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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 area, and is usually higher t ...
in the Scottish Highlands
The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...
. It is located about northeast of Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis ( ; , ) is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles. Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Highland region of Lochaber, close to the town of Fort William.
The mount ...
on the south side of Glen Spean, 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 Nevi ...
.
The name Aonach Mòr (''big ridge'') might suggest that the mountain is taller than its close neighbour to the south, Aonach Beag (''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 mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migration throughout history ...
. 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 (geography), ''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 equipotenti ...
; the summit of Aonach Mòr is lower than the summit of Aonach Beag.
The quickest and shortest ascent route for hikers is to take the gondola
The gondola (, ; , ) 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, in a scul ...
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 () 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 Dearg, Aonach M� ...
and in conjunction with Aonach Beag.
Climate
The summit of Aonach Mòr hastundra
In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...
climate (''ET'' climate in the Köppen classification Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
). 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 a habitat at which trees are capable of growing and beyond which they are not. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually low ...
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, Aonach Mòr was hit by winds of .
Nevis Range Ski Area
The Nevis Range alpine ski area is located on the mountain's northern and eastern slopes. The ski area was opened in 1989. Agondola 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 suppo ...
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. They are the primary on-hill tran ...
s and ski tows provide access to 35 runs.
These include Scotland's highest pistes and best off piste backcountry skiing
Backcountry skiing ( US), also called off-piste (Europe), alpine touring, freeriding 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 s ...
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 Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis ( ; , ) is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles. Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Highland region of Lochaber, close to the town of Fort William.
The mount ...
. The change sparked some controversy. Whilst Nevis is no doubt easier to pronounce than Aonach Mòr for non-Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
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 thedownhill mountain biking
Downhill Mountain Biking (DH) is a style of mountain biking
Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with ot ...
tracks. The Nevis Range resort has hosted the Mountain Bike World Cup eighteen times (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022), and hosted the Mountain Bike World Championships in 2007 and 2023.
The gondola is also used by paragliders to reach launching points.
See also
*Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis ( ; , ) is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles. Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Highland region of Lochaber, close to the town of Fort William.
The mount ...
* List of Munro mountains
* Mountains and hills of Scotland
Scotland is the most mountainous country in the United Kingdom. Scotland's mountain ranges can be divided in a roughly north to south direction into: the Scottish Highlands, the Central Belt and the Southern Uplands, the latter two primarily belo ...
References