We are going to be making a few changes for this season all of which we hope are going to benefit our dedicated and loyal Snowsports customers!
Our approach to core opening hours is simple – if the conditions are good enough to open – we will be open!
It’s no secret that the weather over the last five years has made Snowsports an extraordinary challenge. We haven’t made profit on the ski season for over 15 years – we do this because we love it and because it is who we are! That said the losses for winter have increased to unmanageable levels. Last year the loss by April was over £1m and we experienced similar issues the year before, add in Covid winters and we find ourselves in a situation where the winter period has lost £5m in five years.
So, we are going to make some changes to how we operate, and we think that these changes will benefit everyone.
Season tickets
In good conscience we cannot sell season tickets as we have before. This year saw us refunding season tickets for the first time in our history – it hurt us, but it was the right thing to do. So, from winter 2023/23 we are going to offer books of tickets available as a book of 5,10 or 15 days. These tickets will be valid for two years so if you are unable to use the tickets this season, they are still valid next season!
All partners and shareholders who have in the past received season tickets will receive a ticket pack for the season.
All of those who have earned discounts over the years will have those applied to the new books of tickets and the Local’s Discount will still apply at 15%!
If purchasing 15 tickets you will also receive a free Gondola pass for the Summer Season.
Unfortunately, we have also had a scenario where local free season ticket holders have been giving their season ticket to other people to use in their absence. Nevis Range really does need the revenue from every ticket to make Snowsports work.
Ski Hire
Due to the staffing required Ski Hire will only operate on Saturdays and Sundays with staff present to take bookings on Fridays.
Ski School
We are no longer in a position to operate Ski School – Local instructors who register with us will be given free uplift to teach on the hill. We’ll also promote the Ski Instructors who do register through our social media and website.
We will be in contact with all the schools to discuss other outdoor activity learning plans throughout the year.
Lifts and Investments –
Nevis Range is in debt, we took on the debt in order to fund the new projects which have gone extremely well – Hotel, Bar, Shops and Conference centre have all been phenomenal.
Over the last five years we have invested: £2.3m Snowsports, £4.5m Base station renovation, £800k MTB tracks.
Quad chair, Summit button, Goose T bar and Alpha button. Huge efforts have gone in to ensuring these lifts can be operated safely by our engineering team, work on new hydraulic tensioning systems, control circuits, tower repair and safety systems. Our snow fences, crucial to catching the snow as it is blown across the mountain, have been improved with over 10kms of new bigger, stronger fences to catch more snow have been installed across the ski area allowing easier access to the upper mountain as well as providing more snow for our pistes. Groundworks have included the redesign of our beginner area, piste drainage, additional winch points and lift get off areas. The construction of a conveyor lift with cover servicing the new look beginner area has been successful giving us easy uplift for children and first time Snowsport users. We’ve also acquired several new vehicles for the hill, including a PB600 winch cat, PB100 and a Softrak as well as looking after our existing fleet. We are not in a position to afford the refurbishment work required on Braveheart, Warrens and Great Glen at the moment, and simply they aren’t safe to run – but we do intend to renovate or replace when we are financially capable.
Despite the lift challenges – the skiable area remains the same, the Back Corries will be designated as an off-piste zone, our dedicated ski patrol team will continue to give safety information and advice, and we want as many people as possible to come and enjoy the mountain!
Snowmaking
Has snowmaking worked? – bluntly no. Will it work? – we certainly hope so!
The main challenges we have experienced with it have been temperature, humidity, and cost to run.
Humidity and Temperature: Our Snowmaking plant produces ice, lots of ice, not snow. Ice crystals don’t bind together like snowflakes, as we deliver the ice to the hillside and pack this down there are still tiny air gaps left in the piste. With our incredibly high humidity if there is a temperature rise, moisture transfers deep into the ice pack and causes rapid deterioration of the piste.
Power:
In terms of the power the cost to have tried to keep it going last year would have been completely unviable.
The Hydro plant company, that Nevis Range owned shares in, never supplied power to hill at anytime and the ownership of the plant has had no impact on hill operations at all.
Our shares in the Hydro company were sold to raise investment capital for the multitude of projects that Nevis Range has engaged with over the last few years.
At the time of sale a lifetime deal was signed so that Nevis Range would continue to purchase its energy from the plant at a lower rate than we used to purchase power from the hydro company.
Not only did this purchase allow Nevis Range to carry out the base station development, it allowed us to survive the first COVID lockdown, and as it supplies around 65% of the base station and Gondola’s energy requirements it has allowed us to survive the energy crisis that the country has faced over the last 18 months.
We can’t wait to welcome you all back to Nevis Range for Snowsports!
There has also over the last few years been increasing levels of abuse and toxicity directed at the Nevis Range team, in the most serious case a death threat was received by a team member.
Nevis Range has not profited from Snowsports in over 15 years – to suggest that we are not committed and passionate is so far wide of the mark.
Climate change is real, Snowsports has been dramatically challenged by the reality of what is happening on our mountains.
We 100% respect the right of everyone to have an opinion on Snowsports and respect the passion that we all feel; But we will no longer allow our social media channels to be a conduit for abuse – any and all abusive conduct on our social media will be met with an instant ban- keyboard warriors are not welcome. Nevis Range is not a huge corporate entity we’re a business that struggles and willingly loses money on Snowsports every year because we love it!
We are looking forward to an awesome season and can’t wait to welcome you all on the hill!
