Things are looking up at Nevis Range

Nevis Range, Scotland’s leading mountain biking, outdoor activities and snow sports centre, is planning to reopen this month in the wake of Covid-19 restrictions being eased.

Staff at the resort have been working flat put to put new safety steps in place, including thermal screening, increased cleaning procedures and social distancing measures.

“We have been working closely with the Scottish Government since the start of the lockdown. We are extremely pleased to be able to announce that Scottish Tourism Businesses will be able to reopen on 15 July,” said Chris O’Brien, Chief Executive at Nevis Range who stressed that the re-opening plans are subject to change should there be any flare ups with the virus.

Although the centre will be open for business the two metre social distancing rules will remain in place. Eating in restaurants will only be possible to limited numbers of people and use of the Mountain Gondola will be restricted to single passengers or groups of two or more that have travelled to Nevis Range together. Everyone will be required to wear face coverings.”

Initially the plan is open the centre five days a week only, from Wednesday to Sunday with exceptions around bank holidays, throughout the rest of the summer.

“Over the next few weeks, we will start to advertise Nevis Range products and bookings in conjunction with all of the new measures that the business will be taking to ensure our compliance with current guidelines,” said Mr O’Brien.

Traditionally Nevis Range’s usually attracts around 75 per cent of its annual visitors between May and September. However, in 2020 the overwhelming majority of this market has been unavailable due to the nature of the coronavirus restrictions.

The Covid-19 Lockdown also came at the worst time for Scottish snow sports enthusiasts who would have had some of the best spring conditions in years at Nevis Range. With a good amount of snow falling in March the centre had more than enough coverage to offer snow sports activities well into May.

Chris O’Brien said that, notwithstanding the problems caused by Covid-19, Nevis Range aimed to keep delivering quality outdoor activities and events for customers all year round.

“Despite all of the challenges and tough decisions we are having to make as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is still a mood of cautious optimism among the team,” he said.

“While many of our projects have been cancelled due to funding pressures, we are continuing with our Blue Bike Track, a new blue graded, uplift accessible, trail and hope to have that open in May 2021.

“The Trail Building team have been able to get back to work on this exciting new project which will be a massively attractive new addition to the resort’s extensive network of mountain bike trails. The cross-country trail will allow less confident riders to head higher up Aonach Mor and enjoy views as far as the Isle of Skye.”

The Nevis Range Mountain Experience lies seven miles north of Fort William, and south of Spean Bridge. It was opened in 1989 to develop a skiing and tourism facility on the mountain of Aonach Mor in the shadow of Ben Nevis.

One of its biggest attractions, the Nevis Range Mountain Gondola, is unique in Britain. It whisks some 200,000 visitors each year up the mountain to enjoy the spectacular views while engaging in scenic walks, biking, snow sports or just enjoying a meal or drink in the Snowgoose restaurant.