Ghost lift

[Ezorisu 0]

Zoiks!

 

Shaggy, Scooby and the gang were headed to Kiroro out of Otaru, and somewhere around the 12 or 13 kilometer marker, there was a spooky lift station looming in the fog on a hill to the left of the highway. It still seemed to be painted and hadn't turned to rust, although there were no chairs on the cable. It looked like an older, "low-speed"-type lift (as opposed to a H/S quad that has a larger top station structure for all the fiddly bits).

 

Anybody know what gelande this lift belongs to?

[number9 0]

Maybe it was a small town operated ski-jo that opened during the ski boom (bubble) but had to close down with the decreasing number of visitors during the recession. There's hundreds of those around Japan, right?

[scouser 4]

but had to close down

 

If the list was still there perhaps it hasn't "closed down", just "taking a break"

[Ezorisu 0]

Guess I'll have to look at a topo or something... It'd be nice to find out where the other end is and go ride the closed runs when nobody is looking!

 

BTW: someone built a nice kicker next to the road that junctions the Otaru-Kiroro highway right below the Otaru Wine factory. It's on the uphill side a little less than a kilometer down toward the school. Nobody was sessioning it when I drove past either way.

[joshnii 2]

I've seen a fair few ghost lifts hanging around - but most of them look old and decrepid.

[Ezorisu 0]

Is that like a "Japan" thing? I've seen dead, out-of-service lifts at Niseko Hirafu and Sahoro. I can understand ghost lifts remaining at a closed resort, but you'd figure they'd dismantle unused or superceded lifts at active resorts. I've been to Whistler-Blackcomb, Sunshine Village, and Lake Louise in Canada, and I don't remember seeing any ghost lifts...

[mattlucas 0]

In Canada there are environmental laws about that sort of thing

[mattlucas 0]

Also the ski boom in Canada ended in like the 60s so most of the piddly hills have long since closed up with the lifts being removed

 

In Japan a lot of the piddly hills have just started to close down in the last 10 years or so.

But is Japan really known for cleaning up things like that?

Take a walk up Fuji and you'll find a ton of old buildings falling down

[0151 0]

I think the reason they are not taken down is probably that basically it costs money.

[veronica 2]

Toque out of interest during that ski boom in Canada were the slopes unbearably busy or just relatively more than now?

[number9 0]

Wow, Toque must be quite old

[DumbStick 13]

He looks much younger on his lovely avatar.

[rach 1]

I prefer his previous avatar (didn't he used to be wearing a helmet?)

[Zaoman 0]

Seen a few around Yamagata as well. They look sad. It seems they do keep them up there and leave to rot rather than take them down.

[Ezorisu 0]

It seems really weird to see them at a working resort.

[minus 1]

Some of these lifts are probably just lifts that they are "resting". Translated as "not enough guests to justify them moving".

[Ezorisu 0]

Finally got around to looking over some topos and discovered that the particular lift in question in my original post is the "Purple" course lift at Asari (Asarigawa-onsen ski area). Haven't ever ridden there. I'm guessing it is a functioning lift, but it just wasn't running when I passed by.