Shishiku Kogen Ski Area Closed
Official name 獅子吼高原スキー場
Ishikawa
Opened in 1960
Shishiku Kogen Ski Area was a ski ground on the Shishiku plateau, about 650 m up on Mount Shiritaka in Hakusan City (formerly Tsurugi Town), Ishikawa. It grew from a town-run slope of the Taisho era, gained a ropeway in 1959 and began full operation in 1960 under Tsurugi Kanko Kaihatsu, a joint venture of the town and Nagoya Railroad. Close to Kanazawa, it was busy for years, but newer resorts in the Hakusan foothills and thin snow drew skiers away, and its Japan Sea course and Kitazawa slope were abandoned. The ropeway stopped in 1995 and was replaced by a gondola in 1996. The summit is now Sky Shishiku, a green-season spot for paragliding, karts and a café; the gondola does not run in winter.
History of Shishiku Kogen Ski Area
- Opened
- 1960
- Operators
- Tsurugi Kanko Kaihatsu (public-private company of former Tsurugi Town and Nagoya Railroad, 1959-), Hakusan City Regional Promotion Corporation (designated manager of Sky Shishiku and the gondola, current)
- Why it closed
- Visitor numbers fell sharply as new ski areas opened in the Hakusan foothills and snow became scarce
- The site today
- The summit is now Sky Shishiku (paragliding launch, karts circling the former slopes, a sledding slope, a café and a campsite). The gondola runs only from mid-April to late November.