Niseko Now: Sunday 10th March 2024
- Mar 10, 2024
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 13cm
Snowfall at base this season 859cm
Posted on Sunday 10th March 2024 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Well, it's always nice to be surprised (* with nice things) isn't it?
And this morning we have a very nice new layer of fresh snow to play with! Down here near base I have measured 13cm. The ski areas are reporting 15-20cm of fresh snow on the mountain and the Avalanche Report is mentioning 25cm.
Excellent!
As I write this report it is kind of overcast but it is bright with hints of blue in places - and it's snowing lightly too. Pretty.
Better still, it's not windy either and all lifts are scheduled to be open as normal. I imagine we will have some fun conditions this morning.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain Base 6am: -8°, 25cm new new snow to dawn, calm. Moiwa 800m: -8.2°, NNW4.8m/s, 25cm new snow, minor snowdrift development. Mikaeri 764m:-7°, NNW1.6m/s, 25cm new snow, good visibility. Annupuri 1100m: -11.6°, NNW5.7m/s, 30cm new snow, minor snowdrift development. Village 1000m: -9.9°, NNW6.7m/s. Hanazono 1000m: -11.4°, W8.3m/s. Hanazono 3 : -7.9°, N0.0m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape: NE2m/s. Kamui Cape: NNW7m/s, 1019hPa, wave 0.6m.
We are currently in a high pressure zone with light winds, however cold air is continuing to flow in and has caused unexpected snowfall at all levels. The groomers are reset and the snow is good. There has been no significant snowdrift development and the general avalanche risk is low. All gates are expected to be open. Please follow the patrols directions. Do not traverse cornice slopes. Do not carelessly jump from knolls. Ride one by one, not at the same time. Do not ride the creek lines or stop in the valley bottoms. The sun is starting to form slabs in south facing Strictly Off Limits areas and there is the risk large avalanches by shocks propagating to deeper layers. Never enter these areas. Do not duck ropes. The mountains are never 100% safe. Areas outside the gates are not part of the ski area. Take your beacon. Have a good day.
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Individual ski area information for Sunday 10th March 2024
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day at the time of writing and subject to change.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 20cm
- Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 320cm (+20cm since yesterday)
- Base: 100cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts apart from King Number 1 pair and King Number 2 quad (normal operations)
- The Ace Family quad, Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four), Hirafu Gondola and Holiday Number 1 pair lifts are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 15cm
- Base: 5cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 265cm (+14cm since yesterday)
- Base: 170cm (+4cm since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts
- The Hanazono Symphony Gondola is scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 220cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 140cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts
- The Jumbo Number 1 quad lift is scheduled to be open until 7:30pm
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 231cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 138cm (+11cm since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts apart from Country Road
- The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Floodlit night skiing is planned daily until Wednesday 20th March 2024.
Night skiing is usually until 7:00pm at Hirafu, Hanazono, Village and until 7:30pm at Annupuri.
Niseko Now 2023-2024 season |
Data as of Sunday 10th March 2024 Total snowfall at base so far 859cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 86 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 62cm (8th January) November 2023 snowfall 120cm reported on 11 days December 2023 snowfall 247cm reported on 24 days January 2024 snowfall 298cm reported on 24 days February 2024 snowfall 144cm reported on 20 days March 2024 snowfall 50cm reported on 7 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.