FROM THE CREATORS
IMMERSION Josh Stanley’s hands are raw, strong and callused. They speak of the fortitude and subtle touch required to work with fire, steel and large animals. We featured a horseshoer on our front cover, celebrating the culture of the Greater Yellowstone, and the values and perspective of this community. As we finish building this issue of Mountain Outlaw, we find ourselves comparing our work to Stanley’s. This is our craft. Instead of our hands, our minds are formed by the imprint of our work. “You have to immerse yourself in the world of a story to know how to present it in a truthful and honest way,” said our creative director Kelsey Dzintars. The same holds true for writing and editing. Although creating a magazine happens largely in the digital realm, this publication is alive, its content carrying physical, emotional and spiritual weight. Sometimes, it feels like we’re on the inside looking out. Each of us molds the content like forging steel, and we exist inside of these pages. But it’s not always about inspiration. Just like shoeing a horse, it’s also about showing up and working every day. Sometimes the muse is there, and sometimes it’s not. Sometimes you have to find it. A week before going to press with the magazine, the editorial team and our cover photographer spent an evening climbing at Redcliff, south of Big Sky. This team worked closely with the rest of the Outlaw crew, plus contributors and advertisers to create the publication you hold in your hands. PHOTO BY TYLER BUSBY
When you dig into this magazine, you’ll see it has taken us from the coalmines of eastern Montana, to Oregon’s Deschutes River, and to the Earth’s magnetic field on a Montana State University satellite. Through our own travels and our contributors’, we’ve tromped around our home regions of Big Sky and Bozeman; into the Teton Wilderness and the remote Yellowstone backcountry; to sunny California and the Galapagos Islands; and to British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. While our sights are broad, we’re rooted in the mountains and valleys of our magnificent backyard. If you’re a visitor or reading from afar, we hope this publication helps open the door to this area; if you live here, perhaps you’ll learn something new about this place we call home.
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