Niseko Now: Sunday 12th January 2014
- Jan 12, 2014
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 25cm
Snowfall at base this season 615cm
Posted on Sunday 12th January 2014 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Another 25cm of snow since yesterday. I'm sure I said that yesterday. Yes, I did. But it's true, as the snow just doesn't seem to want to stop at the moment. Good snow wants to fall on Niseko!
There's not as much wind this morning but later on stronger winds forecast. Snow is still falling and visibility is generally fairly poor.
Apart from the top lifts at Grand Hirafu and the Jumbo Number 4 lit at Annupuri having a late start as they cope with snow, all lifts plan to be running as scheduled.
Let's look at the numbers and see what they say. Today Niseko Grand Hirafu is reporting 175cm at base and 360cm on upper areas. The same day last year those numbers were 200cm and 380cm respectively. So actually a bit less than last year. In our Now report on January 12th 2013 we were reporting a running total of 756cm of snowfall since the beginning of the season. Today that same number for this season is 615cm.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's numbers for Kutchan town for January 2013 were 268cm. So far this month we have 134cm and so we're half way there in 12 days. December 2013 saw less snowfall than December 2012 and so it would be good to 'catch up'. Just for the sake of the numbers!
Whatever the numbers are, continued snow refreshes are making for excellent conditions every day. Take care out there and have fun.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -8C, 20cm of fresh. Moiwa 800m: -11C, NW10m/s, 30cm of fresh, large & unstable development of snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: NW15m/s, -14C, 40cm snow, large development of unstable cornices and snowdrifts. Annupuri peak: W8m/s, -15℃. Wind forecast at noon: WNW20m/s. Hirafu 12hours snowfall 40cm. Coastal data: Benkei cape WNW10m/s, Kamui cape W9m/s, 2m waves, 1016hPa.
The isobars are spacing out as the next low-pressure system is approaching, and the wind is stagnating around 10m/s since 2am. However, the wind is forecasted to pick up later today. The avalanche risk is high above 800m. Possibilities of 80-120cm thick surface slab avalanches are present in the Backbowl, Osawa 1100m cornice slopes, Higashi-One cornice slopes and Mikaeri Bowl. Gate 2 & 3 will be kept closed today. Gate 1 & 4 are scheduled to open, however traversing all the way across to the cornices is strongly not recommend. Very hazardous conditions today. Other gates still to be determined, please respect the ski patrol’s decisions. The mountain is in unstable conditions due to the continuing storm; keep in mind that accidents are most likely to occur during and just after storms.
Beware of sudden weather changes, stay humble and be prudent. Have you switched your avy beacon on?
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Official snow depth numbers and lift news at time of writing:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 360cm
Base - 175cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 250cm
Base - 180cm
Annupuri:
Top - 220cm
Base - 190cm
Niseko Now 2013-2014 season |
Data as of Sunday 12th January 2014 Total snowfall at base so far 615cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 43 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 35cm (14th, 15th and 24th December) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 275cm reported on 22 days January 2014 snowfall 217cm 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.