Daily reports
from Niseko
Last Updated:
Tuesday 11th May 2010, 11:04AM
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New snowfall:
0cm
Previous day:
-
Snow depth:
-
Temp bottom:
8
Temp top:
1
Weather:
Cloudy
Wind condition:
Moderate
Visibility:
Good
Lift operation:
Lift operations have finished for the season.

Tuesday 11th May 2010, 11:04AM

Weather conditions:
Cloudy
New snowfall:
0cm

Report:
Sunday was the last day of lift operation in Niseko and although very cool it was a mostly fine day to see out the season. The run out to the base was just maintained by a thin ribbon of snow pushed up by the groomers but the skiing up top was still on an excellent cover.

09/10 was a great season for Niseko. After 3 years of well below average snowfalls we finally had a season with very close to average falls. From November to the end of April, which is 181 days, snow was reported on the mountain 121 days. So over the 6 months it snowed 2 out of every 3 days. I counted 42 of those days receiving 20cm or more snow, some of them receiving far more. The season was a little slow to get going with below average cover up until mid December but from then up until the third week of Feb it barely stopped snowing. The end of Feb saw some unseasonably warm temps with some rain but March saw winter return with great regular falls. In fact we had more snow in March than in Feb. A cool April saw the cover remain in reasonable condition for most of the month with some fairly regular snowfalls on the upper mountian maintaining a deep cover. Overall it was a great season with very few rain events and plenty of regular snowfalls keeping even the most avid powderhounds extremely happy.

Total snowfall accumulation from our reports here on the upper mountain exceeded 18m. There's been a lot of debate over the years about just how much snow Niseko receives especially as the only accurate snowfall records are only kept in Kutchan and not on the mountain itself. Kutchan is situated at only 176m though and is out on the plains receiving little of the orographic precipitation we get on the mountain. My best estimate over my years of observations is that up around 1000m on the mountain we receive at least 1.5 times the amount of snow recorded down in Kutchan. Kutchan averages around 12m of snowfall annually so I estimate that up high on the mountain the average snowfall is at least 18m and would easily exceed 20m in the bigger years. Whatever the exact figure is one thing we all know is that Niseko gets a hell of a lot of snow and it is right up there with some of the best quality snow found at any ski resort on the planet. Truly an awesome place!

Thanks for following these reports throughout the season and I for one am already looking forward to the next one. See you back here then.

Current Official Snow Depths:

Snow depth reporting has finished for the season. Still up around 2m on the upper mountain and only patchy at village level.

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Friday 7th May 2010, 12:03PM

Weather conditions:
Cloudy with drizzle
New snowfall:
0cm

Report:
This morning it is mild, cloudy and very humid with tendrils of fog forming in the cool layer of air just above the remaining snow drifts around the village. The weather earlier in the week though during the Golden Week holiday period was very nice with temperatures reaching up to the high teens, the highest so far this Spring, with plenty of sunshine.
Most of the snow has now melted from down on the plains with just a few drifts left here and there. The run out to the base in Hirafu is now not possible down the Alpen run but is still possible to the base of the Gondola and the cover up higher on the mountain is still extensive. The lifts are expected to open for the last time this weekend. The weather though from tomorrow is expected to be much cooler for at least the next week and there is even some snow forecast for the higher parts of the mountain during the week. It is possible in some years that we really don't start getting sustained warmer temperatures until well into June. I think most of the residents here though are hoping for some warmer weather sooner than that.
After this weekend I will do one final wrap-up of the season, tallying up the total amount of snow we received and seeing how it compared to previous years.

Current Official Snow Depths:

Grand Hirafu:
Top - 250
Bottom - 20

Annupuri:
Top - 270
Bottom - 60

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Saturday 1st May 2010, 12:11PM

Weather conditions:
Cloudy
New snowfall:
Reasonable amounts on the upper mountain

Report:
So it's the 1st of May and we're now into the last week of operations at the resort. Due to the good snow cover still on the mountain Hirafu has announced it will remain open to the end of next weekend. We have had a lot of rain over the last few days at lower levels and the snow has finally mostly melted off the plains around the base of the mountain and the rivers are almost bursting their banks, great for rafting. A fair amount of the rain has fallen as snow above around 700m maintaining an excellent cover up high, in fact in Hirafu the snowdepth has increased up high over the last few days.
Basically around the region now all areas between 0-100m are snow free, between 100-200m there are drifts and patchy cover, 200-300m is still mostly covered but getting patchy and 300m and up is still almost a complete cover. Pretty amazing considering it's now May.
The ski runs mostly still have a good cover but a patch has opened up on the last slope down to the Alpen. Niseko Village has reopened this weekend to take advantage of the Golden Week visitors and the Ace #3 lift is operating in Hirafu allowing easy access to the Spring park.
The weather today is cloudy and cool but tomorrow is supposed to clear up a bit more.

Current Official Snow Depths:

Grand Hirafu:
Top - 300
Bottom - 40

Niseko Village
Top - 280
Bottom - 50

Annupuri:
Top - 295
Bottom - 90