Photo/Illutration Nekoma Snow Park & Resort, left, and Alts Bandai Snow Park & Resort, right, are to be linked via a ski lift. Mount Bandaisan can be seen in the left background, and Lake Inawashiroko to the right. (Provided by Hoshino Resorts Inc.)

A pair of ski resorts in Fukushima Prefecture that sit on opposite sides of a mountain ridge are to be integrated via a ski lift to create one of Japan’s largest winter skiing venues.

Plans call for an 810-meter-long, two-seater link between the Alts Bandai Snow Park & Resort in Bandai and Nekoma Snow Park & Resort in Kita-Shiobara this winter. 

Hoshino Resorts Inc., which operates the two facilities, said the integrated snow resort will rank with other prestigious skiing destinations like Hokkaido’s Niseko and Hakuba in Nagano Prefecture.

“The novel coronavirus crisis is quietening down, and inbound tourists are returning,” noted Yoshiharu Hoshino, CEO of Hoshino Resorts, in a June 22 video statement outlining the company’s goals. “We will be contributing to the sustainable tourism of Aizu and elsewhere in Fukushima Prefecture.”

The lift will traverse the 1,280-meter-high ridge of Mount Nekomagadake on the west side of Mount Bandaisan, connecting Alts Bandai in the Omote-Bandai area with Nekoma Snow Park in the Ura-Bandai district.

This will allow skiers to shuttle between the facilities in just seven minutes, compared with the one hour now required by car.

The combined slope area will total 189 hectares over 33 courses accessed by 13 ski lifts.

Hoshino Resorts, which is based in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, said the size of the new complex will compare favorably with the nation’s largest ski slopes.

By integrating Alts Bandai and Nekoma Snow Park, Hoshino Resorts said the new complex will cater better to the expectations of skiers from both Japan and overseas as the sites offer significantly different attractions.

While Alts Bandai is famous for spectacular panoramic views of Lake Inawashiroko, Nekoma Snow Park is renowned for exceptional powder snow. It stays open through the Golden Week holiday season in early May.

After taking over the management of a ski slope that went out of business, Hoshino Resorts embarked on a resort development program in the Bandai region in 2003.

The plan to link Alts Bandai and Nekoma Snow Park initially started in 2009 but was suspended after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster that triggered a triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

“Reputational damage associated with the nuclear accident still serves as a hindrance to recovery,” said Hoshino in a video message aired during a news conference held at his company’s Bandaisan Onsen Hotel. “The inauguration of the connecting lift will mark the first step toward creating Japan’s leading ski resort.”

Construction got under way in late June. The lift is slated to begin operations in December. The name of new complex will be announced around August.

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