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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

Toyako

Toyako Town, Hokkaido

洞爺湖スキー場　北海道洞爺湖町

Toyako, later renamed Toya Ski Park, was a ski area in Toyako Town in the southwestern region of Hokkaido. At one time, as many as seven ski lifts have operated at this location, including a gondola lift and six pair lifts. There were two sections on either side of the mountain, the Lake Side overlooking Lake Toya and the Marine Side overlooking Uchiura Bay. In 2024, one ski lift is still operating, known as Windsor Snow Village.

Opened
開設		 Unconfirmed
Closed
 閉設		 Part still open (see below)
Base elevation
標高最低		 About 220m (Lake Side)
About 185m (Marine Side)
Top elevation
標高最高		 About 620m
Vertical
標高差		 About 400-435m
Ski lifts
リフト本数		 7 lifts (at one time)
Lake Side 　
Gondola 1502m
Pair 713m
Pair 290m
Pair 566m
Marine Side 　
Pair 1787m
Pair 1358m
Pair 665m

Further Information

  • This ski area has an interesting and rather complicated history with various changes over the decades
    　
  • Even with in-depth research, some details remain unclear - even, curiously, about current operations in 2024 - but the following is the best understanding of the timeline...
    　
  • Initially, this ski area was called Toyako Ski Area 洞爺湖スキー場
    　
  • A 1976 guidebook shows two single lifts, 777m and 543m, with five ski runs overlooking Lake Toya 洞爺湖 on the eastern slopes of Poromoi Mountain ポロモイ山山頂
    　
  • By 1987, only the longer of those two ski lifts remained in guidebooks, with the addition of a rope tow lift
    　
  • Some guidebooks stated the length of the rope tow as 150m, while others said it was 300m
    　
  • Around 1993, the ski area became known as Toya Ski Park 洞爺スキーパーク (sometimes written in katakana, トーヤスキーパーク)
    　
  • The hotel at the top was called Hotel Apex Toya ホテルエイペックス洞爺
    　
  • The resort as a whole was known as Apex Resort Toya エイペックスリゾート洞爺
    　
  • A 1994 guidebook shows a total of seven ski lifts, including a 'new' 6-person 1502m gondola and six pair lifts
    　
  • The original area facing Lake Toya, where the gondola was, became known as Lake Side レークサイド
    　
  • The updated course map showed the gondola and three pair lifts (713m, 290m, 566m) on that side of the mountain
    　
  • The other side of the mountain, facing Uchiura Bay 内浦湾, was known as Marine Side マリンサイド
    　
  • Marine Side consisted of three pair lifts (1358m, 665m, 1787m), and some guidebooks mentioned that it was 'for guests staying at the hotel'
    　
  • In 1997, the name of the hotel changed to The Windows Hotel Toya ザ・ウィンザーホテル洞爺
    　
  • The hotel closed in 1998
    　
  • In 2002, it re-opened in a new form as The Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa ザ・ウィンザーホテル洞爺リゾート&スパ
    　
  • Around that time, the ski area became known as Windsor Snow Village ウィンザースノービレッジ, with the Gondola still operating along with the two pair lifts on the Marine Side near the hotel
    　
  • It was still possible to ski back down to the base of the gondola
    　
  • The Hokkaido Toyako G8 Summit 北海道洞爺湖サミット was held at the resort in July 2008
    　
  • The gondola was still operating in 2011 when it was known as the Summit Cabin サミットキャビン (or G8 Summit Cabin)
    　
  • It is unclear when the gondola last operated
    　
  • In 2025 it is unused, but it has not been removed
    　
  • On the other side, the access road to the base of the Marine Number 1 lift is blocked off and inaccessible
    　
  • The two pair lifts by the hotel had continued to be operating in recent years as Windsor Snow Village and were still used mainly by guests of the hotel
    　
  • However, in the last few seasons, only the longer lift has been operating
    　
  • Also, people had to get on the lift at the mid-station - for some reason, the lower section of the lift and run is not accessible
    　
  • Even a phone call to the facility did not provide a clear explanation!
    　
  • This ski area has also been known as Snow Park Toya スノーパーク洞爺, though it is unclear where that name fits into the timeline
    　
  • Official information about the ski area remains very limited; it is intriguing how challenging it is to confirm details from both the past and the present
    　
  • More information on Windsor Snow Village can be found on SnowJapan here

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Location
所在地

The Lake Side entrance (Gondola) was about 0.5km off Route 230 close to the shores of Lake Toya.
The Marine Side entrance was about 2km off Route 37 near the central area of Toya Town.
The current Windsor Snow Village ski lift is close to the resort hotel at the top of the mountain.

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 Hokkaido

This page was created in June 2024
Last updated on 9th January 2025
2024年6月 作成　2025年1月9日 更新