Oana
One of the oldest ski areas in Japan, running at Minakami from 1931 for 88 years, with a 42-degree pitch on only 150 metres of vertical; it closed early in March 2019 for want of snow and solar panels are planned for the base.
- Region
- Gunma Prefecture
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- closed
- Year opened
- 1931
- Year closed
- 2019
- Reason for closure
- Lack of snow. The area had planned to run to 21 March 2019 but had to stop short, closing on 10 March 2019 after 88 years.
History
Oana (大穴スキー場) stood north of central Minakami in Gunma Prefecture, along Route 291, and its date of origin makes it one of the oldest ski areas in Japan: it opened in 1931 and ran for 88 years. It was never big - four courses on about 150 m of vertical between a 550 m base and a 700 m summit, with a longest run of 700 m - but it had a steepest pitch of 42 degrees, among the sharpest in this dataset, served by a 502 m single chair that ran from 1974 until 2017. Once that lift stopped, the steep course could not be used. Four lifts operated at the peak, three single chairs and a 231 m pair lift added in 1996. The area intended to finish the 2018-19 season on 21 March 2019 but ran out of snow and closed on 10 March instead, and did not reopen. The infrastructure remains in place, with a solar panel installation planned for the base area - the same conversion now being made at other closed Japanese ski areas. Course names are not compiled in accessible sources; the coordinates mark the Oana district of Minakami on Route 291.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Single | 502 m; ran from 1974 to 2017 and was the only lift serving the steepest course, which could not operate after it stopped | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Single | 340 m | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Single | 340 m | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Double | 231 m, installed 1996 |
Sources and further reading
More in Japan
Location
36.7966, 138.9885