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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 highe ...
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 S ...
. It is located about northeast of Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis ( ; gd, Beinn Nibheis ) is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. The summit is above sea level and is the highest land in any direction for . Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian ...
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 Nev ...
.
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 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 § Ver ...
; 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 (, ; 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 and in conjunction with Aonach Beag.
Climate
The summit of Aonach Mòr hastundra
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 mou ...
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 snow ...
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 alpineski
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 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. Th ...
s and ski tows provide access to 54 runs.
These include Scotland's highest pistes and best off piste backcountry skiing 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 ( ; gd, Beinn Nibheis ) is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. The summit is above sea level and is the highest land in any direction for . Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian ...
. 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 ...
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 tracks. The Nevis Range resort has hosted the Mountain Bike World Cup 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.
See also
*Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis ( ; gd, Beinn Nibheis ) is the highest mountain in Scotland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. The summit is above sea level and is the highest land in any direction for . Ben Nevis stands at the western end of the Grampian ...
* List of Munro mountains
This is a list of Munro mountains and Munro Tops in Scotland by height. Munros are defined as Scottish mountains over in height, and which are on the Scottish Mountaineering Club ("SMC") official list of Munros. In addition, the SMC define Mu ...
* 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