Ishiuchi Hanaoka
A single-lift beginner hill in the Niigata snow country that did not reopen after the coronavirus winter of 2021; the pair lift is still standing.
- Region
- Niigata Prefecture
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- abandoned
- Year opened
- mid-to-late 1970s
- Year closed
- 2021
- Reason for closure
- The area did not open for the 2021-22 season, with coronavirus given as the reason, and has not operated since.
History
Ishiuchi Hanaoka (石打花岡スキー場) was a small area in Minamiuonuma City in Niigata, near the Yuzawa town boundary in the heart of Japan's snow country, and it was about as modest as a lift-served hill gets: three courses split evenly between beginner and intermediate terrain, from a 280 m base to a 390 m top for 110 m of vertical, served latterly by a single 620 m pair lift. Earlier records show two 500 m single chairs in 1989 and one single chair by 1994. It opened in the mid-to-late 1970s and its last season was 2020-21; it did not open for 2021-22, with coronavirus cited, and there have been no signs or rumours of a reopening since. The pair lift was still standing as of May 2024. One figure in the surviving record - a longest run of 8,000 m against 110 m of vertical - is not credible for a hill this size and has been left out of this entry rather than repeated. Course names are not documented; the coordinates mark the Ishiuchi district of Minamiuonuma.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Double | 620 m pair lift, in place from about 1995 and still standing as of May 2024. Earlier guidebooks record two single lifts of 500 m each in 1989 and a single lift in 1994 |
Sources and further reading
More in Japan
Location
36.9760, 138.8028