New Lifts for Japan

17th December 2024

Last modified on December 21st, 2024

Niseko is on the north island of Hokkaido and renowned for its top quality powder snow.

It introduced a new Hirafu gondola on November 30^th 2024.

It replaced the historic Ace Quad Lift #2 Center 4.

The new gondola has 10-person cabins, transporting 2,800 people per hour to the top, notably increasing capacity compared to its predecessor.

In runs at 6 meters per second, 1.5 times faster than the old lift.

Other upgrades include Wi-Fi connectivity, heated synthetic leather seats, and indoor ski and snowboard racks.

Additionally, two feature cabins, with a skeleton underfoot design, offer 360° views of the surrounding mountains, providing riders with a unique and scenic experience.

In Hakuba there has been the recent installation of a new gondola lift that is set to open on December 20, 2024.

This lift will offer increased comfort and panoramic views of the Japanese Alps mountain range.

The new Iwatake gondola features cabins that can accommodate up to 10 people.

It also offers faster travel times to the summit.

Japan is the No1 bucket list destination for skiers and snowboarders with an international following.

We are interested in the new lifts as PlanetSKI is heading to Japan for a 6-week stay starting at the end of next January, so look out for those reports.

We were in Japan in the autumn of 2019 for the Rugby World Cup and planned a ski visit the following winter, but then along came Covid.

• Skiing in Japan

Autumns in Japan ski resort. Image © PlanetSKI

This coming season we are finally making the postponed trip.

Look out for our reports as we finally tick off our ultimate bucket list ski trip.

And ride the new lifts…

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