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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

Aipira

Nishiwaga Town, Iwate Prefecture

アイピラスキー場　岩手県西和賀町

Aipira was a ski area located in Yuda Town, later to become part of Nishiwaga Town, in the southwestern region of Iwate Prefecture. This ski area had one pair lift and six surface lifts, though the exact positioning of many of the surface lifts cannot be confirmed. The ski area closed in 2000, and the lifts have been removed.

Opened
開設		 Unconfirmed
Closed
 閉設		 2000
Base elevation
標高最低		 280m
Top elevation
標高最高		 440m
Vertical
標高差		 160m
Steepest slope
最大斜度		 35°
Number of courses
コース本数		 4
Longest run
最長滑走距離		 1,500m
Ski lifts
リフト本数		 7 lifts
Pair 500m
T-bar lift 　
T-bar lift 　
T-bar lift 　
T-bar lift 　
T-bar lift 　
T-bar lift 　
The lifts have been removed
Night skiing
ナイター設備		 There was night skiing at Aipira

Further Information

  • When it was open, Aipira Ski Area was located in Yuda Town 湯田町
    　
  • Yuda Town became part of Nishiwaga Town 西和賀町 in November 2005
    　
  • The ski area closed in 2000, before Yuda Town became part of Nishiwaga Town
    　
  • The economy of the region used to rely on about 30 copper mines, but they all closed in the late 1970s
    　
  • A few ski areas were built within the town, perhaps in an effort to encourage a new tourism economy
    　
  • Aipira Ski Area actually had seven ski lifts at one time, including one 500m pair lift
    　
  • There were also six T-bar surface lifts, each between 130-170m in length
    　
  • Currently, only the position of the pair lift and a lower t-bar can be confirmed
    　
  • The position of the other lifts on the above image is a 'best-guess' based on available information or old maps and may not be 100% accurate
    　
  • The ski area used to open from late December until early April
    　
  • At one time, there was night skiing from 5:00pm until 9:00pm
    　
  • One of the lower surface lifts used to open outside of the winter season for artificial snow mat skiing
    　
  • Old ski area guidebooks often published incorrect information, and there were a few interesting mistakes for Aipira, including a maximum elevation of 600m and one of the lifts being a 'Ropeway'!

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Location
所在地

Located just off Prefecture Road 215, close to the central town area of Nishiwaga.
About 4.5km from the Yuda IC exit of the Akita Expressway
About 1.2km from Hottoyuda Station on the Kitakami line.
秋田自動車道　湯田ICから的4.5km
北上線　ほっとゆだ駅から的1.2km

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 Iwate Prefecture

This page was created in March 2023
Last updated on 30th November 2023
2023年3月 作成　2023年11月30日 更新