Hidafunayama Snow Resort Arkopia
A seven-lift Gifu area open since 1963 whose visitors fell from 45,000 a year to under 30,000; the city shut it in March 2023 and demolition of the infrastructure followed.
- Region
- Gifu Prefecture
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- closed
- Year opened
- 1963
- Year closed
- 2023
- Reason for closure
- Low snowfall in recent years and a long decline in visitors, from around 45,000 at the peak of its popularity about 1990 to 29,766 in 2017. Takayama City discontinued operations and the area closed on 12 March 2023.
History
Hidafunayama Snow Resort Arkopia (ひだ舟山スノーリゾートアルコピア) began in 1963 as Funayama Kogen Ski Area, in the Kuguno district of Takayama City in Gifu Prefecture, about 3 km off Route 41. At its fullest it had seven lifts - two quads, two pair lifts and three single chairs - serving eight courses from an 800 m base to a 1,200 m top, 400 m of vertical with a longest run of 2,300 m and a steepest pitch of 32 degrees. Only four lifts were still running in the later years. The numbers tell the story of Japanese skiing in miniature: about 45,000 visitors a year around 1990, down to 29,766 by 2017. Takayama City ended operations and the area closed on 12 March 2023 after sixty seasons. The facilities were still standing that June, but demolition work began soon afterwards, so unlike most Japanese closures this one is being cleared rather than left. Course names are not compiled in accessible sources; the coordinates mark the Kuguno district.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Quad | 969 m | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Quad | 575 m | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Double | 760 m | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Double | 650 m | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Single | 792 m | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Single | 455 m | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Single | 400 m |
Sources and further reading
More in Japan
Location
36.0525, 137.2767