Alpinist hires Abbey Collins as assistant editor

Alpinist is delighted to welcome Abbey Collins to its team as an assistant editor. She returns to the East Coast from Alaska to work from the magazine’s headquarters in Jeffersonville, Vermont. Editor-in-Chief Derek Franz and Deputy Editor Paula LaRochelle will continue to work remotely.

“Abbey brings a broad skillset to us, from radio to print journalism, and I’m excited about the possibilities she brings to Alpinist, and what this means for the Alpinist Podcast as well as the magazine,” says Franz. “She has reported on difficult stories in her previous jobs, is connected to the Alaskan mountaineering scene, and she is clearly the type of person who embraces challenges with enthusiasm. We are very happy to have her with us!”

Growing up in the flatlands of Massachusetts, Collins has always loved the outdoors but didn’t discover the joys of the alpine world until she moved to Alaska.

A year after graduating from journalism school at Emerson College, she left Boston for a summer internship as a public radio reporter in a small island town in Southeast Alaska. Those four months stretched into nearly seven years, three towns, a handful of radio and writing jobs, and a deep love for climbing mountains.

Her favorite mountain days involve backcountry navigation, rocky ridges, campsites next to alpine lakes, and warm alpenglow. Collins is excited to rediscover New England as a climber, while helping tell the stories of climbers all over the world.

“Stories from the mountains help us understand our greatest joys, deepest fears, and so much more about the human experience,” says Collins. “I’m so excited to help tell those stories at Alpinist.”