LOCAL STUDIES is a 144-page coffee table magazine that reflects on the weather history in the Central Idaho mountains. Each issue includes 120 pages of large-format photography, along with monthly weather data and a few essays on being human in the modern world. No A.I., drones or airplanes are used to create this work; and each issue is printed on FSC-certified paper made of 100% recycled material.
Volume 6, summer 2025 (last summer's weather history), is out now and available for purchase in Ketchum at Maude's, Backwoods, Independent Goods and Sturtevants; or in Hailey at Trailhead Bicycles, Wylde Beet and Sturtevants. Issues can also be purchased online, although the price is higher ($40 online; $25 in stores). If you have any questions, comments or ideas, reach out to me at [email protected].
a little bit of backstory
Local Studies started with a hypothesis: my life will improve if I focus locally.
For the 5 years prior to Local Studies, I was living nomadically with my wife (and eventually, first kid). We'd find ourselves someplace new every month or so. Then COVID happened, and we got "stuck" in Central Idaho.
I had always revered the title of local, and believed that local was a path to healing for many modern day problems, yet I never could put the pieces together to embody that for myself. So this was my chance. Central Idaho is among the best for its adventure opportunities. As a college athlete that's moved closer to adventure sports over the last couple decades, I thought, "where better to attempt to be a local than here?"
It took a couple years to get settled, and to get into mountain shape. And then winter 2022-23 came along - I spent ~50 days in the backcountry, designing or co-designing all my ski touring trips, deeply following the weather, and collecting a decent library of photos. At that time, I was in love with high-quality magazines (The Surfer's Journal and DRIFT, specifically), so the next step eventually became obvious - I would memorialize the season with my own magazine. And LOCAL STUDIES, the magazine, came to be.
At this point, I'm 6 years into living in Central Idaho, and 3+ years into creating the magazine. And the hypothesis rings true. The more I commit to one place, the more I connect to it - uncovering its depths, unlocking new dimensions and seeing its beauty. With this comes love, reverence and a desire to care, which leads to the privilege of shaping, and being shaped. My hope with this work is that it serves as a small part in moving towards a more beautiful future.