Welcome to The Alpine Review, a project that began over a decade ago with a simple ambition: to better understand the forces shaping our world — to explore how the present is informed by the past and, in turn, shapes the future. Originally published as a distinctive, ad-free print magazine known for its striking design and generous format, The Alpine Review was proudly described as “a compendium of ideas for a world in transition.”

Across three thoughtfully crafted issues, we explored a wide range of topics and perspectives. By 2016, we felt the project had reached a natural conclusion and entered a self-imposed hiatus, having fulfilled its original mission.

The challenges and transformations of recent years, however, have inspired us to reimagine The Alpine Review as an online archive, making its work accessible to longtime readers and new audiences alike. We invite you to explore the collection and engage with the ideas that shaped the publication and continue to resonate today.

We hope you find the archive insightful, relevant, and useful. While the format has changed, the spirit of the project remains.

Happy reading.
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Louis-Jacques Darveau
Founder, editor and publisher

Acknowledgement

This project would not have been possible without the contribution of:

‍Patrick Tanguay, who was one of the original 'mind behind', editor (Issues 1 and 2) and later editor-at-large (Issue 3); Patrick Pittman who led the editorial effort for Issue 3; Peter Bihr, 'our man in Berlin', who opened his network to us when Alpine was just a concept; Elise Eskanazi who expertly art-directed all three print issues, and last but not least, Alex Gervais, who runs the engineering of this website.

Full credits can be found on the magazine page.

About the name

We were often asked about the origin of the name, so here’s the story behind it.

The Alpine Review served as a useful metaphor in several ways. First, it was about perspective: climbing a mountain not for conquest, but for the unique satisfaction of surveying the landscape and seeing the bigger picture. From the base, the terrain can feel overwhelming; from the summit, the path becomes clearer and the journey more meaningful.

Second, it reflected the idea of profound change. Like tectonic shifts, the most consequential transformations are often most visible at the edges, where forces collide, landscapes are reshaped, and mountains are formed.

Finally, mountains are places of discovery. They contain cliffs, caves, hidden valleys, and unexpected passages — reminders that there is always more to explore beneath the surface. The Alpine Review was created in that spirit: to seek out overlooked ideas, uncover deeper patterns, and venture beyond the obvious.

recognition

Praise for The Alpine Review

“This is an incredible magazine – fascinating in its scope and breadth of coverage.”

— Madeleine Morley (read the full review here), magCulture

"This magazine's so extraordinarily good, it makes Montreal look cooler than Berlin"

— Bruce Sterling

“The Alpine Review reaches a level where they can write about almost everything. And you will listen. The quality of the writing and the people that are involved are outstanding. Topped with a lot of surprises and little snippets, it is a masterpiece.”

— Jeremy Leslie, magCulture

“The Economist’s cooler, better dressed sister.”

—Ruth Jamieson, Print is Dead, Long Live Print: The World's Best Independent Magazines

"A magazine you want to keep for the weekend; you want to spend time with."

— Tyler Brûlé, Monocle (listen to the entire review here, from 32:50)

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Awards

• Applied Arts, Complete magazine design, 2014
• Communication Arts, Design / Editorial / News category, 2013
• Applied Arts, Magazine cover single, 2014
• Concours Grafika, Complete magazine, 2013
• Concours Grafika, Editorial & print category, 2017