The parent company of Outside magazine has cut 20 editorial and business positions, prompting questions about the publication’s future across print and digital. CEO Robin Thurston announced the firm’s purchase of travel-booking software Inntopia in an internal email last Thursday; staffers affected by the layoffs told reporters that, after the reductions, only one print editor and three online editors remained on the masthead.
Among those let go were longtime editor Chris Keyes, sustainability veteran Kristin Hostetter, and brand director Mary Turner. Sources speaking on condition of anonymity described the layoffs as traumatic and said many impacted employees are negotiating what they called a weak severance package.
Outside’s public relations firm said the Inntopia deal drove a companywide restructuring so “outdoor vertical experts” can control categories across its platform. The company said editorial will be organized around focused areas such as Snow, Cycling, Hiking + Camping, Wellness, MTB, Tri/Run, Climbing, and Food + Fitness, with the goal of increasing video, mapping, and activity-feed engagement. The statement noted the broader editorial organization still includes full-time staff, freelancers, and contributors, and added that eight of the 20 people laid off were local to Colorado.
Thurston told A Media Operator that Outside’s properties currently do not steer readers from editorial content directly into travel bookings: “If we write a story about the top five ski resorts in North America, we don’t guide you after that into the travel booking. … Go find how to book that,” he said. He also said he expects to pursue a public offering in three to four years.
Thurston’s Pocket Media, backed by venture capital, purchased several divisions of Active Interest Media in 2020 (including Backpacker, SKI, and Climbing) and acquired Outside from Larry Burke in 2021. Since then the company has added Pinkbike, the Gaia mapping service, and other outdoor-recreation brands, consolidated editorial under the subscription program Outside+, and carried out two earlier rounds of layoffs.
The recent cuts affected a long list of roles across editorial and business operations. Eliminated editorial positions included editor in chief, managing editor, three senior editors, two associate editors, assistant editor, senior photo editor, group creative director, vice president and general manager of Outdoors, VP of data and analytics, and senior brand director. Business-side losses reportedly included director of sales operations, director of SEO, an associate director, technical ad ops, social media analyst, and senior manager of digital production.
Company sources and former employees offered differing impressions of the remaining staff size. Several laid-off employees said the reductions left a very small editorial core; the company later issued a public update disputing that characterization.
UPDATE, 02.12.25
Outside released an update saying print is not being discontinued and that the current circulation for the Nov/Dec issue is 675,000. The firm said it will print the Spring 2025 issue, due on newsstands March 1, and plans a redesigned summer issue in late May. The statement disputed reports that only a handful of editors remain, asserting the editorial team includes more than 60 full-time content creators and contributors—editors, writers, videographers, and photographers—who will continue to produce work for both digital and print channels. The company also announced that Mary-Frances Heck, currently editorial director of lifestyle brands, will become General Manager, Outside Media and Business Growth, overseeing all digital editorial properties.
The changes mark another significant reshaping of Outside’s business as the owner aims to integrate travel-booking capabilities and refocus editorial around vertical categories tied to video, mapping, and commerce.