Niseko Now: Saturday 12th March 2016
- Mar 12, 2016
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 24cm
Snowfall at base this season 964cm
Posted on Saturday 12th March 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
What a lovely Saturday morning it is.
I don't mean that the sun is out and it's clear blue skies... no, we have 24cm of fresh snow on the ground here at Hirafu base and surely more than that up on the mountain. Just about right that isn't it, 20+cm. Fantastic to see so much snow overnight and here on the 12th March, must admit I was not expecting this.
There was a hint of sun just bit earlier on, but right now it's back to snowing with limited visibility.
The skies might just clear up though during the day today.
It does look likely to get a bit warmer from tomorrow - sunshine tomorrow morning? - but there is some more snow lined up on the forecast for Monday-Tuesday.
We can't escape the fact that it is indeed approaching mid-March now so spring is inevitably going to start winning through sometime soon.
In the meantime though, it's a fab mid-winter like morning here now!
I hope you can get to enjoy it.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6.00am: -6°C, light winds, 25cm new snow. Moiwa 838m: -8.9°C, light winds, 30cm new snow. Mikaeri: 35cm new snow, no snow drift development. Annupuri 1000m: snowpack 300cm. Hirafu Ridgeline: -11°C, light winds, 20cm new snow. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:NNW10m/s. Kamui Cape W5m/s, 1020hPa, wave 1.0m.
Atmospheric pressure gradient is shallow and winds are calm. However cold air at higher elevations is continuing to produce snow. From observation there is no notable snowdrift development. Under 1000m avalanche risk is low. On north faces, steep slopes above 1200m and leeward cornice slopes the slab on top of the Mar 9th layer is stabilsing, but due to the increased weight from the continued snowfall these slabs could fracture from sudden stimulation, such as a cornice breaking, fracturing up to 50cm. Avoid riding in the valley bottoms-> this is the avalanche path. There are many cracks appearing just below ridgelines, many are hidden by new snow. Use caution. Do not enter strictly off limits areas. Do not duck any of the ropes. All peak gates are expected to be open. Snow in the forest is good. Have a good day.
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Official resort snow depths as of Saturday 12th March 2016:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 395cm
Base - 170cm
Niseko Village
Top - 360cm
Base - 160cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 380cm
Base - 180cm
Niseko Now 2015-2016 season |
Data as of Saturday 12th March 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 964cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 76 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 90cm reported on 7 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.