Aonach Mòr is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

. It is located about northeast of

Ben Nevis Ben Nevis ( ; gd, Beinn Nibheis ) is the highest mountain in Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland ...

on the south side of

Glen Spean The River Spean flows from Loch Laggan in a westerly direction to join the River Lochy at Gairlochy in the Great Glen in the Scottish Highlands, West Highlands of Scotland. Major tributaries of the Spean include the left-bank Abhainn Ghuilbinn an ...

, near Fort William. The mountain has a summit elevation of and is classified as a

Munro A Munro () is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nevis ...

. The name Aonach Mòr (''big ridge'') might suggest that the mountain is taller than its close neighbour to the south,

Aonach Beag Aonach Beag is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. It is located about 3 km east of Ben Nevis on the north side of Glen Nevis, near the town of Fort William. Apart from Ben Nevis, Aonach Beag is the highest peak in the British Isl ...

(''small ridge'') to which it is linked by a high

bealach A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migra ...

. However, the names refer to the relative bulk of the mountains when seen from the glen, rather than their

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

; the summit of Aonach Mòr is lower than the summit of

. The quickest and shortest ascent route for hikers is to take the

gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, ...

to the Snowgoose Terminal at an elevation of and then hike to the summit. More traditionally, the mountain is often climbed from the south from

Glen Nevis Glen Nevis ( gd, Gleann Nibheis) is a glen in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, with Fort William at its foot. It is bordered to the south by the Mamore range, and to the north by the highest mountains in the British Isles: Ben Nevis, Càrn Mor ...

and in conjunction with Aonach Beag.

Climate

The summit of Aonach Mòr has

tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless moun ...

climate (''ET'' climate in the

Köppen classification Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author an ...

). The annual mean temperature is and the warmest calendar month of the year, July, is below . The

tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...

of the mountain - as with most of highland Scotland - is found at approximately 500 metres (1,600 feet) and above this only stunted tree specimens may be found. Sheltered Coires on the mountain can hold snow throughout the year and this snow can persist from one winter till the next. Aonach Mòr holds one of Scotland's longest-lasting snow fields, located in Coire an Lochain at an elevation of (grid reference NN193736). During

Cyclone Bodil Cyclone Xaver (or Storm Xaver), also known as the North Sea flood or tidal surge of 2013, was a winter storm that affected northern Europe. Force 12 winds and heavy snowfall were predicted along the storm's path, and there were warnings of a s ...

, Aonach Mòr was hit by winds of .

Nevis Range Ski Area

The Nevis Range alpine

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

area is located on the mountain's northern and eastern slopes. The ski area was opened in 1989. A

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supp ...

and several

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...

s and

ski tow A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

s provide access to 54 runs. These include Scotland's highest pistes and best off piste

backcountry skiing Backcountry skiing ( US), also called off-piste (Europe), alpine touring, or out-of-area, is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas either inside or outside a ski resort's boundaries. This contrasts with alpine skiing, which i ...

itineraries in the back corries of Coire Dubh, Coire an Lochan, Summit Coire and the West Face. The ski area's name was originally eponymous with the mountain, but later appropriated the name "Nevis" from the mountain's more famous neighbour

. The change sparked some controversy. Whilst Nevis is no doubt easier to pronounce than Aonach Mòr for non-

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

speakers, it was considered by some to represent an erasure of an indigenous name.

Nevis Range Downhill Mountain Bike Track

In summer the gondola is used for access to the top of the

downhill mountain biking Downhill mountain biking (DH) is a style of mountain biking practiced on steep, rough terrain that often features jumps, drops, rock gardens and other obstacles. Jumps can be up to and including , and drops can be greater than . The rider c ...

tracks. The Nevis Range resort has hosted the

Mountain Bike World Cup The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is a multi-round mountain bike racing series that is sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale. The first World Cup series – which was composed of cross-country events – was held in 1989. The Downhill Wo ...

thirteen times (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), and hosted the Mountain Bike World Championships in 2007. The gondola is also used by paragliders to reach launching points. Allt an t-sneachda1

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aonach Mor Ski areas and resorts in Scotland Munros Mountains and hills of the Central Highlands Mountain biking venues in the United Kingdom Protected areas of Highland (council area) One-thousanders of the British Isles Gondola lifts in the United Kingdom

Climate

Nevis Range Ski Area

Nevis Range Downhill Mountain Bike Track

See also

References