Nevis Range's opening tomorrow will be the earliest since the 1990s. The resort has been closed for its annual pre-season maintenance programme, but staff have worked round the clock to complete the parts required for the lifts to run two weeks sooner than expected.
"We hadn't planned to open until Saturday 18 December, but with the recent snowfall the conditions have been improving steadily, so decided to open early this weekend. Thanks must go to our engineering team who have been working tirelessly so that we will can open early." said Marian Austin, Nevis Range MD,
The resort, near Fort William on the east Coast, will join Cairngorm above Aviemore, which has been open for three weeks, and the other two Eastern Highland ski areas of Glenshee and the Lecht which have been receiving near constant snowfalls for the past few weeks.
The earlier-than-planned opening at Nevis Range, the earliest in fact since 1996, does mean that an expanded ski rental facility scheduled to open in a fortnight won't be open yet and users are advised to rent from shops before they arrive if they don't have their own equipment. The effort will be worth it according to Nevis Range staff.
"Snow has been falling on the slopes for almost a month, a good base has built up and the conditions are now looking fantastic." Said Heather Negus, Marketing Manager."