It's chilly at Snova Hashima, an indoor slope in Hashima, Gifu Prefecture, covered with artificial snow.
Visitors enjoy snowboarding on the 70-meter slope, which has a maximum angle of 15 degrees, showing off their tricks by sliding on boxes or rails and jumping from snow mounds. The temperature is maintained at minus 2 degrees Celsius.
Many athletes who are expected to compete at Beijing Winter Olympics in February have been training at Snova Hashima, the only indoor slope in the central Chubu region. But it is slated to shut down at the end of November due to a decline in the number of skiers and snowboarders using the facility. The high cost of maintaining the low temperature is another factor.
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