SSAWS

SSAWS, pronounced nihongo|"zaws"|ザウス and officially known as nihongo|LaLaport Skidome SSAWS|ららぽーとスキードームSSAWS, was an indoor ski slope in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. The name is an acronym of "Spring Summer Autumn Winter Snow".

Constructed by Mitsui at the cost of US$400 million,cite web|url=http://www.uer.ca/locations/show.asp?locid=22992|title=Urban Exploration Resources: SSAWS|publisher=Urban Exploration Resources|accessdate=2006-12-26] the ski slope opened on July 15, 1993. With a structural height of 100 meters (translating to a skiable vertical drop of 80m), a width of 100m and a length of 500m, it was the largest indoor ski slope in the worldcite web|url=http://greatstructures.info/asia.htm|title=Great Structures: Asia|publisher=Greatstructures.info|accessdate=2006-12-26] at the time. The complex had three ski coursescite web|url=http://www.indoorsnow.com/english/worldindoor-new-e.htm|title=World Indoor Snow Resorts|publisher=Indoorsnow.com|accessdate=2006-12-26] —20.1° for skilled skiers, 15° for intermediate, and 10° for beginners — and two ski lifts.

The ski slope was designed to break even by 2018 by attracting 1,300,000 visitors yearly, who would pay ¥4,300 yen (~US$50) for 2 hours of lift time and spend a total of $70 on average. However, the opening of the ski slope came shortly after the popping of the Japanese asset price bubble and original estimates soon proved too optimistic, with the number of visitors dropping from one million in the first year to 700,000 in the second. With an annual operating cost of US$40 million, SSAWS sustained losses averaging US$16.7 million/year.

SSAWS closed on September 30, 2002. In 2003, the structure was demolished to make way for Japan's first large-format IKEA store, which opened on the site on April 24, 2006.cite web|url=http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060424/kyodo/d8h6ap683.html|title=Swedish furniture retailer Ikea opens 1st outlet in Japan|publisher=Kyodo News|accessdate=2006-12-26]

References