The Nevis Range Mountain Experience, Scotland’s highest snowsports destination and year-round mountain resort, seven miles from Fort William, are very pleased to announce that they have invested at least £1 million in the infrastructure for their ski and snowboard offering to snowsport enthusiasts ahead of the 2019/20 winter season.
The investment, which includes a bespoke snow making plant, an expanded beginners’ ski area serviced by a new travellator conveyor lift and improved snow fencing over the whole mountain, will guarantee both season long ski and snowboard facilities for beginners’ lessons and excellent snow conditions for families from December 2019, and for years to come.
The Nevis Range snow making plant was specially designed by Recom Ice Systems, a Dutch manufacturer of flake ice plants for the fishing industry; and manufactured in China. It is capable of producing up to 155 tons of flake ice in a 24-hour period and enough snow to cover an area of 150m by 50m to a depth of 300cm in 14 days.
The snow making farm will combine with two snow canons to push the snow out to the dedicated beginners’ area that has doubled in size to approximately 100 square metres and conveniently situated less than 15 metres from the Gondola Top Station. The beginner area has also seen new snow fences erected to help catch any natural snow and keep the newly farmed snow in place
Chris O’Brien, CEO at Nevis Range, said: “We have invested heavily into snowsports at Nevis Range in order to guarantee excellent conditions for skiers and snowboarders in our beginners’ area all season long.
“With no road access to the Top Gondola Station I’m immensely proud of how hard the team have worked, in order to get our snow making plant and new beginners area completed in time, not just for this season but also to secure incredible winter sports facilities for years to come. It’s an incredibly exciting time at Nevis Range and we are looking forward to welcoming our snowsports enthusiasts in December. Watch this space for more exciting news to announce very soon!”
Enhancing and developing the uplift infrastructure and access to the slopes for all snowsport visitors has been another major project undertaken by the Nevis Range engineering team. A new 80 metre long travellator ‘magic carpet’ style conveyor lift, serving the beginners’ area, has been installed, adding to the significant improvements to the beginner experience on the mountain whilst providing easier access to some of the lower mountain lifts for the more experienced skiers and snowboarders.
New larch ‘ranch style’ snow fencing has replaced tired chestnut paling on many of the mountain slopes. The new fences are bigger, higher and stronger, not only providing fuller and more reliable runs for skiers and snowboarders, but also improving access for piste machines and catching more snow for them to distribute on to the ski slopes.
This year the resort has also made massive investments into current lift infrastructure above and beyond normal maintenance procedures. This has included an overhaul of the Goose T-Bar return bull wheel. The Summit button tow has also been shortened and a new brake system added.
