Update on Grand Hirafu Lift Upgrades
2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Niseko. For a small resort town, Niseko is experiencing phenomenal growth as development moves at a rapid rate and investment pours into the area.
Yesterday was the last day of operations for the King Hooded Triple Lift #3. In an exciting development Niseko Tokyu Resort Co. Ltd will start work from today dismantling the lift and replacing it with a new high speed hooded quad lift that will start operations for the coming season in December 2016. This lift has been in operation since October 1985.
Niseko Tokyu Resort Co. Ltd will invest 1.2 billion yen to upgrade it to a high-speed quad lift. This will enable an increase in throughput by 600 people per hour, and reduce lift waiting times significantly. Furthermore, as part of the upgrade, the lift will be extended 170m downwards from its present location at base station. This will enable smoother access from other trails, in particular, the summit station of the Hirafu gondola.
In order to perform the lift upgrade, the “King 3 Lift” and “King 4 Lift” will suspend operation for the season from April 4, 2016, and the trails in the surrounding areas will be closed.
These lift upgrades combined with the grand opening of AYA Niseko this December marks significant milestone for Niseko's evolution into a truly world-class ski resort.
See below for the new 2016/17 mountain ski run and lift map.
