Shiga Kogen Kidoike
The odd one out of the vast Shiga Kogen complex - a single hotel-run lift on 50 metres of vertical, never connected to any of its neighbours, which closed in 2017 after 62 years.
- Region
- Nagano Prefecture
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- closed
- Year opened
- 1955
- Year closed
- 2017
- Reason for closure
- Not stated in the surviving record.
History
Kidoike (木戸池スキー場) sat within Shiga Kogen in Yamanouchi Town, Nagano - the largest linked ski complex in Japan and a venue of the 1998 Winter Olympics - but it was never really part of it. It was one of only a few pockets of Shiga Kogen not connected to any of the other areas by lift or course, and it was run not by a lift company but by the hotel at its foot, the Kidoike Onsen Hotel. It opened in 1955 and ran a single pair lift of about 500 m, with a mid-station to get off partway, over two courses with a longest run of 700 m, a steepest pitch of 27 degrees and just 50 m of vertical between 1,620 m and 1,670 m. It closed in 2017 after 62 seasons; no reason is recorded. The lift has since been removed, while the hotel continues to operate. Course names are not compiled in accessible sources; the coordinates mark Kidoike pond.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Double | Roughly 500 m with a mid-station for alighting. Removed after closure |
Sources and further reading
More in Japan
Location
36.6988, 138.4923