Niseko Now: Thursday 10th March 2016
- Mar 10, 2016
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 12cm
Snowfall at base this season 928cm
Posted on Thursday 10th March 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
And I have good news.
Yes, there's a nice layer of fresh new snow on the ground this morning. 12cm of it. And it does look lovely.
It's mostly cloudy at the moment here at base with perhaps snow still falling higher up on the mountain, but things are generally calm and all of the lifts are moving as planned. Actually, since I have been preparing this report there's some blue sky as well to see now and the sun has started to shine through my window.
So fresh snow to enjoy this morning. There'll still be that somewhat icy layer under it though so remember not to get too carried away!
I'm off out there myself now.
Speak again tomorrow when hopefully there might be a few more cm to report.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6.00am: -8°C, calm, 15cm new snow, no snowdrift development. Moiwa 838m: -9.2°C, ENE0.7m/s. Annupuri 1150m: -11 °C, 15cm new snow, no snowdrift development. Hirafu Ridgeline: -14°C, 10cm new snow, calm. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:WSW3m/s. Kamui Cape S5m/s, 1019hPa, wave 0.8m.
Atmospheric pressure gradient is shallow and weather is calm. Cold air has flowed into the area bringing 10-15cm new snow. There is no new snowdrift development. From observation, the new snow over the 8th Mar layer, general avalanche risk is low. However at higher elevations there is a possibility of 20cm surface slab avalanches on wind effected, open steep slopes. The new snow is good but you will still be hitting the icy surface underneath. Be careful loosing control and hitting trees. Cracks are hidden, ride cautiously. A weak front is expected to pass through around noon, with an increase in wind and snow. Be careful of a sudden change in weather. All peak gates are expected to be open. Listen to the patrols advice and be prepared before going out of bounds. People are still ducking ropes to enter strictly off limits areas. Your freedom to ride out of bounds is protected by the Niseko Rules. However with freedom comes responsibility. If one person ducks a rope lots of others will follow, increasing the chances of an accident. For the safety of everyone, respect and follow the Niseko Rules. If caught breaking the rules, expect severe treatment.
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Official resort snow depths as of Thursday 10th March 2016:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 360cm
Base - 150cm
Niseko Village
Top - 370cm
Base - 160cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 370cm
Base - 160cm
Niseko Now 2015-2016 season |
Data as of Thursday 10th March 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 928cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 74 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 54cm reported on 5 days |
All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report.