The publishers Greenshires Group have announced that the current printed version of Climb Magazine will cease production as of next month, in a letter distributed to contributors and subscribers. The magazine will continue as a free online production, available worldwide from October this year.

The announcement reads: 'After serious consideration, and following over 33 years of production, Greenshires Press Group have made the decision to cease printing a paper version of Climb Magazine; the Sept/Oct 2017 edition (issue #140) will be the last edition published'.

A combination of the current economic climate and the increasing preference of advertisers and readers for digital platforms were cited as reasons for Climb's online migration.

The bi-monthly publication had its roots in the 70s and 80s, with origins in Crags, High Mountain Sports and more recently On the Edge magazine, following a merger in the 90s.

Ian Parnell, Climb's editor, commented:

'Of course there is slight feeling of sadness with this week's issue of Climb being the last one as a paper magazine, but there is a greater feeling of excitement about the new digital Climb. It's going to be a free magazine something that has been talked about by a lot of people, but including the same high quality writing and photography from some of the leading voices in climbing.'

Anticipating more longform articles and in-depth pieces due to the lack of fixed page word counts and increased editorial space, he added:

'Climbing is covered on the internet with such a blur of news flashes and click bait headlines that it is hard to take in everything day by day. The new Digital Climb will be a place to take a breath and be able to look deeper into some of climbing's great stories, and take stock and consider different aspects of the climbing life.'

The online version is downloadable via the app on iTunes or Google play app stores, with the first new online edition available from October 1st - compatible with mobile, tablet, laptop and desktop devices. A large portion of the back catalogue of Climb issues will also be available for free upon downloading the app. All current subscribers have been written to offering a refund (of remaining issues) or alternatively they can choose to donate that amount to Climbers Against Cancer.