About Kanu Magazin

Kanu Magazin

Kanu Magazin is a German-language specialist magazine for canoeing and kayaking, published in Munich by the Atlas Verlag. Founded in 1994 as KANUmagazin, it appears eight times a year, from February to September, covering the paddling season. The magazine addresses canoeists, kayakers, whitewater paddlers and sea kayakers with tour reports, technique features, equipment tests and destination journalism. The editor-in-chief since 2016 is Lars Brinkmann, and the magazine carries the ISSN 1436-7750. Its official website is kanumagazin.de, the digital home of the German-speaking paddling community's leading specialist magazine.

Overview

Kanu Magazin appears eight times a year in the months from February to September, faithfully following the rhythm of the Central European paddling season. It is sold at newsstands, in outdoor and paddling shops, and by subscription throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The magazine is published by the Atlas Verlag in Munich, which took over the title in January 2010 from the previous publishers.

The magazine's concept covers the full breadth of paddle sports: touring by canoe and kayak, whitewater paddling, sea kayaking, canoe camping and the growing discipline of packrafting. Tour reports present rivers, lakes and coastal waters in Germany, Europe and worldwide, with practical information on access, water levels, difficulty and logistics. Technique features address paddling skills from basic strokes to whitewater manoeuvres, while equipment tests assess boats, paddles, clothing and accessories.

The last reported circulation figure, from the first quarter of 2019 (IVW), showed 5,729 copies distributed — a modest figure that reflects the specialist nature of the paddling market, where the magazine serves a dedicated community of enthusiasts.

History

Kanu Magazin was founded in 1994 as KANUmagazin, in the decade when paddle sports were diversifying rapidly. The 1990s saw the rise of modern whitewater kayaking, the development of new boat designs and materials, and the growth of sea kayaking as a touring discipline — and the new magazine gave German-speaking paddlers their own journal for this evolving sport.

The magazine was initially published by the Sport+Freizeit Verlag and later by the Motor Presse Stuttgart, two publishers with strong portfolios in outdoor and leisure media. In January 2010, the Atlas Verlag of Munich took over the title, giving it a new corporate home within a publishing house specialising in outdoor and adventure media.

Lars Brinkmann took over as editor-in-chief in 2016, leading the magazine's editorial team into the era of digital media while preserving its print identity. Under his leadership, the magazine has continued to serve the paddling community with the tour journalism and practical expertise that have defined it since 1994. The editorial team combines journalistic skill with first-hand paddling experience — its writers paddle the rivers they describe, test the boats they review and share the passion of their readers.

The magazine's standing in the international paddling community was recognised in 2015, when it was nominated for the World Paddle Awards — the global awards of the paddle-sports world — acknowledging its contribution to paddling journalism. The nomination placed the German title among the internationally recognised voices of paddle sports, a notable achievement for a specialist magazine in a niche market.

Content and Programming

Kanu Magazin's content follows the paddling year. The February issue opens the season with previews, new equipment and tour planning; the spring and summer issues carry tour reports from rivers and lakes across Europe; the September issue closes the season with autumn paddling and winter preparation. This seasonal rhythm gives the magazine a narrative arc that mirrors its readers' own paddling lives.

Tour reports are the magazine's core: detailed accounts of paddling journeys on rivers from the Alpine torrents to the lowland streams, on lakes from the Alpine lakes to the Scandinavian wilderness, and on coastal waters from the Baltic to the Atlantic. Each report combines narrative with practical information — access points, water levels, difficulty grades, camping and accommodation, and the logistics of shuttles and transport.

Technique features address the skills of paddle sports: forward stroke, manoeuvres, rolling, whitewater techniques, sea-kayak skills and rescue procedures. Equipment tests assess canoes, kayaks, paddles, spray decks, buoyancy aids, clothing and camping gear for real-world performance. The magazine also covers the paddling community — clubs, events, competitions and the characters of the scene — and environmental topics affecting rivers and waters, from water quality to access rights to the impact of hydropower on free-flowing rivers.

The magazine's coverage spans the disciplines of modern paddle sports: the traditional Canadian canoe for touring and wilderness trips, the versatile touring kayak, the specialised whitewater kayak for rapids, the sea kayak for coastal expeditions, and the packraft — the ultralight inflatable that has opened new possibilities for combined hiking and paddling adventures. Each discipline has its own techniques, equipment and culture, and Kanu Magazin serves them all.

Coverage and Audience

Kanu Magazin is distributed throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland, sold at newsstands, in outdoor and paddling retailers, and by subscription. Its audience consists of active paddlers — canoeists, kayakers, whitewater enthusiasts and sea kayakers — predominantly male, with a strong commitment to their sport and substantial spending on boats, equipment and paddling travel.

The paddling community is small but dedicated, and the magazine's readers are characterised by deep engagement: they plan holidays around rivers, invest in high-end boats and equipment, and follow the paddling scene with enthusiasm. For advertisers in the paddle-sports, outdoor, automotive and travel sectors, Kanu Magazin offers access to this precisely defined specialist audience.

Ownership

Kanu Magazin is published by the Atlas Verlag in Munich, Bavaria, which has published the title since January 2010. The Atlas Verlag is a Munich-based special-interest publisher with a portfolio in outdoor and adventure media. The magazine was previously published by the Sport+Freizeit Verlag and the Motor Presse Stuttgart — two publishers with deep roots in German outdoor and leisure journalism, whose stewardship shaped the magazine's early decades.

The editor-in-chief Lars Brinkmann has led the editorial team since 2016, continuing the magazine's tradition of paddling journalism. Under the Atlas Verlag's ownership, the title has maintained its eight-issues-a-year rhythm and its focus on the February-to-September paddling season, serving the German-speaking paddling community with continuity and expertise.

Digital Presence

The magazine's official website at kanumagazin.de serves as its digital home, presenting current issues, paddling news, tour features and service content. The site extends the magazine's tour journalism to the web, with route information, photo galleries and practical details for paddlers planning their own journeys.

Kanu Magazin is present on social media, where it shares paddling photography, tour inspiration and issue highlights with the paddling community. Digital editions of the magazine are available for screen reading. While the print issues remain the title's core — published in the February-to-September rhythm of the paddling season — the digital channels extend its reach and provide timely coverage of water levels, conditions and events. In an era when paddlers check river gauges on smartphones, the magazine's combination of print depth and digital timeliness serves the community across both media.

The website field in this profile reflects the title's official online home. Founded in 1994 as KANUmagazin and still published from Munich for the German-speaking paddling community, Kanu Magazin has accompanied paddle sports through three decades of change — from the whitewater revolution of the 1990s to today's diverse world of touring, sea kayaking and packrafting — always with the river at its heart.