Scottish Ski Centre Announces Big Spend on New Base Facilities

Nevis Range ski area near Fort William in the Scottish Highlands has announced a £4m spend on new facilities at its base.

The money will go on a 22-bedroom hotel and a 24 berth bunkhouse at the base of the slopes, where there’s currently no accommodation, as well as on a bar and restaurant, bike shop, children’s activity centre, childcare facilities and a covered courtyard with an event space.

Describing the spend as, “a transformative project that will secure the future of the company for generations to come,” the investment in year-round facilities is good news after the centre was closed last winter due to the pandemic and reporting a large operating loss for the same reason.

Work on the new facilities is being supported with an £800,000 contribution from government development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which has also pumped tens of millions of pounds into repairing the funicular Cairngorm ski area over at Aviemore.

Work at Nevis Range is starting immediately and expected to take 12 months to build with a planned opening in late November 2022. 50 jobs are expected to be created as a direct result of the new buildings.

“The hotel and bunkhouse are being developed as a direct response to the wishes of our customers.  We’ve carried out multiple surveys and our people have let us know that they want to see accommodation here on site at Nevis Range.  We’ll be sure to add our own ski and bike led twist to operations!” said Chris O’Brien, Managing Director of Nevis Range, who added, “I’m incredibly excited about the addition of a third restaurant to the Nevis Range site. The Pinemarten Café and the Snowgoose have been designed to operate at high volumes providing a speedy service to get people back out on to the hill as quickly as possible. This restaurant will be serving Scottish Highland Tapas, all locally sourced, and a huge selection of Scottish drinks showcasing some of the incredible local suppliers that we’re so fortunate to have based here in Lochaber.

“The childcare facilities are a part of this development that is incredibly important to all of us here at Nevis Range. Facilities will be available for customers but also staff.  Nevis Range is a fair work employer that has no gender pay gap and a commitment to keep on improving. The provision of childcare for staff will aid our goal of a more gender diverse workforce at the same time as giving more options to our customers,” Mr O’Brien continued, finishing, “Net Zero and climate change are at the top of our agenda as we continue to develop. EV charge points, Hydro power and a locally sourced produce strategy are just the beginning for us. We are currently engaged in a carbon footprint analysis study that will help us roadmap the best way for us to achieve Net Zero status.

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Nevis Range ski area near Fort William in the Scottish Highlands has announced a £4m spend on new facilities at its base. The money will go on a 22-bedroom hotel and a 24 berth bunkhouse at the base of the slopes, where there’s currently no accommodation, as well as on a bar and restaurant, bike…