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A look back at ski areas from Japan’s past 過去の日本のスキー場を懐かしむ

Sky Shishiku

Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture

スカイ獅子吼スキー場　石川県白山市

Sky Shishiku was a ski area that used to be Tsurugi Town, now the northern part of Hakusan City in Ishikawa Prefecture. There was skiing in this location before any ski lifts, and it was known as Choei Tsurugi. When the first ski lift opened, it was known as Shishiku Kogen, and it became popular through the 1960s. As more ski areas opened nearby, this ski area underwent various changes, including a final name change to Sky Shishiku. The ski area was scaled down a few times before eventually closing in 2016. The gondola still operates outside of the winter season.

Opened
開設		 1960
...but it's complicated
Closed
 閉設		 2016
See below for details
Base elevation
標高最低		 170m
Top elevation
標高最高		 630m
Vertical
標高差		 460m
Steepest slope
最大斜度		 43°
Ninonkai Course
Number of courses
コース本数		 7
Longest run
最長滑走距離		 2,000m
Skill level
初級・中級・上級		 40% beginner
30% intermediate
30% advanced
Ski / board
スキー・ボード		 Unconfirmed
Ski lifts
リフト本数		 7 lifts (at one time)
Gondola 1073m
Dream No 1 280m
Dream No 2 280m
Rainbow No 1 590m
Rainbow No 2 380m
Unconfirmed Unconfirmed
Unconfirmed Unconfirmed
At least some lift facilities were still in place as of 2018
Night skiing
ナイター設備		 There was night skiing at Sky Shishiku
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）
Sky Shishiku Ski Area（スカイ獅子吼スキー場）

Further Information

  • People were skiing at this location in the late Taisho era (the 1920s), long before there were any ski lifts
    　
  • The location used to be known as Tsurugi Town 鶴来町
    　
  • In February 2005, Tsurugi Town became part of Hakusan City  白山市
    　
  • The original ski area (without lifts) was known as Choei Tsurugi  町営鶴来スキー場
    　
  • In 1959, a 21-person capacity ropeway lift opened
    　
  • The proper ski area with lifts opened in 1960 and was called Shishiku Kogen Ski Area  獅子吼高原スキー場
    　
  • It was the first and only ski area in Ishikawa at the time
    　
  • The busiest period for this ski area was in the late 1960s before other ski areas opened in Ishikawa Prefecture
    　
  • It is proving difficult to confirm the exact lift configuration at this ski area as there seem to have been various changes over the years
    　
  • However, it appears that at one time, there were seven ski lifts (probably single lifts) in addition to the ropeway
    　
  • There were three named sections
    　
  • The Nihonkai Course 日本海コース was a ski run coming down from the top to base and featured a steep 43-degree gradient in places
    　
  • The Minamisawa Gelande 南沢ゲレンデ was the area at the top of the ropeway
    　
  • The Kitazawa Gelande 北沢ゲレンデ was further to the north, about 400m from the top of the Minamisawa Gelande
    　
  • The ropeway closed in September 1995
    　
  • There was an ownership change, and the ropeway was replaced by a 4-person gondola lift in June 1996
    　
  • That same year, the ski area re-opened with the new name Sky Shishiku スカイ獅子吼
    　
  • However, Sky Shishiku was a scaled-back version of the ski area, with only the Minamisawa Gelande re-opening
    　
  • The Nihonkai Course, which often struggled with snowfall, and the Kitazawa Gelande areas were closed down (along with the Rainbow lifts and Northern area lifts)
    　
  • It is thought that the current pair lift in the old Minamisawa area replaced two single ski lifts that were known as Dream Number 1 and 2 (unconfirmed)
    　
  • Unfortunately, that slope also closed for skiing and snowboarding in 2016, marking the end of the ski area
    　
  • The gondola is still open from April through November, and the area is popular for paragliding and sightseeing
    　
  • It is now known as Park Shishiku パーク獅子吼
    　
  • The ski lift towers in the northern area remain (see photos)
    　
  • Parts of the upper Rainbow lift also remained in place at least until recent years; they may still be there but could not be seen during a recent visit due to the growth of trees
    　
  • A facility known as Nihonkai Speedway 日本海スピードウェイ, a mini-circuit for radio-controlled vehicles, can be found where the Kitazawa run used to be
    　
  • The remains of one of the ski lifts are by the side of Nihonkai Speedway
    　
  • Additional photos, along with explanations of the different sections of Sky Shishiku, can be found here

Google Earth

Sky Shishiku Ski Area (Gondola and Minamisawa)

Sky Shishiku Ski Area (Kitazawa and Minamisawa)

Google Street View

Google Maps

 

Location
所在地

About 2km off Route 157 in what used to be Tsurugi Town, but is now part of Hakusan City in Ishikawa Prefecture.
About 15.5km from the Hakusan IC exit of the Hokuriku Expressway.
About 18km from Kanazawa Station on the Hokuriku line.
About 18km from Kanazawa Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line.
北陸自動車道　白山ICから的15.5km
北陸本線　金沢駅から的18km
北陸新幹線線　金沢駅から的18km

Currently operating ski & snowboard resorts in the region
近隣の運営中のスキー場

Hakusan Seymour 　白山セイモア　13km
All currently operating ski areas in Ishikawa Prefecture

This page was created in June 2022
Last updated on 16th September 2023
2022年6月 作成 　2023年9月16日 更新