BECOME AN AUTHOR

A strong mountain guidebook is not built from borrowed information or general enthusiasm. It is built from time in the field, local knowledge, careful documentation, and a serious editorial process.

That is where collaboration begins.

Still Wild Mountains is open to partnership with people who know their region from the inside and want to turn that knowledge into a professionally developed guidebook.

This opportunity is for:

• mountain guides
• ski touring and splitboarding professionals
• expedition leaders
• local mountain experts
• experienced regional authors
• practitioners with deep field knowledge of a specific mountain region

You do not need to be a polished writer from the start. But you do need substance – real experience, real routes, and real material.

Because strong field knowledge deserves a strong publishing framework

Many experts know their mountains well. Far fewer know how to turn that knowledge into a clear, consistent, publishable book.

We help bridge that gap.

By working with Still Wild Mountains, you bring the regional expertise. We help shape it into a guidebook with structure, editorial direction, design consistency, and a serious publishing identity.

Because you do not have to build it alone

A guidebook is more than route notes. It requires concept, structure, standards, editing, visual consistency, and production discipline.

We help build the framework around your knowledge so the final result is not just informative, but strong enough to stand as a real published work.

Because this is a partnership, not a content grab

This is not a volunteer project and not a loose content submission model. We work through partnership-based collaboration with defined roles, editorial standards, and author compensation.

To create a serious guidebook, we need real field-based source material.

Important note: A guidebook cannot be built on general impressions alone. It needs documentation from the ground.

That usually includes:

• original GPS tracks for routes you know directly

• original photographs from the region and from the routes themselves

• route descriptions based on actual field experience
• access, logistics, and timing information
• reliable local knowledge of terrain, snow, weather, and seasonal patterns
• honest assessment of route quality, difficulty, and character
• readiness to review and refine the material during development

You are likely a strong fit if you:

• know a region deeply across multiple seasons
• have documented a meaningful number of routes
• can provide both tracks and route notes
• have a strong archive of original visual material
• understand the local terrain beyond the obvious lines
• value precision over hype
• care about clarity, usefulness, and honest representation
• are ready to work through a demanding editorial process

The strongest candidates are not simply experienced in the mountains. They are also able to document what they know in a way that can become useful for others.

Still Wild Mountains provides the publishing framework that turns raw field knowledge into a finished guidebook.

Depending on the project, this may include:

• concept and positioning of the book

• editorial structure
• route format and content standards
• manuscript development support
• text editing and refinement
• visual direction and series consistency
• design and production support
• publishing and presentation under the Still Wild Mountains line
• distribution support
• partnership terms and author compensation structure

In practical terms, you bring the region. We help turn it into a book.

Step 1:

We begin with a conversation about your region, your experience, and the material you already have.

Step 2:
Project assessment

We assess the strength of the region, the route base, and the quality of the documentation.

Step 3:
Partnership outline

If the fit is strong, we define the project scope, roles, workflow, and compensation model.

Routes, photos, tracks, logistics, and supporting text are organized into a working manuscript.

Step 5:
Editing and production

The material is refined, structured, edited, and prepared for publication.

Step 6:
Publication

The final book is released as part of the Still Wild Mountains series.

We are interested in guidebooks built on direct experience, honest documentation, and respect for the mountains.

That means:

• no recycled internet material

• no vague or inflated route descriptions

• no route information without direct knowledge
• no weak documentation presented as expertise
• no generic AI-generated filler in place of real field material

We value accuracy, clarity, originality, and usefulness.

We are open to strong proposals for mountain regions that deserve a serious, field-based guidebook.

This may include:

• ski touring & splitboarding regions and destinations

• Backcountry mountain areas near ski resorts in lesser-known mountain zones

• Remote regions with real backcountry and expedition value

A region does not need to be famous. It needs to be strong, well documented, and worth doing properly.

A serious guidebook starts with real source material – original tracks, original photos, and route descriptions based on direct experience. Without that, there is no real foundation for the book.

We work through a partnership-based publishing model.

Compensation and publishing terms depend on the scope of the project, the quality and completeness of the material, the author’s role in development, and the long-term publishing format.

These terms are discussed individually once a project shows real potential.

We are interested in building guidebooks that create long-term value – for readers, for the series, and for the author.

If you have the field knowledge, documentation, and commitment needed to build something strong, we would be glad to hear from you – and to help you turn that work into a published guidebook of your own.

Tell us about your region, your field experience, and the material you already have:

• Region
• Type of terrain / activity
• Your background
• Why this region deserves a guidebook
• What materials you already have
• Do you have original GPS tracks?
• Do you have original photos?
• Approximate number of routes documented
• Link to sample material

Minimum material requirements:

As a starting point, we usually look for:

• at least 15-20 viable routes for a smaller regional project
• a meaningful base of documented routes
• original GPS tracks
• original route photography
• rough route notes or draft descriptions
• reliable local knowledge
• willingness to assist with fact-checking and editorial refinement

Create Your Guidebook With Us