Niseko Now: Thursday 12th March 2015
- Mar 12, 2015
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 30cm
Snowfall at base this season 1069cm
Posted on Thursday 12th March 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Stormy conditions continue in the wider region at the moment.
Loads more snow, my highly scientific measuring methods indicate 30cm of it. Take a look at the Avalanche report below and see 50cm being mentioned... there's a lot of fresh snow out there just now.
How about the wind? I have to post this report a little earlier today and some information is not yet available so I would check with the resorts for the latest. It looks like lower lifts might get to open but top lifts will be taking a rest again at least at the beginning of the day. Hopefully things might start to calm down today (good!) with snow probably going to be falling into tomorrow (very good).
The current situation might not be great for the people who happen to be here right now in the middle of it (if the lifts and gates don't open), but once the bite of this storm passes those folk who decided to be here mid March will be feeling very lucky indeed!
---
Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -4C, 40cm snowfall in 12 hours. Moiwa Mikaeri Cat track SW7m/s, 50cm new snow with large development of snowdrifts, -6C. Annupuri 1000m: snowpack 330cm. Hirafu 1000m: 50cm snowfall, snowdrift development. Peak temp -8.6C. Benkei cape: WNW19m/s, Maui cape WSW19m/s, 994hPa, 3.1m waves.
Strong storm with heaviest snowfall of the season. 50cm surface slab avalanches are likely to occur in leeward slopes with heavy snowdrift deposit above 500m altitude. The avalanche risk is extreme in the Niseko range and the surrounding peaks. All gates above 800m will be closed. The snow is wind-affected & heavy. You may be stuck if you ride down to the bottom of the valleys without proper equipment. Cornices have grown over 10m in some places and are highly likely to collapse with the slightest stimulation. Falling cornices could trigger a large avalanche. No avalanches are alike, but the current condition is similar to Satsunai river No.10 creek accident in the Hidaka range that occurred on the 13th March 1965. This avalanche ran for 3km from the ridgeline, burying 6people to death who were bivouacking inside a snowcave. Better stay away from the valley bottom today. The snow is good, but heavy and deep in the trees. Beware of falling into hidden cracks.
---
Official resort snow depths:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 470cm
Base - 170cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 300cm
Base - 160cm
Niseko Annupuri:
Top - 370cm
Base - 190cm
Niseko Now 2014-2015 season |
Data as of Thursday 12th March 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 1069cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 77 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 67cm reported on 6 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.