All things begin with good people. That’s definitely the case with Kootenay Mountain Culture, an international-calibre biannual publication dedicated to the celebration, promotion and documentation of mountain culture as it exists throughout British Columbia’s Kootenay region.

Just in case you who don’t know, the Kootenay’s sprawl across an incredible mountainous landscape larger than Switzerland. They’re located in the southeast corner of British Columbia, Canada, bordering the states of Washington, Idaho and Montana and the Canadian province of Alberta. The Kootenay’s encompass portions of four major mountain ranges: the western Rockies, Purcells, Selkirks and eastern Monashees, and within these ranges are hundreds of lakes, rivers, glaciers and 10,000-foot peaks. The region includes four national parks, 75 provincial parks, and countless year-round, winter and summer recreation resorts, backcountry lodges, hot springs and far-out destinations renown for world-class hiking, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, mountain biking and climbing. Not bad. But what about the people?

Mitchell Scott is the Co-Founder, Publisher and Editor of the magazine. He’s an accomplished outdoor athlete, his favorite sport being mountain biking and skiing. Not surprisingly, he’s also an editor at large for Powder and Bike magazines. He lives in the Kootenay’s, Nelson to be more precise, with his wife and two kids.

We’re huge fans of both Mitchell and his magazine. With sections like Gallery (a collection of stunning photos from some of the best outdoor and action sport photographers in the world), Adventura (an edgy, adventure-rife first-hand account of a significant outdoor epic, either within the Kootenays or from Kootenay residents anywhere in the world) and Ecos (focused on environmental issues in the context of mountain living). it reflects Nau’s interest in the intersection between beauty, performance and sustainability.