From IG to Print: An Interview With the Drink Butter Team on Creating Their First Magazine

Drink Butter has always existed a little outside the mold. What started as a one-man passion project– curated, edited, and posted by Jazz Vitale anonymously for more than a decade—slowly grew into one of skiing’s most recognizable underground community hubs. With over 2,800 posts, countless clips resurrected from the archives, and a commitment to showing good skiing no matter who it came from, Drink Butter became a digital meeting place for people who care about style, creativity, and the culture behind the clips.

This year, the crew took things a step further. What used to be a solo operation is now a full creative team: Jazz, Michael Cherchio, Eric Peiffer, Jules Gershman, and new additions Tyler Utendorfer, Pat Hill, and Max Morris. Together, they decided to build something bigger than an Instagram page—a printed magazine, made completely independently and powered entirely by the skiing community.

They recently premiered Issue 01 of the Drink Butter Magazine in Salt Lake City. Sharing the stage with several ski film screenings, the event pulled together riders, creatives, friends, and total strangers who had all been touched by the project in one way or another. The vibe was grassroots and unfiltered—exactly what Drink Butter has always been about. No corporate gloss, no algorithm chasing, no industry gatekeeping. Just a room full of people who love skiing and want to see the culture pushed somewhere new.

Issue 01 is both a celebration of the last ten years and the beginning of something bigger. A platform built by the community, for the community.

What follows is a conversation with the crew behind Issue 01—how it came to life, why print still matters, and what Drink Butter hopes to build next.

Michael: I originally brought the idea up to Jazz last spring after traveling all season and seeing so many different perspectives on skiing. A lot of my friends were resurfacing print, and that inspired me. Last spring in Mexico, we passed around a camera all trip and afterward I made my first zine — that became the seed of the Drink Butter magazine. The real catalyst, though, was attending Cole Richardson’s Intermission in NYC. It showed me skiing could be so much more than Instagram edits or the same filming approach. It was eye-opening.

Jazz: I’ve been running Drink Butter solo for ten years. Friends helped with movies/edits, but every post — all 2,800+ — has been curated by me. To be honest, I hit a wall this summer. I changed the formula for a year, digging into archival edits and avoiding remix culture, but still no organic growth. When Michael brought me the idea of a magazine, I realized Drink Butter is a platform — something that could become bigger than Instagram. A new medium to connect skiers everywhere.

Eric: Issue 01 started as a small, 70-page photo zine. But as we worked on it, it organically grew into a full magazine. The more we built, the more people we wanted to include, and it snowballed.

Jazz: This mag marks the end of a chapter and the beginning of something new. When Michael pitched the idea, he said, “You’ve done this for ten years — now is the time to lift the veil.” That stuck with me. After a decade, it felt right to finally tell our story.

Jazz: There are so many spreads that came to life through collaboration, but the lining (front and back) is my favorite example. I was prepared to manually pull all 2,800 thumbnails myself. My girlfriend thought that was insane and wrote code to download every thumbnail from Drink Butter at high resolution — then filter them to only ones where skiers’ tips and tails touched snow. That narrowed it down to 700. We arranged the best 560 into the front lining. The back lining is 560 favorites that aren’t butter-based. There are 1,120 thumbnails across both linings. If you were featured on Instagram, there’s a good chance you’re in the mag. Seeing a kid with 200 followers next to Phil Casabon or Jake Mageau in print — that’s what makes it so special.

Jazz: An Instagram clip can hit a million views in days and be forgotten. A magazine can live for decades. Plus, holding something tangible — not an iPad — is important. The new generation should experience that.

Jazz: We relied heavily on the community. Friends, talented photographers, skiers, people we’ve met over the years — and people we haven’t met but have been connected to online for years.

Eric: We even received submissions from people we’ve never met. That’s pretty special. None of it would’ve been possible without the foundation Jazz built over the last decade.

Jazz: Everything rested on trust. The mag was passion-funded, not profit-driven. We made it clear we couldn’t pay contributors for Issue 01 — we needed to prove the concept first. As skiers, we know how much work goes into capturing content. We’re grateful beyond words for everyone who contributed. And honestly? Not a single person said “no.”

Jazz: Yes — the range was wild. Sifting through everything was a huge task but super fun. A standout was seeing @Dadskier (Michael Nilan) evolve throughout the process. It started as a brainrot spread and turned into an ongoing collaboration. We pitched article ideas back and forth until he created “Seven Spliffs for Seven Scenarios.” Watching him type in real time through Google Docs was hilarious.

Michael: We carried the same mentality from Instagram: follower count doesn’t matter. Good skiing is good skiing.

Jazz: Print also gave us freedom. You can’t get flagged for spliffs, ass, or explicit content in print.

Jazz: Like herding a litter of rabid kittens. At first it seemed like a far-fetched idea, but once we developed a few spreads, people believed in it and started submitting. We’re proud of the stories and articles — and how the mag lined up with fall film releases.

Michael: It was insane. Our moms worked security. Thayne Rich almost ruined the night with a White Claw spill on the master computer. Eric’s brother Tom worked the bar. Floyd and Marlee built a collage wall. The Canadians rolled deep Pat packed 200 magazines in an hour. Max dialed in Skate 2’s Fun Track on the big screen. It was chaotic, heartfelt, and perfect.

Jazz: Holding the magazine is one thing — watching someone else experience it for the first time is another. We’re confident Issue 01 reached the right people.

Jazz: Seeing the whole crew switch into full premiere mode was surreal. It felt like they’d done dozens of events before.

Michael: The crowd reaction to Colby Johnson’s ender in Bakerview was unforgettable. I didn’t even watch the clip — I watched 250 people’s faces light up at the same time.

Jazz: Cole Richardson & Reid Ferguson driving 15 hours from Calgary to debut Bakerview meant the world. They were editing until four hours before the premiere.

Jules: I was bartending all night, and seeing everyone stoked with a magazine in hand was the best feeling.

Jazz: The core crew is Michael Cherchio, Eric Peiffer, Jules Gershman, and myself. We’ve added Tyler Utendorfer, Pat Hill (producer), and Max Morris.

Jazz: Very intentional. The first third has Surfer’s Journal energy, the middle is pure chaos, and the end brings it back to the heart of skiing — love, risk, friendship.

Jazz: Big Brother Magazine and Have A Nice Day were the catalysts.

Michael: When Jazz showed me Dumb by Big Brother, everything clicked. Torment Magazine and Surfer’s Journal also shaped the vision.

Michael: Follower count doesn’t matter. If you bring something to the table, you’re in.

Jazz: We want everyone who’s contributed to Drink Butter over the years to feel represented.

Jazz: It’s a double-edged sword. Skiing’s culture has shifted toward views and instant gratification. Sendy pages and fail accounts aren’t helping — skiing deserves a higher standard. We need to create things that outlive the algorithm.

Jazz: Issue 2 is already in motion. The cover will be unveiled the night of the next release — no spoilers until then. Covers should be a big moment in skiing, just like skateboarding. We’re also heading into winter with momentum and planning new film content to pair with future issues.

Jazz: Butter.

If you thought Drink Butter was just an IG page, think again. The magazine is here, the energy is real, and the community is louder than ever.

Get your hands on Drink Butter Issue 01 by going to drink-butter.com starting December 1st.