Nevis Range To Re-Open In July

18th June 2020

Last modified on May 14th, 2021

The ski resort near Fort William is getting ready open for summer activities next month as the Scottish Government prepares to ease lockdown restrictions. However, some jobs are to go.

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

Opening day is expected to be Wednesday, 15^th July.

Nevis Range has announced it will be making some redundancies as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s also said that the lockdown came at the worst time for Scottish Snowsports enthusiasts who would have otherwise been able to enjoy some of the best spring conditions in years at Nevis Range.

A good amount of snow fell in March and there was more than enough coverage to have offered skiing and snowboarding well into May.

“Very sadly there will be some redundancies at Nevis Range as we try to return to a sound financial footing in order to keep delivering quality outdoor activities and events for all of our customers all year round,” Chris O’Brien, Chief Executive at Nevis Range said.

“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 amongst the team.

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

Nevis Range is one of the leading mountain biking and outdoor activity centres in Scotland.

When it re-opens in July foot passengers and cyclists using the Mountain Gondola will be asked to wear face coverings.

“We have been working closely with the Scottish Government since the start of the lockdown, with advance notice of a re-opening date a top priority for us,” Chris O’Brien said.

“We are understandably extremely pleased to be able to announce that Scottish Tourism Businesses will be able to reopen on 15 July.”

The official opening date is provisional and could change if there are any flare ups with the virus.

The resort will give updates on social media.

“Whilst an opening date is very good news, all of the challenges that we face will remain the same,” Chris O’Brien added.

“The initial phase means we can open; the two metre social distancing rules will remain in place; eating in our restaurants will be possible but the two metre social distancing rules must be observed; and Mountain Gondola travel will be in singles or for groups of two or more that have travelled to Nevis Range together and customers will be asked to wear face coverings.”

“When we do open, due to the nature of the financial crisis that we find ourselves in, we will be operating on a Wednesday to Sunday basis, making exceptions around bank holidays, and we plan to carry on with this five-day week operation throughout the rest of the summer.”

Nevis Range figures suggest that the centre attracts 75% of its annual visitors between May and September.

It usually stages the UK round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

The resort is planning two volunteer days to get the mountain ready to fully re-open, including a clean-up of the upper mountain following the snowsports season.

It will announce the dates soon and is asking anyone interested to get in touch with the Nevis Range team.