Mount Ibuki Ski Area Closed
Official name ピステジャポン伊吹 · Formerly 伊吹山スキー場
Shiga
Open 1956–2010
Mount Ibuki Ski Area was on the southern slopes of Mt. Ibuki in Maibara, Shiga. The mountain is regarded as the birthplace of skiing in the Kansai region, hosting Kansai's first ski race in 1916, and Ohmi Railway opened the ski area in the 1950s. A gondola from the foot reached the third station, with runs up to the fifth, making it a close-by snow mountain for Osaka and Kyoto. Ohmi Railway withdrew in 2005 and Piste Japan reopened it as Piste Japan Ibuki, but falling visitor numbers and poor snow led to suspension from 2008, and the lifts were removed in 2010. The old slopes now carry the Ibuki hiking trail, and the upper first-station slope is a paragliding launch.
History of Mount Ibuki Ski Area
- Opened
- 1956
- Closed
- 2010
- Formerly
- 伊吹山スキー場
- Operators
- Ohmi Railway (1956-2005), Piste Japan (2005-2010)
- Why it closed
- Fewer skiers, the operator's financial difficulties and declining snowfall; suspended from 2008, lifts removed in 2010.
- The site today
- Former slopes are part of the Mt. Ibuki climbing route (camp and rest huts open in summer); the slope above the first station is a paragliding launch site.