New Mountain Magazine: Celebrating Adventure in Its Purest Form

For Izzy, the founder of New Mountain Magazine, the love of print has always run deep. Trained as a designer, she spent years shaping her work to fit the needs of clients. But there came a point when she craved a project that was entirely her own — something she could control down to the smallest detail: the paper stock, the fonts, the colours, even the margins. During her time at university she fell in love with editorial design, and when she graduated, she knew she wanted to fuse her two greatest passions, print and adventure, into something tangible.

The result is New Mountain, an independent outdoor magazine that steps away from the glossy, brand-driven world of mainstream adventure media. Instead, it shines a spotlight on personal, author-led stories: accounts of people finding joy in the outdoors in their own way, whether that’s a weekend bike-packing trip, a hike from the back garden, or a long mountaineering expedition. The emphasis is less on records or statistics, and more on the emotional and psychological impact of being outside.

Bringing the magazine to life wasn’t a quick process. Izzy had previously made small-scale zines with only a handful of copies, but New Mountain required a leap into something much bigger. She started by reaching out to friends, acquaintances, and figures she admired in the outdoor community — and to her surprise, almost everyone she contacted was enthusiastic about contributing. By December, with a stack of stories and photographs in hand, she threw herself into the design process. The result is a publication that now sits proudly on her shelf, a printed object that feels as permanent as the landscapes it celebrates.

What sets New Mountain apart is its focus on relatability. These aren’t the stories of elite athletes with big sponsorship deals, but of ordinary people following their own path outdoors. One contributor, Christine, rides fixed-gear bikes off-road without brakes. Another, Gaelle, an architect, spends her spare time handcrafting custom bike-packing bags. And Andrew, a photographer, never heads out on an adventure without his analogue medium-format camera. Their stories aren’t about competition or endurance stats — they’re about creativity, expression, and the personal meaning of being outside.

This ethos is, in many ways, a reflection of Izzy’s own journey. As a teenager she was a top-ranked junior long jumper in the UK, with her sights set on a professional athletic career. But a serious injury at 17 forced her to abandon that path. Though difficult at the time, it became a turning point: she rediscovered the joy of being outdoors not for competition, but for her own well-being. Alongside that, she rekindled her creative side — design, photography, illustration — which eventually led to the birth of New Mountain.

Now, rather than chasing medals, Izzy pursues adventure with a lighter, more personal spirit. Whether cycling, hiking, or learning to climb, she approaches the outdoors as a space for exploration, presence, and creativity. It’s this mindset that flows through the pages of New Mountain, making the magazine feel less like a record of feats and more like a collective celebration of what it means to be outside.

For Izzy, print is the perfect medium for this message. Unlike a fleeting Instagram post, a magazine has permanence: “Whatever has been printed on a page has meaning,” she believes. It’s why New Mountain is designed to be kept on a bookshelf rather than tossed in the recycling bin. Each copy becomes part of the ongoing story of adventure, creativity, and connection.

As Izzy reflects on the journey so far, she admits that producing a magazine comes with plenty of long hours in front of a laptop. But the goal has always been bigger than the process. At its heart, New Mountain exists to inspire readers to get outside, to try something new, and to embrace the simple joy of being present in the landscape. And much like an adventure itself, the making of the magazine has been about taking the leap, trusting the process, and seeing where the journey leads.