Niseko Now: Tuesday 12th January 2016
- Jan 12, 2016
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 12cm
Snowfall at base this season 422cm
Posted on Tuesday 12th January 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
A good morning to you from Niseko where... it has been snowing again. It has been doing quite a lot of that of late!
This morning I have another 12cm of fine quality snow to add to the tally. Right at this moment it's just cloudy but snow falling is something that can happen any time and indeed those forecasts are still telling us to expect snow today and over the coming days.
It also remains very cold.
I am a bit earlier with my report this morning (out of necessity), but as I take the webcam images at 7:53am there's a bunch of folk already waiting for that Hirafu lift. Niseko Village look to be reporting winds of up to 17m/s up top so we'll have to keep an eye on that - hopefully wind won't be an issue today.
It should be another excellent day.
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It's time to take another excite look at some numbers.
In the first 12 reports of January 2016 I have observed 117cm of snowfall here at my Hirafu base (and 94cm over the last 7 days). Last year during the same 12 day start to January 2015, I actually recorded 162cm - so like-for-like we are actually behind on last year. And if you remember, at the end of December 2015 (for the season so far up to that point) we were also about 2.5m behind on the same period the previous season.
The poor ('late') start to the season is of course a big reason for the December numbers, and perhaps the big picture is just one more reflection of the generally 'mild winter' that Japan has been experiencing so far. Even though obviously no-one could call it mild up here at the moment - rather, it's actually really cold. But that's beside the point.
And of course we are still enjoying very respectful and regular refresh rates, so that's all great. So perhaps and we should just consider ourselves lucky given the prolonged poor early season in many other regions of the country.
I am no meteorologist (as you can no doubt tell) but I did see an interview on television yesterday with one who was saying that there is a good chance that Japan as a whole will be getting colder and brushing aside this 'mild winter' soon. That would be good for everyone.
It's exciting to think how January could end up for us here in Hokkaido if the consistency continues.
Oh yes, please remember everyone my observations are - and always have been - from my base here in Hirafu.
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Following on from my comments yesterday, the King Number 2 quad lift at Niseko Grand Hirafu is being rested again from today, so it looks like it was a long holiday special.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -10℃, 15cm new snow, calm. Moiwa 800m: -13℃, W10m/s, developing cornices and snowdrifts. Mikaeri anemometer: SSW2.3m, -12.8℃. Annupuri 1150m: -15℃, W15m/s. Hirafu 1000m: -14℃, mild wind and 20cm snowfall. Benkei cape: WNW12m/s, Kamui cape W9m/s, 1013hPa, 2.3m waves.
Typical winter pressure distribution (High in the west, Low in the east) continues. The wind is stagnating around 10-15m/s westerly at sea and in the sky. Intermittent gusts with heavy snowfall are making the snowdrifts and cornices grow slowly around 800m elevation. 120cm thick slab largely slid with the snow-cat pressure test, however seems stable with ski compaction. Looking at all data and observations, the avalanche hazard level under 1000m elevation is low. Peak gates will open as they’re ready. Please follow the patrol’s instructions and step out of the gates. Carrying avalanche transceivers (beacons) is not mandatory in Niseko, however it is strongly recommended to. It may save not only yours but other people’s lives.
The avalanche hazard level in areas above 1100m is moderate to high. 60cm thick slides are likely to occur with ski compaction. Better not stimulate slopes with knolls and cornices. Beware of frostbites and hypothermia. Overall good conditions this morning.
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Official resort snow depths as of Tuesday 12th January 2016:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 280cm
Base - 130cm
Niseko Village
Top - 200cm
Base - 120cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 165cm
Base - 110cm
Niseko Now 2015-2016 season |
Data as of Tuesday 12th January 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 422cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 32 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (26th and 28th December) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 117cm reported on 11 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.