Niseko Now: Monday 12th December 2022
- Dec 12, 2022
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 9cm
Snowfall at base this season 173cm
Posted on Monday 12th December 2022 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
I have just measured another 9cm of snow since yesterday morning. It was lovely out there too. It's still cloudy, but there is blue sky and hints of sun too. So it should be a great morning on the mountain.
And while I might not have any/much snow to report tomorrow morning, due to be relatively mild, there's potentially heavy snow coming with temps due to take a big dip by Wednesday.
A few more courses are now open at Hirafu, and the Dynamic course is also open at Annupuri. (The list below is updated every morning). So, little by little, the mountain is gradually opening up.
The course link between Hirafu and Hanazono is open (until 3:00pm) but note that the connection between Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Village is not yet available.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -5℃, calm, 15cm snowfall in 12h. Moiwa 600m: -6℃, calm, 15cm snowfall in 12h. Mountain weather stations not installed. Hirafu patrol report: 10cm snowfall in 12h, good visibility. Coastal data: Benkei cape calm, Kamui cape N3m/s, 1023hPa, 1.1m waves.
The Japanese Sea and the mountain range is calm under the predominant high-pressure system. The snowpack at 800m Higashi-One ridge has reached 130cm and weak layers are likely to let go in slopes steeper than 35 degrees, please be cautious. The overall avalanche risk is low and the snowpack is still shallow. Tree stumps, bushes and other obstacles are lurking underneath the surface. The snow quality is awesome. The temperature above 1000m stays below -8℃, layer up with warm clothes.
Gates are not open yet, please stay inbounds for now. The mountain weather can quickly change, always stay cautious.
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Individual ski area information for Monday 12th December 2022
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.
Official snow depth numbers in brackets show the change since previous report.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 5cm
- Base: 5cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 120cm (+10cm change since yesterday)
- Base: 75cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four) (8:30am-3:10pm)
- Ace Number 3 pair (8:40am-3:30pm)
- King Number 3 quad (8:40am-3:15pm)
Courses:
- Jumbo (lower area ungroomed)
- Rinkan (lower area)
- Center
- Shirakaba
- Beginners access
- Holiday
- Kokutai
- Green
- Alpen (lower area ungroomed)
- Sennoki
- Family
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 15cm
- Base: 15cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 110cm (-3cm change since yesterday)
- Base: 90cm (+10cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Hanazono Number 1 (8:30am-3:00pm)
- Hanazono Number 2 quad (8:30am-3:00pm)
- Hanazono Number 3 quad (8:30am-3:00pm)
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola (8:30am-4:00pm)
Courses:
- All main courses are now available
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 115cm (+10cm change since yesterday)
- Base: 85cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Annupuri Gondola (8:30am-3:15pm)
- Dream Number 1 quad (9:00am-4:30pm)
- Jumbo Number 1 quad (8:30am-4:00pm)
Courses:
- Utopia
- Silver
- Shirakaba
- Paradise
- Family
- Dynamic
- Junior
- Beginner course by the Dream lift
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 110cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 85cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Niseko Gondola (8:30am-3:00pm)
- Village Express (8:30am-4:00pm)
- Community Chair (8:30am-4:00pm)
- Banzai Chair (8:30am-4:00pm)
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- Number 1 pair lift (8:30am-3:30pm)
- Number 2 pair lift (8:30am-3:30pm)
Niseko Now 2022-2023 season |
Data as of Monday 12th December 2022 Total snowfall at base so far 173cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 17 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (2nd December) November 2022 snowfall 17cm reported on 5 days December 2022 snowfall 156cm reported on 12 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.