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Happy to let you take the glory for the forum post! I just added captions to the photos as best I could.

 

 

Last I spoke with the company, they're planning to do a test-run tomorrow, but that seemed subject to change.

 

One things for sure, the new cars are pretty, and the view from them should be spectacular.

If you have other questions about the goings-on of Niseko, this may be a good place to ask though.

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Happy to let you take the glory for the forum post! I just added captions to the photos as best I could.

 

 

Last I spoke with the company, they're planning to do a test-run tomorrow, but that seemed subject to change.

 

One things for sure, the new cars are pretty, and the view from them should be spectacular.

If you have other questions about the goings-on of Niseko, this may be a good place to ask though.

 

Max,

what is happening to the J-First site?

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For the coming season, it will run as the "Niseko Hirafu Lodge." From there (and for next season), the site's fate is undecided, including whether or not the building will be demolished or not.

 

They put up a sign that says "Niseko Hirafu Lodge" quite recently.

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is this just the gondola they already have at hirafu but with some nice new pods? I looked at the pics, but no snow on it means i cant really visualize it :p it looks like the spot the old gondola went up to, and itll be nice to have the bottom redeveloped since it does look a wee bit baka beyond at the minute (or rather, last winter).

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is this just the gondola they already have at hirafu but with some nice new pods? I looked at the pics, but no snow on it means i cant really visualize it :p it looks like the spot the old gondola went up to, and itll be nice to have the bottom redeveloped since it does look a wee bit baka beyond at the minute (or rather, last winter).

 

It's definitely an exciting change! To be fair, I think the most exciting part of it is the road construction going on right now. Power lines really are the bane of views in Japan. But you're right, it's the same gondola end location.

 

A shot of a lone car hanging on the gondola:

http://www.snowjapanforums.com/index.php/gallery/image/814-hirafu-gondola-on-the-cable/

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You know what? Just looking at those pictures makes me so jealous. It must be awesome living around the mountain you ride and seeing it when its not just a white mass with trees. To just be able to take a stroll up there and mentally map lines on a nice sunny day must really make you feel a part of the history of that place. I live in the wrong place :)

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They really had no choice in doing something with the gondola. The cable it ran on had reached an age where they were unable to continue to get insurance to run it. Thankfully they really bit the bullet and are replacing it with much better cars that will increase capacity and have greatly improved the base and top stations. I do wish they'd relocated the top station higher up though so it's easier to connect up with other lifts. Really looking forward though to seeing Hirafu zaka without powerlines. The views towards Yotei without those damned lines in the way will be awesome.

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You know what? Just looking at those pictures makes me so jealous. It must be awesome living around the mountain you ride and seeing it when its not just a white mass with trees. To just be able to take a stroll up there and mentally map lines on a nice sunny day must really make you feel a part of the history of that place. I live in the wrong place :)

 

Another amazing thing is the difference in the mountain between early season and late season. If you always come to Niseko in early January (like a lot of my Tokyo friends do), then come back in March, you're skiing a totally different place.

 

A lot of the year-round locals say that the summers are better than the winter here, too. It really depends on how much summer infrastructure can be built up in the next few years, particularly to target "low-impact" tourists. A handful of easy gravel mountain biking roads and some easy hiking courses from Hirafu/Hanazono/Higashiyama would do wonders for our summer appeal.

 

Also, those trails would then be cross-country courses in the winter. That's what I want.

 

They really had no choice in doing something with the gondola. The cable it ran on had reached an age where they were unable to continue to get insurance to run it. Thankfully they really bit the bullet and are replacing it with much better cars that will increase capacity and have greatly improved the base and top stations. I do wish they'd relocated the top station higher up though so it's easier to connect up with other lifts. Really looking forward though to seeing Hirafu zaka without powerlines. The views towards Yotei without those damned lines in the way will be awesome.

 

This is new to me. I assumed that the decision not to move the upper station was due to late applications and tons of bureaucracy associated with it, since we're in a national park. My impression is that Tokyu doesn't want to spend too much money due to pressure from the national company that they're under, even though they understand that it would be worth it in the long run.

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You know what? Just looking at those pictures makes me so jealous. It must be awesome living around the mountain you ride and seeing it when its not just a white mass with trees. To just be able to take a stroll up there and mentally map lines on a nice sunny day must really make you feel a part of the history of that place. I live in the wrong place :)

 

It gets really really boring you know, ippy. ;)

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I don't suppose there are that many gondolas going up in the world, but when a resort buys on like here ---- do they design a unique one or are there just basically designs that exist and they get one of them and put the stickers on. If that makes sense?

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I do wish they'd relocated the top station higher up though so it's easier to connect up with other lifts. Really looking forward though to seeing Hirafu zaka without powerlines. The views towards Yotei without those damned lines in the way will be awesome.

 

I've only been to Niseko once and don't remember it that well, but on seeing the photo of the top station, my first reaction was "is that where you have to walk up to Miharashi?"

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It is where you walk up. I wasn't thinking that it should be placed to take away that walk though. I like that there's a walk to access the top of the Miharashi off-piste area otherwise it would track out even quicker than it does already. My main issue is that to get from the top of the Gondola to say the hooded triple is currently a real pain in the butt. If they just brought it back and up a little further it would make accessing the King Bell restaurant and the hooded triple much easier.

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I don't suppose there are that many gondolas going up in the world, but when a resort buys on like here ---- do they design a unique one or are there just basically designs that exist and they get one of them and put the stickers on. If that makes sense?

 

I think that is a somewhat standard design; here, for example, is the Matterhorn Express, which looks pretty much the same with only minor differences besides, of course, the stickers:

 

IMG_0331.jpg

385102_IMG_0448.jpg

 

 

 

Now, here is a unique gondola:

 

411px-Timberline_skyway_P1458.jpeg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtJBHKlrBCE

 

:worship:

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