SnowStats

[Slippery Jim 65]

Numbers below are taken directly from the resort pages, and based on personal experience/impression I can't help but wonder if there's some apples-to-oranges discrepancies in the reporting, especially for the three main Niseko areas:

 

Resort Dec Jan Feb Mar

Kiroro 169 332 435 457

Kokusai 103 300 399 438

Hirafu 94 190 255 247

Village 110 303 404 458

Annupuri 182 257 385 423

Rusutsu 71 187 242 230

 

Do Annupuri & Village really get more snow than Hirafu? and that much more?

Do Kiroro & Annupuri get that much in December? twice what Hirafu gets?

 

I realize, of course, that SnowJapan is just giving the snow stats that are provided by the areas, or by people reporting from the areas. This certainly isn't any failure on the part of the SJ gang.

But do we know that the numbers are at least comparable in terms of how/when measured?

 

(I started looking at the stats after scoring a really cheap airfare for early December, and was struck by the Hirafu-Annupuri difference.)

 

((Edit by me to say sorry, the columns were aligned right until I hit the POST button))

Edited October 12, 2011 by DiGriz

[big-will 7]

Its the same kind of thing as what is "advanced / beginner" courses, and even the length of "courses".

Not all playing with the same "rules".

[Slippery Jim 65]

That's certainly what it looks like, but figure there may be some here in the know on who's playing by what rules.

[Go Native 70]

DiGriz are they snowdepth or snowfall stats? And for Hirafu is that village level or at 1000m stats?

[Slippery Jim 65]

GN, that's what I'd like to know. These are the numbers on the SnowJapan resort pages. I'm thinking they look like snowdepth, and you'd know better than me but I'd guess the measurements are not all being taken at the same level for those Niseko numbers. My impression has always been that Hirafu gets more snow than Annupuri, but that's just IMHO (once the sasa is covered, I pay little attention to snowpack and just covet the powder). I find it a little hard to believe that Annupuri has double either the snowpack or the snowfall of Hirafu in December.

[SnowJapan 178]

Those numbers are basically the ones that resorts publish, as far as I know DiGriz.

They are actually in the process now of being updated so if you notice any changes from day to day, that's why....

More details on all that in a few weeks time.

[Slippery Jim 65]

That's what I figured, SJ-D, thanks.

[Go Native 70]

GN, that's what I'd like to know. These are the numbers on the SnowJapan resort pages. I'm thinking they look like snowdepth, and you'd know better than me but I'd guess the measurements are not all being taken at the same level for those Niseko numbers. My impression has always been that Hirafu gets more snow than Annupuri, but that's just IMHO (once the sasa is covered, I pay little attention to snowpack and just covet the powder). I find it a little hard to believe that Annupuri has double either the snowpack or the snowfall of Hirafu in December.

 

I have found it depends a lot on the wind direction. Because they are on quite different sides of the mountain winds that can strip all the fresh away from up high in Hirafu can accumulate on the Annupuri side and vice versa. The 1000m snowdepth site in Hirafu I think is pretty close to the 1000m hut near the top of Ace #3 lift. It is pretty exposed there and although gullies lower down can be deep in pow up there it can get stripped back to the base by strong winds.

[Slippery Jim 65]

Yes, have certainly seen it stripped right down to hardpack on the flat at the top of that lift in strong winds. Perhaps the early-season winds tend to send more over to Annupuri (sure makes the bowl over there fun ).