Mount Hiei Artificial Ski Area Closed

Mount Hiei Artificial Ski Area was a small slope near the Shimeigatake peak of Mount Hiei in Sakyo, Kyoto, about ten minutes' walk from Cable Hiei Station. Opened in 1964, it had one pair chairlift and a single run of about 200 m. In winter it mixed natural snow with snow from ice crushers and snow guns, and in summer the slope was used for grass skiing and astro skiing on mats, giving Kyoto residents a ski hill close to the city. After warm winters and falling visitor numbers, its last winter season was 2001 and closure was announced in November 2002.