Shinhotaka Ropeway Ski Area Closed
Official name 新穂高ロープウェイスキー場 · Formerly 西穂高岳スキー場
Gifu
Open 1967–2003
Shinhotaka Ropeway Ski Area was on the slopes above Shinhotaka Onsen in Takayama, Gifu (formerly Kamitakara Village), run by Okuhi Kanko Kaihatsu, the company behind the Shinhotaka Ropeway. It opened in 1967, with lifts added in 1973. Its signature was a roughly 4 km Panorama and Alpine run from just below Nishihotakaguchi Station at 2,156 m, with views of the Northern Alps, and it was favoured by intermediate and advanced skiers. Visitor numbers peaked at about 60,000 in 1992 and then fell sharply. Accumulated losses and ageing facilities led to its closure on 30 March 2003. The lifts have been removed, but the ropeway still runs year-round for sightseers and climbers.
History of Shinhotaka Ropeway Ski Area
- Opened
- 1967
- Closed
- 2003
- Formerly
- 西穂高岳スキー場
- Operators
- Okuhi Kanko Kaihatsu (operator of the Shinhotaka Ropeway)
- Why it closed
- Visitors fell from a peak of about 60,000 a year (1992) to about 18,000 in 2001-02; accumulated losses and ageing facilities led the operator to close it after the 2002-03 season.
- The site today
- Lifts removed and lift lines faintly visible in the trees; the two Shinhotaka Ropeway sections still run year-round for sightseeing and mountaineering.