This post is now dated: to cash in on our 2014 summer subscription push (valid through 7.24.14), click here.

Every week, somebody calls the office or emails to say, “Hey, I subscribed to the magazine three months ago but still haven’t seen my first issue. What gives?!”

Nine times out of ten, there’s a simple answer to the question: It comes down to the fact that on the other side of the table from the individual ordering the subscription sits a print magazine industry that has a tendency to do things way in advance. To help clear up any confusion, and to ensure you get your magazines in a timely manner, we’ve decided to lay out Freeskier’s production schedule for the upcoming cycle—Freeskier Volume 16:

Volume 16.1 — 2014 Buyer’s Guide

If you’re not already a current subscriber, to ensure you receive your copy of the 2014 Buyer’s Guide (BG) you must subscribe before 7/24/13. The BG ships to subscribers beginning on 8/12/13, and will be available on newsstands beginning 9/3/13.

If you miss the boat on subscribing by the 7/24 deadline, you’ll have to get the Buyer’s Guide on newsstands. As the BG is only available on newsstands domestically, those of you outside of the country should pay special attention to the following message: Don’t delay, subscribe to Freeskier today.

To make it abundantly clear, if you subscribe to Freeskier on 7/25/13, the first issue you will receive in the mail will be Volume 16.2—the October issue. Make sense? The dates below specify the cut-off to receive each issue in Volume 16.

Volume 16.2 — October issue

If you’re not already a current subscriber, to ensure you receive your copy of the V.16 October issue you must subscribe before 8/14/13. The October issue ships to subscribers beginning on 8/30/13, and will be available on newsstands beginning 9/17/13.

Volume 16.3 — November issue (Resort Guide)

If you’re not already a current subscriber, to ensure you receive your copy of the V.16 November issue you must subscribe before 9/11/13. The October issue ships to subscribers beginning on 9/30/13, and will be available on newsstands beginning 10/22/13.

Volume 16.4 — December issue

If you’re not already a current subscriber, to ensure you receive your copy of the V.16 December issue you must subscribe before 10/9/13. The December issue ships to subscribers beginning on 10/28/13, and will be available on newsstands beginning 11/19/13.

Volume 16.5 — January issue (Photo Annual/Skier of the Year)

If you’re not already a current subscriber, to ensure you receive your copy of the V.16 January issue you must subscribe before 11/6/13. The January issue ships to subscribers beginning on 11/25/13, and will be available on newsstands beginning 12/17/13.

Volume 16.6 — February issue (Olympic Mega Issue)

If you’re not already a current subscriber, to ensure you receive your copy of the V.16 February issue you must subscribe before 12/3/13. The February issue ships to subscribers beginning on 12/20/13, and will be available on newsstands beginning 1/14/13.

Subscribe to Freeskier now

If you’ve done the math, you now know that if you order your subscription in late December, 2013, you’re not going to see your first issue in the mailbox before late August of 2014. Herein lies the answer to the original question at the top of this page.

That being said, a one-year subscription to the magazine always includes a full six issues (Freeskier Backcountry issue not included in the normal cycle—this is a special edition only). Thus, if you order your subscription on 11/1/13, you’ll receive the V16 January issue and the V16 February issue, along with the first four issues of V17. A two-year subscription will always include 12 issues, and the three-year subscription includes 18 issues.

My advice? Go ahead and get another subscription before the 7/24/13 deadline to ensure you receive the 2014 Buyer’s Guide before it hits newsstands. Then, you can sleep soundly knowing all six issues of Volume 16 will be in your hands before too long. If you happen to receive another copy from an existing subscription, you can rip some of the pages out of the extra book to cover the walls of your bedroom or your office. Not that we like it when people rip our beautiful magazines to shreds, but you get the point…

We’re already getting our hands dirty on Volume 16, and we’re certain you’ll enjoy each and every issue. As always, thanks for your continued support, and for being a part of the Freeskier family.

*Freeskier magazine is also available on iTunes. Click here for more information on how to get the mag on your mobile device.