Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

How is the Nevis Range resort re-using a mountain of material in its new hotel?

The hotel at Nevis Range will use recycled materials
The hotel at Nevis Range will use recycled materials

The Nevis Range resort may be renowned for downhill biking, but it also sees the benefits of upcycling.

The mountain venue is extending its sustainability policy by using materials reclaimed from the hill in a new on-site hotel.

The 22-bed hotel, due to open in December, will see old larch ski fences re-purposed as headboards and railway sleepers become desks and wall cladding.

Recycled materials will save money and carbon emissions

Old equipment, including pieces from an old drag lift and a ski lift T-bar, will be used for hotel decorations and display pieces, along with old signage.

Recycled materials will also be used to furnish the bar in a new restaurant which is part of a £4 million development.

Nevis Range believes using locally-sourced and re-cycled products will save it around £300,000 as well as a reduction in carbon emissions.

Managing director Chris O’Brien said: “The new hotel will tell the story of Nevis Range through the material that’s being used.”

Nevis Range, which hosted the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in May, will also be the venue for the mountain bike downhill section of the 2023 Cycling World Championships.

It is also a major winter sports venue and last year announced “transformational” plans for the hotel, a bunkhouse, restaurant and other leisure facilities.

These also include a children’s activity centre and childcare facilities, a bike shop, a covered courtyard with an event space and a bar.

Hotel is ‘a unique project’

The resort has achieved carbon neutral status and is on its way to achieving net-zero.

Ian Munro, a director in interior fit-out specialists SCENEgineering, said there is a huge amount of raw material available at Nevis Range, in storage and on the hill, including at the 2,150ft top station.

“This is a unique project for us given the location and the sheer scale of recycled material to re-use.

“If you can re-use acres of materials from the mountain it has to be hugely cost-beneficial.”

How a bedroom at the hotel may look with recycled material.

He said there is growing interest among companies in repurposing materials, due to environmental concerns following the COP26 summit and the high cost of building materials.

“We are fanatical about recycling and re-using materials. We run seminars on how best to re-purpose furniture and how to use materials better to make them last longer.

“It’s good for the environment and good for costs savings and budgets.”

As part of its sustainability strategy, Nevis Range already has eight electric vehicle (EV) charging points and a new campsite is opening with 16 electric hook-up pitches.

Nevis Range customers responding to sustainability commitments

It has also bought a new electric van to replace its diesel minibus.

Mr O’Brien said it wants to provide facilities for the growing camping sector and help avoid wild camping in the area.

He said the resort is also keen to cater for the growing number of visitors using EVs and those interested in sustainability.

“The growth in EVs coming to Nevis Range is massive and the improving infrastructure in Fort William gives them confidence to travel this way.”

The hotel is due to open in December as part of a wider development

He said the number of people visiting the resort has grown by 5,000 in the last year and developments like the hotel using recycled materials is adding to its success.

“I think our customers genuinely respond to our sustainability commitment and despite all of the economic uncertainty we continue to grow.”

Are you interested in more exclusive and breaking Highland and Islands news from the P&J? If so, why not join our dedicated Facebook page HERE

Conversation