REPORT

On 12/20 (Fri.), an invitation-only completion ceremony and opening event were held to commemorate the new gondola at Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field, ahead of its opening. The new gondola cabins (pictured) can carry 10 passengers. The station building has been lowered, and the floor of the cabin now aligns with the boarding platform for a barrier-free design (pictured), and everything combines to make the transition from the gondola to the slopes much smoother.
[Gondola Base Station]

Upon boarding, the first things I noticed were the spaciousness of the cabin, the large windows, and the very quiet operation with minimal vibrations. The breathtaking views unique to Iwatake stretched out beyond the windows, and the quiet operation made conversation easy and the ride to the summit even more enjoyable. Additionally, with the increased speed of the new gondola, the ride time has been shortened by over a minute compared to the previous gondola, now taking just over six minutes
[New Gondola]

From the new gondola summit station, it takes about one minute on foot to reach the IWATAKE WHITE PARK at the top of Iwatake Mountain, where HAKUBA MOUNTAIN HARBOR is located, and where two tepee tents had been set up (pictured). I will provide more details about the renovated IWATAKE WHITE PARK in my next report.
[IWATAKE WHITE PARK]

After clear skies in the early morning, clouds began to move in from the west during the day, and snow started falling, instenifying around 11:30. The view from the new gondola cabins as they moved through the snow was truly beautiful! Tomorrow, the gondola (starting at 8:00 a.m.), 4sen East Lift, 5sen South Lift, and View 2 Lift will be in operation, for a total of four lifts offering access to the East Slope, South Slope, View C, and View D for skiing.
[New Gondola]

　　
＊The 2024-25 Hakuba Iwatake winter season will run from 12/20/2024 to 3/30/2025.
＊Hakuba Iwatake saw a 118% increase in visitors during the summer of 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching a record high of approximately 255,000 visitors!
　　
＊ゲレンデレポート写真元素材をご希望の方へ
　
　
reported by Snownavi