David Gibson, second from left, picks up the award

A magazine for hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers has picked up a national award.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland’s Scottish Mountaineer is distributed to more than 10,000 of its members four times a year.

The publication was named member magazine of the year in the Scottish Magazine Awards.

Judges said the magazine is ‘a fantastic specialist, members’ magazine. Readers are immediately enticed in – a good, clear design and packed with excellent content and information which is easy to read’.

MCofS chief officer David Gibson said: “Our members range from young people experiencing the personal challenges of climbing for the first time, to the more mature and experienced who have spent a lifetime on the hills and who climb or trek in many countries.

“Meeting their needs means that we must be innovative in design and content, yet operate within tight budgetary constraints.”

The quarterly publication is produced for the MCofS by Herald and Times Magazines. Darren Bruce of the company said: “Both the client and publisher have worked incredibly hard to ensure the multimedia brand has gone from strength to strength, coming through some tough challenges to buck 2012’s outdoor economic trends whilst taking the magazine through a very successful re-design.

“This award is a positive reflection and testament to our efforts.”

Founded in 1970 by the Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs, MCofS is the recognised representative organisation for hillwalkers, climbers and ski-tourers who live in Scotland or who enjoy Scotland’s mountains.