Chisenupuri Ski Area
A town-run ski area at the western end of the Niseko range that closed after the 2012-13 season; its single hooded pair lift still stands over the old runs, which are now used for cat skiing.
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- abandoned
- Year opened
- 1967
- Year closed
- 2013
- Reason for closure
- A long slide in visitor numbers - from a peak of over 164,000 lift users in 1991 to about 80,000 by 2011 - combined with an ageing lift and lodge that the town of Rankoshi could no longer afford to renew. The ski area closed at the end of the 2012-13 winter and the hotel was removed.
History
Chisenupuri (蘭越町チセヌプリスキー場) stood on the flanks of Mt Chisenupuri in Rankoshi Town, at the far western end of the Niseko range in Hokkaido, near the Yukichichibu onsen. Sources differ slightly on its origin - Snow Japan History dates the ski area to 1967, while local accounts date the town-built lift, day lodge and small hotel to 1977. Either way it remained a modest operation: one lift, latterly an 824 m hooded pair installed around 1991, serving four courses with a longest run of 1,300 m and a maximum pitch of about 30 degrees, from a 550 m base to an 831 m top for 281 m of vertical. It faced north-west into the Sea of Japan storm track and was known for deep, light snow, with terrain rated roughly 20 per cent beginner, 30 per cent intermediate and 50 per cent advanced. Lift users peaked at 164,464 in 1991 and had fallen to around 80,000 by 2011; with the lift aged out, Rankoshi closed the ski area at the end of the 2012-13 season and removed the hotel. The property was sold in 2016 and JRT Trading took over the lease, running snowcats up the old lift line - the area now operates as Chisenupuri Cat Skiing rather than as a public ski area. The pair lift itself was left standing. Individual course names are not documented in surviving records.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chisenupuri Pair Lift | Chairlift - Double - Fixed | Hooded pair lift 824 m long, installed in the early 1990s to replace the original single lift; still standing in place after the closure | |
| Original single chair | Chairlift - Single | The town's first lift at the area, replaced by the hooded pair around 1991 |
Sources and further reading
More in Japan
Location
42.8739, 140.5915