Niseko Now: Thursday 11th January 2024
- Jan 11, 2024
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 12cm
Snowfall at base this season 531cm
Posted on Thursday 11th January 2024 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
12cm super lovely snow to report this morning. It wasn't snowing a little earlier, but there are some lovely flakes falling just now, along with a bit of sun shining through too. Lovely!
Forecasts are still looking very snowy. The very pleasing consistency that we have been enjoying looks set to continue. :)
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After my light-hearted comment about the Louis Vuitton Niseko Winter Resort Pop-up Store at the base of Hanazono the day before yesterday, someone asked what I have against Louis Vuitton. The answer to that is, I suppose, absolutely nothing. It's just not my, er, bag.
In my mind, that kind of thing has nothing to do with the sport I love and/or the place I love. It's just one of those signs of 'big money' taking over, isn't it? And I do have conflicting feelings about that. Perhaps it is inevitable as this destination continues to evolve quickly, but that doesn't mean I have to like it or be part of it.
That said, if you enjoy such things, that's cool too. We all have different things we love, don't we? (Toast).
I do kind of wonder how many people reading this report might take some moments off from pounding the powder to pop on over to buy expensive 'travel luggage, leather goods, ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, fragrances, watches and jewellery'.
Anyway, said ‘yurt’ will be there until Sunday, 25th February 2024.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -10C, 10cm/12h snowfall, calm. Moiwa800m: -17.4C, NNW1.2m/s,15cm snowfall, no snowdrifts development. Mikaeri 764m: -13C, light breeze, 250cm snowpack. Annupuri 1000m: -13.1C, W5.3m/s. Niseko Village 1000m: -12.1C, W3.1m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -12.2C, SSE3.4m/s. Hanazono#3: -9.7C, SSW1.8m/s. Coastal data: Benkei cape WSW5m/s, average less than 10m/s in 12h. Kamui cape SW11m/s, 1015hPa, 1.0m waves.
Winds are weakening under the high pressure system. Deeper layers are starting to consolidate and stabilise. Hirafu No.3 gate, Fujiwara No. 4 gate, Hanazono No. 5 gate will be open with a time gap today. Gates No. 1 & 2 are still closed. Please follow the ski patrol’s instructions. The avalanche risks remain high on the slopes like Kozan no sawa side walls at 1100m elevation, O-sawa (Annupuri bowl) cornice slopes at 1000m elevation area, and Higashi-One (East ridge) steep slopes under the cornices. Do not traverse from Hirafu to reach Osawa. Osawa gates are not open. Top chair lift in Annupuri is not in operation, so you will not be able to return to Hirafu.
Do not traverse knolls and cornice slopes. Avalanche is a natural phenomenon, but accidents occur when people are involved. Stay away from the gully bottoms. Those steep slopes in gullies are very likely to collapse. If you fall and get buried, you may suffocate. Be careful. There was an avalanche in Nitonupuri yesterday. Regardless of the presence or absence of a weak layer, avalanches are likely to occur during a snowstorm as it forms new snowdrifts that can break easily. Be careful even in the forest during bad weather. Is your beacon switched on? Today is cold. Have a good day.
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Individual ski area information for Thursday 11th January 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
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 300cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 130cm (-10cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- All lifts operating apart from Ace Number 1 pair, King Number 1 pair and King Number 2 quad
- 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: 20cm
- Base: 25cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 240cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 195cm (+15cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- All lifts operating
- 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: 180cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 160cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- All lifts operating apart from Jumbo Number 4 pair
- 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: 255cm
- Base: 155cm
Lifts:
- All lifts operating 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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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- All lifts operating
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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 Thursday 11th January 2024 Total snowfall at base so far 531cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 44 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 164cm reported on 9 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.