Niseko Now: Wednesday 11th March 2015
- Mar 11, 2015
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 10cm
Snowfall at base this season 1039cm
Posted on Wednesday 11th March 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
So yes it was pretty wild weather conditions yesterday in many parts of Hokkaido. The bad weather was affecting transportation as well as ski lifts. Not a nice day!
How about today then?
Well, the good news is that the rain did turn into snow during the day yesterday and this morning there is fresh snow on the ground. 10cm of it. Expect more higher up on the mountain of course - I am hearing 20-25cm from a friend who works at a resort.
Further good news is that it is still snowing rather heavily now and is forecast to continue through the day today; snowfall is likely to continue until the end of the week, perhaps today will be the heaviest. That all sounds good to me, and it should be building up nicely. Good numbers to report tomorrow I would imagine.
Less good news is that the stormy conditions are continuing...
Yesterday some of the lifts that had been stopped due to the weather gradually did seem to open mid to late morning, though just lower lifts, and even the Hirafu Gondola and Ace Number 2 Center Four lift managed to get going at 5pm.
This morning at the start of planned ski resort openings the situation is no lifts moving at Annupuri and Hanazono and lower lifts open at Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Village. Details as of 8:30am in the area below. Keep an eye on the weather and with the resorts for the latest.
Winds will hopefully be less of an issue tomorrow.
Have a safe day if you plan to brave the elements!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -3C, 20cm snowfall in 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: SE10m/s, large development of snowdrifts and difficult access to Mikaeri cat track. Annupuri 1000m snowpack 335cm. Hirafu 1000m: strong wind and heavy snowfall, large development of snowdrifts, poor visibility, -5C. Peak 1308m: -7.2C, anemometer data n/a. Benkei cape: WNW24m/s, Kamui cape WSW18m/s, 974hPa, 1.6m waves.
A developing low-pressure system is passing by generating heavy snowfall with strong gusts. Snowdrifts are developing drastically and the avalanche risk is extreme in all areas. Most gates will be closed, please don’t duck ropes to step out of bounds. All surrounding peaks are in an extremely hazardous condition; remember that many of the accidents occur during poor weather. Better not push it too far today. Hazardous conditions will persist a while after the weather ameliorates. 50cm thick slides from March 10th layer are highly likely to occur in leeward slopes above 700m altitude. Climax (ground) avalanches from 1100m areas are also to be expected. Better stay away from the valleys & bowls even after the storm settles down. This information is dedicated to prevent accidents of all ski resort users. Moiwa ski area will be closed due to the weather. Have a nice day.
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Official resort snow depths:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 445cm
Base - 140cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 300cm
Base - 160cm
Niseko Annupuri:
Top - 370cm
Base - 190cm
Niseko Now 2014-2015 season |
Data as of Wednesday 11th March 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 1039cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 76 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th & 26th December and 11th February) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm reported on 23 days February 2015 snowfall 196cm reported on 18 days March 2015 snowfall 37cm 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.