Mountaineer magazine moves to quarterly

During the past two years, we've worked to connect our community to more digital tools, allowing volunteers to easily manage activity and course information online and enabling members to quickly locate and sign up for activities and courses. Traffic to our website has doubled and we've seen a 115% increase in our members' use of social media.

We continue to navigate this changing digital landscape, seeking to provide the best member experience while being mindful of rising costs and staff capabilities. As part of this ongoing commitment, we'd like you to know that in 2016 our Mountaineer magazine will shift to a quarterly publication. As part of this change, we will increase issue size, allowing us to add new columns and other special features.

As a membership-driven organization, it was important for us to know how our members would feel about this change. In November, we included a survey card in the magazine, inviting members to let us know how they currently accessed information about activities and courses, and what they thought about the shift to a quarterly format.

Of the nearly 200 responses 68 percent said they would welcome a quarterly publication with more content. We learned that about 58 percent of respondents went online to learn about activities and courses. versus 39 percent who relied on the magazine. Those statistics were helpful in confirming we were on the right track.

With its new seasonal format, Mountaineer magazine will continue to offer the same high level of editorial content and gorgeous photography that you have come to expect, and we will work to ensure that it remains relevant to your way of life. As always, the magazine will serve as your go-to source for outdoor news, safety tips, nutritional advice, and inspiration. Upcoming issues will include new columns and other special features such as gear reviews, volunteer stories, book reviews, and training tips, and will cover noteworthy achievements in outdoor recreation, volunteerism, conservation, youth education, and other topics of interest to you, our members.

As we begin the new year, we want to thank you for your enthusiasm, support, and stewardship of our beautiful wild places.

Happy New Year from all of us at The Mountaineers!