A major improvement for Niseko’s visitors this winter season will be the opening of the new Hirafu Gondola. The lower and upper terminals have almost doubled in size and each cabin can take eight skiers and snowboarders up the hill in just five minutes this is compared to the previous eight minutes and four person capacity.
Today we took a look at how the work is progressing…

The original terminal building on the right and the new building still with blue netting on the left will have ticket sales, retail, a ski school, restaurants and "kids space" with a magic carpet on the ski run behind the building.

The new Hirafu Gondola towers dwarf the Holiday Pair Lift #1 towers and follow the previous line up Mt. Annupuri.

A construction road was cut into the Kona-yuki ski run and has recently been filled back in, this has changed the contours of the run so take care when you ride down it for the first time this season.