New Nozawa Onsen gondola will transport skiers in half the time

A new gondola in Nozawa Onsen, scheduled to be completed for the start of the 2020/21 season, will halve travel time from 16 minutes to eight minutes. The lift will replace the existing Nagasaka Gondola, cutting out the Yunomine mid station and transporting riders directly to Yamabiko Station – roughly 800 vertical metres above the Nagasaka base.

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The gondola previously carried 12 standing passengers, but will now comfortably seat 10. According to Nozawa Holidays, it was first built in 1979 and then modified in 1990 ahead of Interski (1995) and the Winter Olympics (1998).

Nozawa Onsen’s second gondola, which operates from the Hikage base, will remain unchanged.