Wakabuna Kogen
A four-lift northern Niigata area that missed the 2019-20 season for want of snow, lost its village funding and closed for good in January 2021; the lifts are gone and a wind farm is planned on the site.
- Region
- Niigata Prefecture
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- closed
- Year opened
- 1987
- Year closed
- 2019
- Reason for closure
- A severe lack of snow meant the area could not open for the 2019-20 season after running for the last time on 21 March 2019. Financial support from Sekikawa Village ended in 2019 and the closure was made permanent in January 2021.
History
Wakabuna Kogen (わかぶな高原スキー場) opened in 1987 in Sekikawa Village in northern Niigata, near the Yamagata border. Four lifts including a 1,022 m quad served nine courses from a 150 m base to a 580 m top, 430 m of vertical with a longest run of 2,100 m and a steepest pitch of 34 degrees. It ran for the last time on 21 March 2019, then could not open at all for 2019-20 because there was not enough snow. The village withdrew its financial support that year and the closure became permanent in January 2021. All four lifts had been removed by June 2022, leaving only the base building. The site has a second life planned that is becoming a common ending for Japanese ski areas: a private company intends to build a wind farm of up to 60,000 kW there, with construction possibly starting in 2025. Course names are not compiled in accessible sources; the coordinates mark Sekikawa Village.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Quad | 1,022 m; removed by June 2022 | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Double | 672 m; removed by June 2022 | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Double | 590 m; removed by June 2022 | |
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Double | 431 m; removed by June 2022 |
Sources and further reading
More in Japan
Location
38.0894, 139.5650