Wild 180 is about to land

 Wild #180 is about to land

It’s our 40th birthday, and we’re celebrating with a bumper issue!.

Forty years ago, at roughly this time, Chris Baxter and the rest of the Wild team sent off the very first issue of Wild to the printers. To celebrate the birthday (I know, 40 is the new 30 and all that jazz), we’ve got a bumper issue coming up. Along with all the memories and archival material from issues past (including every cover Wild has ever run), there’s a great feature by Megan Holbeck on Wild itself and its founding editor Chris Baxter. And long-time columnist and contributor Quentin Chester (who has had a hand in more issues of Wild than anyone else) also makes an appearance.

It’s not all birthday-themed though. Just like Issue #1 (which had a surprising amount of winter sports and backcountry ski-focussed material), Issue #180 will be celebrating adventurous Aussie winters. For starters, there’s a massive feature by Shaun Mittwollen, who spent the winter of 2020 chasing first ski descents in Tasmania—on Federation Peak, Cradle Mountain, Mt Ossa, the Walls of Jerusalem and the Du Canes. I know the word epic gets overused, but in this case, it’s wholly justified. We’ll also have a piece by Laura Waters, who, despite being—quote—“crap at the cold”, heads off with polar explorer Eric Philips to learn the art of winter travel, a piece on Victoria’s Backcountry Festival, and a Q+A with Protect Our Winters’ Josh Fletcher.

If that all sounds chilly, just reading our Track Notes on how to climb central Australia’s Mt Zeil/ Urlatherrke will warm you up. And there’s a report by acclaimed author John Blay who last summer went walking in Kosciuszko NP and saw first-hand the tragic impact feral horses are having there. Lachlan Gardiner recounts how he stumbled his way up NZ’s Steeple Peak (despite his partner forgetting his harness). And Catherine Lawson explains how a northern NSW wilderness therapy program is helping troubled teens.

There are a couple of noteworthy Readers’ Adventures in the issue, too, with Dana Briggs eloquently writing on how a bikepacking journey made her reflect on life, parenthood, wild places, and adventure. And—in this issue’s photo essay—Janette Asche, a Wild subscriber since Issue #1, shares a very special collection of images from her last forty years of adventures.

In short, this is not an issue to miss. But to make sure you get it, subscribe now at wild.com.au/subscribe