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From the Olympics Toward Tomorrow

Shinano Mainichi

Snowboard Venue

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On Dec. 14, 1995, a new Halfpipe course and lifts were completed at Kanbayashi Snowboard Park (formerly Kanbayashi Onsen Ski Resort) in Kanbayashi, Yamanouchi Town, Shimotakai-gun, which will be the Snowboard Venue for the Nagano Winter Olympics, and a commemoration ceremony was held.

The Halfpipe is one of the Snowboarding events, and involves competitors zig-zagging down a course shaped like a cylinder cut in half lengthwise, where they perform mid-air maneuvers. The new course is in the center of the Snowboarding run, is 120 m long, 18 m wide at its widest point, has a depth of 3 m and a gradient of 18. It meets the standards of FIS (Federation Internationale de Ski), and will be used as it is in the Olympics. The course is serviced by a two-person lift with a length of 564 m.

The same ski area is located at the entrance to Shiga Kogen, and has a long history, but is only small, and in recent years was troubled by a reduction in the number of skiers who used it. It was therefore converted to the first ski area in Shiga Kogen dedicated to Snowboarding. A large capital works program was invested in, which cost approximately 300 million yen.

On Dec. 5 of the same year, at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Board of Directors Meeting held in Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku-gun, Kanbayashi Snowboard Park was formally decided upon as the Snowboarding venue for the Nagano Olympics.

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Copyright 1999 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun