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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

St.MARY

Kawasaki Town, Miyagi Prefecture

セントメリースキー場　宮城県川崎町

St.MARY (or Miyagi Zao St.MARY) was a ski area located in Kawasaki Town in the southwestern region of Miyagi Prefecture, close to the border with Yamagata Prefecture. The ski area had one quad lift and four pair lifts, some of which, uniquely, went under and over the nearby Yamagata Expressway toll road. St. Mary opened in 1990 and was last open on 3rd March 2024.

Opened
開設		 1990
Closed
 閉設		 3rd March 2024
Base elevation
標高最低		 450m
Top elevation
標高最高		 950m
Vertical
標高差		 500m
Steepest slope
最大斜度		 30°
Number of courses
コース本数		 5
Longest run
最長滑走距離		 2,200m
Skill level
初級・中級・上級		 30% beginner
50% intermediate
20% advanced
Ski lifts
リフト本数		 5 lifts
Quad 1,167m
Pair 210m
Pair 557m
Pair 600m
Pair 667m
The lifts and facilities are still in place
Night skiing
ナイター設備		 There was night skiing at St.MARY

Further Information

  • St.MARY ski area opened in 1990
    　
  • The longer and perhaps official name, though seldom seen, is Miyagi Zao St.MARY Ski Area みやぎ蔵王セントメリースキー場
    　
  • The origin of the name is unclear
    　
  • The ski area is on the eastern slopes of Gandosan 雁戸山
    　
  • There are no train stations nearby, but the ski area is just a few minutes from the Sasaya IC 笹谷IC exit of the Yamagata Expressway toll road 山形自動車道
    　
  • One of the pair lifts goes under the expressway road
    　
  • ....and the quad lift and one ski run goes over it!
    　
  • The middle pair lift on the left side was not on early course maps and appears to have been added in the late 1990s
    　
  • There was night skiing at St.MARY, and at one time, it was sometimes open throughout the night
    　
  • The night skiing operations had been scaled back in recent years
    　
  • At peak popularity in the mid-1990s, about 158,600 people visited the ski area in a season
    　
  • Since 2018, the Starlight pair lift and Starlight course had been open for summer skiing on plastic mats on weekends and holidays
    　
  • During the emergence of covid, in the 2019-2020 season, the number of visitors was down to only 9,500
    　
  • Numbers had recovered by the 2022-2023 season, when about 37,500 people visited St.MARY, but that was still less than 1/4 of the peak numbers
    　
  • In January 2024, it was announced that the ski area would close (permanently) at the end of the 2023-2024 winter season
    　
  • The reasons given were the decline in the number of visitors and the effects of warmer winters with less snow
    　
  • St.MARY had planned to open in late December for the 2023-2024 season but was only able to open on 19th January due to a lack of snow
    　
  • After struggling through a patchy season, it closed on 3rd March 2024, 17 days earlier than planned
    　
  • The ski area is now officially permanently closed, but all the facilities still stand, and it is not clear what happens next
    　
  • St.MARY will remain listed on SnowJapan.com for now (here), and of course, any news will be reported both here and on SnowJapan

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Location
所在地

Located by the side of Route 286 and close to the Yamagata Expressway.
About 1.5km from the Sasaya IC exit of the Yamagata Expressway.
About 20km from Yamagata Station.
山形自動車道　笹谷ICから的1.5km
山形駅から的20km

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

All currently operating ski areas in Miyagi Prefecture

This page was created in June 2024
Last updated on 23rd June 2024
2024年6月 作成 　2024年6月23日 更新