Nisoko 6 Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Anyone on here know which might have been the first ski resorts to open in Hokkaido. Getting conflicting responses from Japanese friends here! Thanks Link to post Share on other sites
Hokkaidough 4 Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Good question that - don't really know the answer. Certainly a fair few old lifts hanging around in Hokkaidough. I bet a few of them have changed a bit the last 5-10 years. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 Sapporo area I think. Not sure which resort. Some Austrian came over in about 1912 and started it all, by all accounts. Link to post Share on other sites
snowboarding-sally 0 Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Was it the same Austrian guy you hear about who went and did the same at Nozawa (and others*, perhaps) or a different one? Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 That's a very good question... I'll have to do some research. Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Asked around yesterday. So far the consensus that it was somewhere near Asahikawa. Link to post Share on other sites
wendy-cake 0 Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 He will surely have skied down there in a fine suit though, as you do. Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Probably a dandy woolen suit! Probably also rather tight by today's standards too... I would hope for a Tyrolean hat too, but that might be asking or too much! Still trying to find out more. From what I can gather, the military had a ski training/arctic warfare training camp in Asahikawa before the war. Not sure yet where the first resort was. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Would it also be the oldest in Japan? Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 I'm guessing not. I would think the first commercial ski field would have been on Honshuu somewhere. Granted there's a lot of snow up North, but I don't think anyone thought of it in the recreational sense - it was a more adversarial relationship! Link to post Share on other sites
slow 0 Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 From Wikipedia and some slow research, First ski resort in Japan was Goshiki Onsen in Yamagata 1911, it didn't have a ski lift. The first ski lift was on the Moiwayama 1946, but it was just for occupation forces. Shiga Kogen also set up ski lift for them next year. The first resort set up civilian use ski lift was Kusatsu in 1948. I'm trying to find out the oldest ski resort in Hokkaido... Ofcourse there were some skiers in the mountains already..., and Moiwayama got the ski lift for occupation forces, but Otaru Tenguyama 1952 was the oldest civilian use ski lift in Hokkaido, so we can say Otaru Tenguyama is the oldest ski resort in Hokkaido?? I also found very interesting picture of first ski jump competition in Japan. It was in Tokyo 1938 -Korakuen, now Tokyo Dome. They brought snow from Ishiuchi on the overnight train, what a hard work! Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 Interesting wow that last pic! Bringing snow on the train! Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 That is wild. I bet there was no shinkansen then as well! Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 That back-to-back chairlift looks like it would be... challenging! Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Originally Posted By: Ezorisu That back-to-back chairlift looks like it would be... challenging! especially on a board!!! Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 nah, boarders had not devolved then. Link to post Share on other sites
skidaisuki 0 Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Perhaps the back to back lift turns to let the gentleman on the back off after the first gentleman skiier has descended from the 'infernal contraption' Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 Curse those newfangled mechanical abominations! I still picture the "backwards" gent getting off then heading down the slope backwards with his arms madly fanning the air! ...probably shouting something colorful too. Link to post Share on other sites
Phantom Raspberry Blower 0 Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Tally ho dear chap, or something similar. Great pics, very interesting. Link to post Share on other sites
oblivion 5 Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Quote: http://homepage3.nifty.com/skis/image/kourakuen_ski.jpg That must have cost some money. Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 I was thinking the same oblivion. I wonder who was paying for all that. Link to post Share on other sites
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