Fort William World Cup

Since the 1930s, skiing has been popular on Aonach Mor. However, it was not until 1968 that the region’s full economic potential was realised.

Skiing has been popular on Aonach Mor since the 1930s. However, it wasn’t until 1968 that the entire economic potential of the region was realised. In 1974, the Scottish Tourist Board funded a planning assessment on the possibility of a winter sports development in Fort William, basically promoting the region as an all-year-round tourist destination.

During construction, great care was taken to establish an ecologically friendly atmosphere; all work was carried out in accordance with planning standards, and environmental limits were imposed. Buildings were meant to fit in with the surrounding nature, all building work was done by helicopter at a significant cost and no bulldozing was allowed during the construction process. The Nevis Range has been praised as a shining example of well-managed, low-impact development.

The Nevis Range is currently a well-known mountain riding destination, having held multiple international and national championships. It is regarded as one of the top mountain biking locations in the world.

The downhill mountain bike trail on the lower slopes of Aonach Mor was initially created in 1994 and is now routinely used by bikers and hill walkers. The track steadily crept farther up the slope as demand grew and the number of events staged increased. In 1998, talks began to extend the track to the top station and give gondola access for riders and their bikes; the track was finished in September 2000 and accessible to the public.

Since 2002, the UCI Fort William World Cup has been held on the Nevis Range. The UCI Fort William World Cup draws thousands of mountain bike aficionados from all over the world and is the only one of its type in the UK. Thousands of fans will greet some of the finest downhill cyclists in the world as they plough down the slope of Aonach Mor into the finish area.