Nevis Range: the back story

About Nevis Range: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Ski Resorts Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Nevis Range lies seven miles north of Fort William on Aonach Mòr, the neighbour of Ben Nevis. Its gondola, the only mountain gondola in the UK, lifts you to 650 metres in about 15 minutes, and above it the ski area reaches into the Back Corries, the off-piste bowls that give the resort its reputation.

Decades in the making

Local skiers have enjoyed Aonach Mòr since the 1930s, but its potential was only recognised in 1968. A planning report for a winter-sports development at Fort William followed in 1974, approval came in August 1986, and construction began in December 1988.

Built lightly

The builders took great care of the mountain. Buildings were designed to blend into the vegetation, helicopters carried out all the construction work at great cost, and no bulldozing was allowed when the pistes were made. On 19 December 1989, Ian Sykes and his team opened Nevis Range to the public. The Braveheart Chair followed in 1997.

A ski area built by helicopter, without a single bulldozer.

Above the gondola

The gondola climbs to the Snowgoose Café at 650 metres, from where the lifts serve gentle beginner slopes by the top station and, for experts, off-piste runs in the Back Corries. The operator calls Nevis Range Scotland’s highest snowsports destination. Its winter normally runs from late December to April, depending entirely on snow, so the mountain report is required reading.

A mountain for every season

Nevis Range is no longer just a ski area. The gondola runs most of the year for sightseers, walkers and climbers, and the downhill track has made Fort William a byword in mountain biking: it has hosted the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 15 times and the World Championships in 2007. Since 2023 there has been a 26-bedroom Basecamp Hotel at the foot of the mountain.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Nevis Range: the back story before you go.