Saw this posted by Nevis Range : https://www.nevisrange.co.uk/nevis-range-direction-growth-and-the-road-ahead/
Now we know they have been slowly moving away from skiing but looks like they are getting less excited about mountain biking too...
Bad enough that we cant ski the back corries as easily any more but slowly loosing one of the best DH tracks in the UK too would be a bitter pill... lets hope that the vibes improve away from just coach loads of foreign tourists.
This is an extract:
Mountain Biking, Public Funding and Commercial Reality
Highlands and Islands Enterprise has recently awarded approximately £3.5 million of public funding to other Scottish mountain resorts, with around £1.7 million allocated to Cairngorm. Of that funding, approximately £1.2 million was provided specifically to cover operating losses.
By contrast, Nevis Range has delivered a break-even year without reliance on loss-covering public subsidy, while continuing to invest in growth, diversification and international expansion.
Nevis Range is not entitled to, nor eligible for, taxpayer bail-out funding. As a result, operating decisions must always be grounded in commercial discipline. Activities must have a clear and credible path to profitability, and the business cannot compete in areas where sustained losses are offset elsewhere by significant public subsidy.
Mountain Biking and Global Economics
Scottish Government funding for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup ended following a shift by Warner Bros., a global entertainment corporation, which was required to increase its financial demands due to the escalating costs of delivering major international events in the UK. These increases were not venue-related but driven by wider operational and regulatory pressures that now make the UK one of the most expensive environments globally for staging elite sport.
Despite this, Nevis Range has continued to deliver a diversified mountain biking programme, maintain Scotland’s international presence in the sport, and invest in participation-led and youth events that demonstrate strong long-term potential.
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I think I read that from UKC.... Is that the one that bullshits about presence in Abu Dhabi, Singapore etc?
So much bollocks in one article
? I cant see the problem there, they cant justify subsidising the WC downhill event(s). Nothing about cutting back on other bike related spending.
If the WC event made a profit, independent promotors would be jumping in to take it on. There clearly isnt any desire for anyone to take on the event as they would undoubtedly make a loss. Being as its the Commonwealth Games this year, then TdF next year(or 28?), I dont think the Scottish Government would be able to justify more loss making sports events for, lets be honest, a niche audience.
Just seems a bit down on biking compared to other income streams , they have been slowly killing of skiing infrastructure, and most times the World cup track isnt exactly busy... just the vibe isnt exactly biking focused
most times the World cup track isnt exactly busy.
Here lies part of the problem.
Spending significant public money on a resource that isn't well used and not accessible to the majority of residents and visitors isn't really acceptable in the current economic climate. If it was busy and car parking / uplift tickets / cafe etc could make it break even then I suspect this wouldn't be a concern.
The justification for the historic spending presumably came from driving visitors to the area for the World Cup etc. and general profile as a mountain biking tourism venue. That's not a bad argument for indirect return on investment in terms of supporting the population, via (say) employment and associated tax streams but if the cost escalates and the benefits do not then the justification is gone.
The wider investment in biking facilities is an interesting thing. If you look at the Coed Y Brenin visitor centre closure it's clear that there are issues making facilities pay/break even. A more (financially) sustainable model is needed for trail centres as this is an obvious soft target for cost savings to the public purse. Especially as no one likes cyclists anyway 😉
Spending significant public money on a resource that isn't well used and not accessible to the majority of residents and visitors isn't really acceptable in the current economic climate. If it was busy and car parking / uplift tickets / cafe etc could make it break even then I suspect this wouldn't be a concern.
The report says the Nevis Range broke even last year, so it is currently paying for itself. It's the large events that lose money, presumably as the UCI et al want their cut, the extra facilities they put on do not come cheap, and spectator/sponsor income isnt enough to cover those costs.
If the WC event made a profit, independent promotors would be jumping in to take it on.
I think I've read that most of the teams involved aren't keen on the Fort William round of the world cup due to the hassle/ cost of driving their whole setup from mainland Europe to Fort William and back for a single race, which was a big factor in it being dropped in the first place
they have been slowly killing of skiing infrastructure
TBF that's inevitable given the reduction in snow cover. While I'm not a fan of the way the Scottish Govt has continued to plough funds into Cairngorm Mountain, it's forecast that'll be the only ski area in Scotland within a few years (specifically the Ptarmigan Bowl area). Once the uplift at Nevis Range becomes unsustainable due to fewer winter users the DH facility is on a shoogly peg.
Cairngorm Mountain has previously shied away from MTB activity in order not to compete with Nevis Range but that's likely to change as the funicular costs need to be (at least partially) recouped. Whatever they build won't be WC level, it'll be more accessible for a larger number of users.
Like the ski areas closing in France, long term it’s either abandon the mountain, or find ways to make site-seers and mountain bikers make the continued lift access work. Both probably mean more expensive tickets, and investment in routes and facilities for them/us, not skiing. For mountain biking that means many more trails that run downhill for all, not just for those of us that like to pretend to be downhillers.
There's just not ever going to be the level of MTB business available that would be needed. When you see places like BPW saying they can't afford a gondola it's pretty unlikely that Nevis Range could use MTB revenue to replace or renew theirs. It's just too far away from most people, I've never ridden in Fort William because driving there would be most of a day when there's loads of top quality riding less than half the distance.
Yup, it’ll never be a day trip place for most (true of all types of visitor), so that’s where facilities come in. And more trails. If you can’t make it a place to visit for a weekend/week for purposes that don’t need snow, the clock towards closure is ticking…
The proliferation of e-bikes must be changing and reducing the viability of a lift venue? And those who don't own an e-MTB prob less likely to want to go a long way to an uplift spot, unless it can have the appeal of somewhere like a mini PdS?
The report says the Nevis Range broke even last year, so it is currently paying for itself. It's the large events that lose money, presumably as the UCI et al want their cut, the extra facilities they put on do not come cheap, and spectator/sponsor income isnt enough to cover those costs.
Yes, appreciate that it's running at break even but I got the impression (perhaps wrongly) from the piece that the WC downhill course may have been subsidised via the central funding and was a net burden covered from the WC funding and other activities.
If I read that wrong then apologies and cheerfully withdrawn. 🙂
I think some of the best lift access venues haven't had a round of the WC in decades and have possibly slipped from people's minds as a result.
Åre is the one example that springs to my mind. They had the World Champs in '99 but no major international DH races since. Despite that (or possibly because of that) it has grown to become an awesome summer destination.
The most impressive thing for me is that they seem to have really focused on accessibility and progression. I've gone there with complete beginners and they've had a great time.
Whether something like that can be replicated in Scotland I don't know. It could be they missed the boat. However, it's interesting that Nevis range and Åre ended up going in very different directions, where Nevis range focused on hosting the best round of the WC each year whereas Åre focused on creating a sustainable resort where all types of people could go and have fun.
https://aresweden.com/en/are-a-biking-story/
The proliferation of e-bikes must be changing and reducing the viability of a lift venue?
They certainly seem to have had a huge negative impact on the Innerleithen uplift, or at least that's my guess as to why the uplift is like a ghost town anytime I've been there when it's been on. A few years back it was rammed every weekend. Its been a shadow of itself from what I've seen recently
The World Cup track may be deserted (it's not really very 'fun' to ride is it?) but the other tracks on the mountainside are much busier - and roughly 8 million times more fun to ride 🙂
Re: Are Sweden.
Nevis had it so good for so long and didn't really appreciate what they had been gifted through the anual world cup event or invest when they should have. Limiting the track to just two DH events a year for so long was also very shortsighted.
In the last few years. Absolutely everything to do with the World Cup DH series has changed massively and along with the demise of Rare Management who ran the show for them for two decaded. Nevis have now been left in a position where they'd have to. For the very first time. Invest proper time and money into the profitability of their DH uplift service.
Guess, what? As ever they won't
I do actually really love the world cup DH track but I am strange ....
I mean if you look at current SoP in the uk for mtb, it's a goldmine for riders, it's better than it ever has been.
If you're looking to host a global event in the UK as a destination however, I can see why Fort William has sort of dropped off.
Most other destinations year after year work on their courses and do their best to keep them fresh, up to date and in trend and continue to always reinvest. I mean the course hasn't really changed at all barely in over 15 years has it? Super rough, exposed, 1/3 of it on an uninteresting boardwalk, the bottom gets a bit more exciting but compare that to other locations, plus the distance to get up to fort william, I feel like UCI are waiting for a more walesy area viable alternative.
If I was going out of my way to go on a mtb holiday in Scotland, Fort William and the uplift would be near the bottom of the list, especially comparing it with the golfy, glentress and inners area, tarland etc
Lack of footfall, lack of incentive to pour money in, lack of money and interest, lack of interest from sporting events or other big names, lack of footfall, lack of incentive to pour money in etc, it's cyclical. Whats the old saying, build it and they will come? Atleast until it's an example of a bygone era.
The same has happened with Dalby forest and the XC scene. No one I know really bothers with Dalby anymore and doesn't even come up in conversation. It's always hamsterley, sutton bank, guisborough, chopwell, kielder, or venturing over to the lakes. If a big weekend and travel is in the discussion its ALWAYS Dyfi or BPW, never Scotland. And we're only 100 miles away from the scottish border
The World Cup track may be deserted (it's not really very 'fun' to ride is it?) but the other tracks on the mountainside are much busier - and roughly 8 million times more fun to ride 🙂
This.
These resort venues have to adapt as our climate and holiday habits change.
MtB is a niche sport still, even more so when you are so far north in the UK. The WC track is even more niche, it will even put people off when they see images and hear of how gnarly it is. A plethora of accessible greens, blues and a red will attract a wider and larger volume of punters, who are also more likely to make use of cafe and hire rather than live out a rusty Sprinter or T5 in the car park. eBikes might change this a little, but even with an eBike, many will not want to cycle up a hill. This is where Nevis with such an easy and family friendly uplift has a real 'win'.
Fast forward even 5 years and I can see only Nevis and Cairngorm still standing. And Cairngorm is only holding on due to public subsidy that's drying up...
UK skiing may be disappearing in what, a decade?
There's a wider discussion about the whole 'out of town' trail centre model as well. That's dying on its feet....
1/3 of it on an uninteresting boardwalk,
Sorry but thats b******s, there's 1 boardwalk that takes around 3 or 4 seconds to cross near the top of the track. I used to look forward to the world cup but admittedly the fact it was always won or lost on the motorway section had made it a bit stale. Personally I like to ride both the DH and Top Chief tracks/trails (haven't been since the blue was built) but its almost 6 hours drive to Fort William for me, Dyfi is a shorter drive and has a lot more to offer these days so I doubt I'll be heading to Nevis Range again in the near future
me too.I do actually really love the world cup DH track but I am strange ....
nothing strange about it.
Any half decent level DH rider will love it. STW forum doesn't really have that sort of rider prevalent in its demographic.
I'd imagine any rider taking say 7min or more to complete a full run simply isn't having the same experience. No world cup DH track is designed to be ridden down cautiously. And to do so is a horrible experience. At Ft William for example if you drag your brakes instead of riding the track at a decent pace you'll be in heaps of pain by the time you reach old deer gate half way down nevermind the bottom.
Part of Nevis's problem is the gondola. I'm not going to plan a weekend away there when the I have the impression that the gondola is often shut due to the weather and it's a long trip. Heading to Inners or BPW I can be confident the uplift will be running unless the weather's so bad I'm unlikely to want to ride. The lack of choice in tracks doesn't help either.
It only really closes due to high winds and as gondola tickets don't really need to be pre booked that's pretty easy to plan ahead for.
They certainly seem to have had a huge negative impact on the Innerleithen uplift, or at least that's my guess as to why the uplift is like a ghost town anytime I've been there when it's been on. A few years back it was rammed every weekend. Its been a shadow of itself from what I've seen recently
I stopped using it as they seem to be happy to take your money but not spend any of it on maintaining or creating trails past the bare minimum.
I stopped using it as they seem to be happy to take your money but not spend any of it on maintaining or creating trails past the bare minimum.
I'm pretty sure the lack of new trails/maintenance at Inners is because FLS rules say they aren't allowed to do any, I remember being told they wanted to rebuild the bottom of Matador into a jump line a few years ago but had been told there was no chance of getting permission
I stopped using it as they seem to be happy to take your money but not spend any of it on maintaining or creating trails past the bare minimum.
I'm not the biggest fan of the weegie dwarf's empire but do you have any idea the costs involved in running an uplift service on FC land? It's pretty good value.
As for maintenance. Stop moaning and volunteer to help. I believe donations are also welcomed.
Any half decent level DH rider will love it. STW forum doesn't really have that sort of rider prevalent in its demographic.
I'd imagine any rider taking say 7min or more to complete a full run simply isn't having the same experience. No world cup DH track is designed to be ridden down cautiously. And to do so is a horrible experience. At Ft William for example if you drag your brakes instead of riding the track at a decent pace you'll be in heaps of pain by the time you reach old deer gate half way down nevermind the bottom.
Unfortunately that is part of the problem. The WC track is great if you know what you're doing, do it regularly and have all the kit to do it with, but if you just want to get out and have some fun, maybe with some mates who don't ride to a proficient level, or you want to try some MTBing the thought of that sort of riding will scare most folks rigid and put many off before they even throw a leg over a saddle.
In order for any trails anywhere to be breaking even, let alone making a profit (and let's face it, they need to be profitable to increase investment) it is necessary to continually bring new blood in to enjoy it. The DH WC track doesn't do that.
Being a world cup DH track it's not like there's no clues to that anywhere. I always thought the ridiculously expensive one trip gondola bike ticket pricing and the medical disclaimer forms were a bit of a giveaway too.
It's a tired old track. Which now I guess is only going to be left to deteriorate even more. A shame. But inevitable. Did you miss my previous reply? Where i alluded to the real problem being 30 years of greed and shortsightedness by management of Nevis range.
if you just want to get out and have some fun, maybe with some mates who don't ride to a proficient level, or you want to try some MTBing the thought of that sort of riding will scare most folks rigid and put many off before they even throw a leg over a saddle.
I mean sure, but that's why they have 3 uplifted trails. That's not been massively succesful but the idea's right. And the lower trails are decent too, with some really nice easy to find offpistes too (and some absolute pish)
Thing is though, if you magically moved the world cup dh (minus the motorway) to the Lake District in the year 2010, split it in 3 bits maybe and called it a bridleway. mountain bikers would have flocked to it, the 2 or 3 hardest bits would be famous and would have silly names, everyone on stw would have a photo of themselves looking scared on it or pushing down it on a massive group ride. People would take 20 minutes to ride down it on their 456, crash twice then high five each other. It's barely harder than the black, just more relentless. Harder to ride "properly" sure but who cares if you're riding it properly? They don't give out badges for proper. My first run ever took me 11 bloody minutes (moving, not counting stops and looking at things going "****" but it was still some of the most fun I'd ever had on a bike, mincing down it with glowing brakes with 120mm of travel and an open face)
It's just, it's "world cup dh" so people think "that's not for the likes of us", and just don't even try. And i get that- I mean, I'm at the slower end of people who actually like riding it, so I'm always hyper aware that someone on a fast lap might be behind me, fuming, or even getting their lines destroyed. It's not intimidating exactly but it's a thing. And being Joe Normal mincing their first ever run down it would be the same but worse, you can definitely feel like an intruder.
Positioning/perception is weird. Like, remember when hardly any normal people rode innerleithen dh because it was "scary dh"? Then enduro racing and better bikes and an uplift that wasn't a truck and The Internet and just general progress crushed that and now dh bikes are often a minority there. But nothing fundamentally changed except perception.
So if it can't be a world class race venue on the big tour, maybe it's time to try something else. Nothing to be done about location but there's a day of decent pedalling in the waymarked woods and good offpistes, Laggan is close-ish, it can still be a location on a scottish tour. It could do with some minor changes to make it more minceable but it wouldn't take a lot. And nothing would impair the race experience.
They screwed up by making the blue run monumentally boring imo. As anyone who's gone to BPW can attest to, 80% of people go there to lap blues and reds. If it was the contractors fault, they should have held them to account.
Alternatively, they could have leant into the dh side like Revs/Dyfi and added a second, slighlty less full on dh track (the current black doesn't count as a DH track, too much boardwalk and pedalling).
I have utterly no idea what they were thinking with the blue tbf, especially the top bit. I'll usually defend just about any trailbuilding since trail > no trail but it was both illconceived and badly executed, just bizarre. Did like the final descent though but getting there was a mare. What a wasted opportunity. I know the building conditions on the moor are a bastard and probably some of the weirdness is about avoiding bottomless bogs but still. Why go across the river? Why go UP A DIFFERENT HILL? WHY? (I suspected they wanted to do a link trail down into the red, dropping from the top of that second hill straight to the top of the world champs would be easy, but they've never done it)
It's double weird because Blue Steel at the bottom is so damn good, bottomless flow without being braindead, a lovely bit of building.
I think the blue's still mostly doing its job to be fair, which is getting groups and families to go, and buy a day ticket, maybe hire a bike, eat the food, and all that. But riding down it and seeing people just having a shit time is sad
Agree a "red dh" was the way to go. As I understood it they basically started into the current black, red as was, with that intention then kept finding awesome bedrock and going "let's put this in" and ended up completely changing the design to suit the ground features. We've done that too, but on a smaller scale. And I do love it, but it's an odd beast with an even odder career. I suppose it was a long time ago, before any of these more modern venues so the viability probably wasn't as obvious.
They screwed up by making the blue run monumentally boring imo. As anyone who's gone to BPW can attest to, 80% of people go there to lap blues and reds. If it was the contractors fault, they should have held them to account.
I dont agree that the blue is boring, I loved it, and did it 4 times in a day, going faster each time until I flew off and smashed my helmet on the last run of the day. It just flows. Horses for courses, I like flowing trails, Blue Doon is the best long flowing ‘easy’ trail in the UK IMO. Its length is a good plus point, and its exhilarating when you get to the bottom.
On the other hand, I hate the rock gardens on Top Chief and DH. It doesnt make them boring to me, its just I dont like parts of them. Apart from that middle rocky section of Top Chief, the rest of it is great. Same with the DH, its just not for many people, I’m an average rider, and got down it with no probem, I did walk a few sections, but given the choice, I would go for the Blue, as its the riding I enjoy.
It's utterly naive to even begin comparing the baron boggy Peaty hillside of Anoch moor to the access and terrain avaliable to work with at a Welsh trail centre. Especially BPW. You simply couldn't build a multi trail network that'd work in the same way and also be accessible from the gondola top station. I don't think you even begin to realise just how "man made" the WC DH track actually is.
I never did say it should have the breadth of trails as somewhere like BPW, just that the Blue isn't great. The place is great for dedicated DH riders (i was there in Sep and had a great time myself), but the effort and funding that went into the Blue trail could have been better used either making a flowy blue trail where you're not pedalling half the time, or on a less full on DH track to offer progression and variety.
2/3rds of it is a terrible hill for building trails on. The best bit is the bottom, which doesn’t need the gondola to access. The only reason the DH trail is there is because of the gondola. Most other uplift venue, built good trails then the uplift.
To make it worth the journey, they need more shorter, interconnected blues and reds rather than 20 minute trails. Doesn’t inspire me to go and ride the one track all day long and I only live 2.5hrs away. The hill just doesn’t work for that.
And now there's snow so the gondola's broken down. They can't catch a break can they?
There's just not ever going to be the level of MTB business available that would be needed. When you see places like BPW saying they can't afford a gondola it's pretty unlikely that Nevis Range could use MTB revenue to replace or renew theirs. It's just too far away from most people, I've never ridden in Fort William because driving there would be most of a day when there's loads of top quality riding less than half the distance.
This was always my argument against "Trail Centres" when the 7-Stanes were first built.
If you're local, you'll think they're great and will parrot whatever the justification given for their building it is, because it's getting build even if that justification isn't you. It's tourism, it's not the same as a council swimming pool or 5-a-side pitch.
And that is a twofold problem,
1) It's competitive, at one point Innerleithen was the only place in the country you could go to and do uplift riding (almost) every day. Other uplifts were one track, a farmer with a tractor, on the second Sunday of the months during summer. Dyfi, Antur, BPW, Revolution and loads of others have since sprung up.
2) The climate emergency and cost of living crisis. It was always a bit of a hard truth that the concept of driving for hours to (or within) Scotland to do what should be a eco friendly sport wasn't great. And now it just seems expensive.
Same in Wales, Afan obviously struggles with trail closures, but now the Lodge has closed. And without the justification that tourists will be paying £100/room to ride there, how much sense does the trail centre make as an investment?
Swinley on the other hand, somehow get's built and maintained on a relative shoestring, and is busier than Glentress (debatable, neither really gives a breakdown of how many "mountain bikers" used the trails Vs families visiting the cafe.
I'm in Aberdeen so can access any of the 5 ski resorts easily enough, but Nevis was always the last place on my list to go snowboarding if any of the others had good cover. It was only ever worth going if the Braveheart chair was open for access to the back corries. Never been there biking.
......
It's just, it's "world cup dh" so people think "that's not for the likes of us", and just don't even try. And i get that- I mean, I'm at the slower end of people who actually like riding it, so I'm always hyper aware that someone on a fast lap might be behind me, fuming, or even getting their lines destroyed. It's not intimidating exactly but it's a thing. And being Joe Normal mincing their first ever run down it would be the same but worse, you can definitely feel like an intruder.
Thing is NW, you are a pretty decent rider.
Realistically Top Chief and the DH track are beyond the skill or bravery level of most riders - I can pick my way down Top Chief, just about cleaning it on the 2nd or 3rd go, but I really struggled on the DH, just lacking the commitment to roll through the rocks.
So your "average rider" the kind of rider who would have a great time at Tarland or could pick and choose their trails at GT or Inners is using the Nevis gondola to ride one trail. Oh and Fort William is at least 3hrs from where most people live.
Its a real shame, an annual trip to Fort Bill to mince down Top Chief or before that 10 under the Ben felt like a proper MTB pilgrimage. But I think unless they can expand what's on offer its future looks uncertain.