About Bergsteiger

Bergsteiger

Bergsteiger is a monthly German mountain magazine published by the Bruckmann Verlag in Munich. First issued in October 1930 under the title "Der Bergsteiger", it is the oldest commercial mountain magazine in the world, with a publishing history spanning nearly a century — interrupted only by a three-year break during the Second World War. The magazine addresses mountaineers, climbers, hikers and ski tourers with reports, tours, portraits and service journalism from the world of the mountains. Since 1 November 2024, the editorial leadership has been shared by Bettina Willmes and Stefan Moll. The magazine carries the ISSN 1435-8905, and its official website is bergsteiger.de. Its sold circulation stood at 13,817 copies in the fourth quarter of 2024 (IVW). The magazine's nine-decade run through German history — from the Weimar Republic through war and division to reunification and the present — gives it a historical depth unmatched in the mountain press.

Overview

Bergsteiger appears twelve times a year and is sold at newsstands, in bookshops and outdoor retailers, and by subscription throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It is the flagship mountain title of the Bruckmann Verlag, the Munich-based special-interest publisher whose portfolio spans travel, outdoor, history and railway titles.

The magazine's concept combines classic mountain journalism with modern outdoor lifestyle. Tour features present routes in the Alps and mountain ranges worldwide, with detailed descriptions and practical information. Reportage and portraits bring readers the stories of alpinists, mountain guides and mountain people. Equipment tests, training advice and safety topics serve the practical needs of mountain athletes, while cultural features explore the literature, art and history of alpinism. Expedition coverage follows German teams to the great ranges of the world, from the Himalaya to Patagonia.

The title's claim to be the world's oldest commercial mountain magazine rests on its 1930 founding and its continuous publication — apart from the war years — through nine decades of alpine history. Few magazines in any field can claim such continuity.

History

The first issue appeared in October 1930 under the title "Der Bergsteiger", at a time when alpinism was transitioning from the heroic age of the great north faces to a broader popular movement. The magazine documented the golden years of German and Austrian mountaineering, the controversies of the 1930s Eiger attempts, and the development of mountain tourism in the Alps. Its pages recorded the achievements and tragedies of interwar alpinism, from first ascents to the evolving ethics of the sport, establishing from the start the magazine's role as the chronicler of German-speaking mountaineering.

The Second World War interrupted publication for three years — the only break in the magazine's long history. After the war, Bergsteiger resumed and chronicled the rebirth of alpinism: the post-war expeditions to the Himalaya, including the German successes and disasters on Nanga Parbat, the rise of sport climbing, the development of modern mountain equipment, and the transformation of the Alps into Europe's great mountain playground. The magazine's post-war decades captured alpinism's transformation from an elite pursuit to a mass sport.

In 1982, the title was shortened from "Der Bergsteiger" to "Bergsteiger", modernising the magazine's identity while preserving its heritage. Through the following decades, the magazine adapted to each new wave in mountain sports — from the free-climbing revolution to the ski-touring boom, from mountain biking to the professionalisation of mountain guiding.

The editorial leadership has seen distinguished tenures. Andreas Kubin led the magazine from 1989 to 2012, shaping its modern identity across more than two decades — a period that saw the magazine navigate the digital transformation of media while preserving its print authority. Michael Ruhland succeeded him, continuing the title's editorial tradition, and since 1 November 2024, Bettina Willmes and Stefan Moll have shared the editorial leadership, bringing the title into its second century with a dual leadership that reflects the breadth of modern mountain journalism.

Content and Programming

Bergsteiger's content is built around the mountain experience in all its forms. Tour features present hiking, mountaineering, climbing and ski-touring routes with the detail that readers use to plan their own adventures — descriptions, difficulty assessments, timing, huts and logistics. The magazine's tour journalism draws on nearly a century of accumulated route knowledge.

Reportage takes readers to the great mountain ranges of the world and to the characters of the mountain scene: interviews with leading alpinists, portraits of mountain guides, stories from expeditions and accounts of historic climbs. The magazine's cultural coverage — books, films, exhibitions and the history of alpinism — reflects the deep cultural roots of German-speaking mountaineering.

Practical service includes equipment tests, training features, nutrition advice and safety topics. Avalanche awareness, weather interpretation and rescue procedures are treated with the seriousness these life-and-death subjects demand. The magazine also covers environmental issues affecting the mountains, from glacier retreat to the pressures of tourism.

Coverage and Audience

Bergsteiger is distributed throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland, sold at newsstands, in bookshops and outdoor retailers, and by subscription. Its sold circulation of 13,817 copies (IVW Q4/2024) reaches a readership of committed mountain enthusiasts — predominantly male, educated, with above-average income and deep engagement with mountain sports.

The magazine's readers are the core of the German-speaking mountain community: members of alpine clubs, regular visitors to the Alps, owners of high-end mountain equipment, and consumers of mountain travel and guiding services. For advertisers in the outdoor, tourism, automotive and sports sectors, Bergsteiger offers access to this precisely defined, high-value audience.

Ownership

Bergsteiger is published by the Bruckmann Verlag in Munich, Bavaria. The Bruckmann Verlag is one of Germany's leading special-interest publishers, with a portfolio spanning travel, outdoor, history, railway and pet titles — including the Ein Herz für Tiere Media pet portfolio and the mountain magazine's sister publications. The Munich publishing house's base in the Bavarian capital places it at the foot of the Alps its magazines cover, and its outdoor and travel titles form a natural family with the mountain magazine.

The magazine's editorial leadership, shared since 1 November 2024 by Bettina Willmes and Stefan Moll, continues a line of distinguished editors that stretches back through Michael Ruhland and Andreas Kubin to the title's interwar founders — nearly a century of editorial continuity in the service of mountain journalism.

Digital Presence

The magazine's official website at bergsteiger.de serves as its digital home, presenting current issues, mountain news, tour features and service content between monthly issues. The site extends the magazine's tour journalism to the web, with route information, photo galleries and practical details for mountain enthusiasts.

Bergsteiger is present on social media, where it shares mountain photography, expedition news and issue highlights with the outdoor community. Digital editions of the magazine are available for screen reading. The publisher's online shop offers subscriptions and back issues. While the monthly print issue remains the title's core — nearly a century of mountain journalism in print — the digital channels extend its reach and provide timely coverage of conditions, expeditions and events in the mountain world.

The website field in this profile reflects the title's official online home. First issued in October 1930 as "Der Bergsteiger" and still published monthly from Munich, Bergsteiger has documented nearly a century of alpinism — from the Eiger controversies of the 1930s to the Himalayan expeditions of the post-war decades to today's diverse mountain sports — making it not just a magazine but an archive of the sport's history.