Iwatake's new gondola opens. Enjoy a 7-minute walk in the sky and enjoy 360-degree panoramic views

2024/12/20

It was a clear, cloudless day. The morning temperature dropped to nearly minus 10 degrees Celsius, creating perfect, chilled conditions.
On December 20, 2024, Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort opened for the 24th and 25th seasons.

The highlight of the 24th and 25th season is, of course, the new gondola lift, which has been under construction since 2022

Some people lined up from early in the morning to wait for the train to open at 8 a.m. Unfortunately, our editorial team couldn't make it in time for the first train, but a friend who boarded the train during the countdown received a limited edition special sticker

Limited number of special stickers were distributed to the first customers

After the crowds had died down a bit around 8:30, our editorial team decided to take a ride on the gondola. From here on, we'll mainly be sharing photos

The new gondola lift is located about 20 meters before the old Gondola Noah boarding point. Instead of climbing stairs like before, the entrance is flat. This is a welcome change, as climbing stairs after skiing nonstop from the top of the mountain can be quite tiring

Next to the IC gate, children from Hakuba Kita Elementary School were collecting donations to repair the dilapidated ski jump (there's a ski jump inside the school!). Afterwards, the children went up to the summit area and cheered loudly

The gondola entrance and boarding area are flat, making it very easy to ride

The seating capacity is 10 people, so it is spacious and comfortable. Even if I stand up, I can stand up without my head touching the ground, so there is plenty of space

The inside of the gondola is made of reinforced resin glass on all four sides except for the floor, allowing you to enjoy a 360-degree view

The seats are elastic and extremely comfortable. They are a world apart from the hard seats of the old gondolas

The new gondola lift runs almost parallel to the old Gondola Noah, but is much taller

This season, you may even be able to see the tracks of the old gondola below

You can see the support pillars of the old gondola lift in the middle of the slope. Previously, it ran through the valley, but the new gondola lift has support cables that cross the valley, so combined with the clear design of the carriage, you can enjoy the feeling of walking in the air. The highest point is said to be about 90m high

Personally, the biggest surprise and delight for me was how quiet the gondolas were. The old Gondola Noah was a type where passengers sat back to back. When riding in a group, the vibration and noise would be intense every time the carrier passed over the support pillar, and just when the conversation was getting interesting, it would pass over the support pillar, leaving you wondering, "Huh? What's that?" Also, because passengers sat back to back, turning around while talking made it difficult to hear each other, but that problem has now been solved in one go. I'm so happy!

Very quiet even when passing through pillars

The view of the Hakuba mountains from the route to the summit station is impressive. My eyes naturally turned to the left, towards Happo and the Hakuba Sanzan mountains

Looking at the carrier from the side, it is surprisingly compact and clearer than I imagined

The summit station has a flat passageway just like the base station

You can get off and immediately access the slopes

The area around the summit station. From the left is the new gondola, in the middle is the patrol hut, and on the right is the summit station of the old Noah gondola

The new gondola lift runs parallel to the old one, but because it is at a completely different height, the scenery seen from the course is different. It might be fun to ski down while looking for these unusual sights

From the summit station, ski down Sunny Valley, and on the way down to HIKAGE, you can enjoy the new gondola and a spectacular view from the flat area

As we descended from the summit, a line began to form again, and the area began to get lively. The ski resort staff were delighted to see that the weather was fine on the day the new gondola was unveiled, and that more customers than expected were visiting

By the way, the previous gondola took eight minutes to reach the summit station, but the new gondola will shorten the journey by one minute to about seven minutes. I measured it on my smartphone and it took 7 minutes and 33 seconds from when the carriage started to pick up speed until it reached the summit station. The capacity is 2,460 people per hour. This will also solve the lack of capacity and should reduce the long lines that used to form up the stairs

Gondola Noah has supported the ski resort for 38 years since 1986. The new gondola will take over and create a new chapter in Iwatake's history. As Iwatake is popular all year round, many non-skiers without ski gear also use the gondola to reach the summit. The arrival of the new gondola will only further boost its popularity

By the way... the old gondola was affectionately known as Noah. When I asked the ski resort staff if the new gondola would also have a name, they said it hadn't been decided yet. I have a feeling that the name "New Gondola" will stick, but I'm not sure

Please also check out this video summarizing the efforts of Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort so far, as well as the construction scene leading up to the new gondola lift!

Information

Hakuba Iwatake Snowfield
12056 Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Kitaazumi-gun, Nagano Prefecture 399-9301
Official website: https://iwatake-mountain-resort.com/winter
Official social media: Instagram | Facebook | X | Youtube