard

Ski Club of Great Britain Back to top

Ski & Board, which is free four times a year to members of the Ski Club of Great Britain, covers snow-boarding. The club was founded in 1903.
Ski Club website

Transworld Media Back to top

Transworld Media is a US division of the magazine publishing behometh AOL Time Warner, which also controls IPC (above) in the UK.

• Business controlled circulation industry monthly, free to companies in US and Canada
• Motocross
• Ride BMX
• Quad
• Skateboarding
• Snowboarding
• Surf

Extreme sports titles (2005) Back to top