Kokusetsu Hachimantai Ski Area Closed
Official name 国設八幡平スキー場
Iwate
Closed in 2008
Kokusetsu Hachimantai was a ski area on the flanks of Hachimantai in Iwate, close to the ruins of the old Matsuo mine. A company funded by the prefecture and city opened it with lifts in the 1960s, and it was known for deep snow. Visitor numbers fell after the bubble-era boom, the lifts stopped in 2007 and the area was formally abolished in 2008. Skiers kept hiking up to ride the untouched slopes, and from 2017 the city leased the area from the national forest to run guided backcountry tours using snowcats.
History of Kokusetsu Hachimantai Ski Area
- Closed
- 2008
- Operators
- Public-private company funded by Iwate Prefecture and Hachimantai City
- Why it closed
- Business declined as visitor numbers fell after the bubble era (lifts stopped in 2007)
- The site today
- Hachimantai City leases the area from the national government and uses it for backcountry tours by local guides using snowcats (since 2017)