Niseko Now: Wednesday 13th December 2023
- Dec 13, 2023
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 1cm
Snowfall at base this season 160cm
Posted on Wednesday 13th December 2023 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
We have had some snow falling since my last report, but it has only really amounted to a dusting once again. (I'm not seeing this much myself, but Hanazono and Hirafu are again reporting 5cm @ base and peak).
While that snow isn't enough to meaningfully change our current situation, Niseko Village has four lifts operating this morning. Terrain available remains unchanged.
It is a cloudy early morning with light snow falling at the moment.
By the time Sunday rolls around, things should feel much more positive, with some good, consistent snowfall currently predicted on forecasts. If they are correct, that fun should all start later on Saturday!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base 300m: -5C, light breeze, 1cm snowfall. No weather data from Moiwa & Annupuri. Hanazono 700m: -7.6C, NNW4.6m/s. Hanazono 1000m: -10.9C, ESE2.7m/s. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW14m/s, Kamui cape WSW13m/s, 1021hPa, 1.7m waves.
Low snowpack and the resorts are only partially open. A wintery pressure distribution is developing, resulting in strong westerly winds above 1000m elevation. Strong gusts sometimes blow at base elevation.
The roads are frozen and treacherous, drive carefully.
This information will be released irregularly for a while.
The snow will eventually start falling.
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Individual ski area information for Wednesday 13th December 2023
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.
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: 75cm (+55cm since yesterday) (!) * clearly there have been some typos over the last few days
- Base: 15cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four) (8:30am-3:10pm) * used for transport only
- Ace Number 3 pair (8:40am-3:20pm)
Courses:
- Center Course
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 5cm
- Base: 5cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 65cm (+10cm since yesterday)
- Base: 30cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Hanazono Number 1 (9:00am-2:00pm)
- Hanazono Number 2 quad (9:00am-3:00pm)
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 0cm
- Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 40cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 10cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Dream Number 1 quad (8:30am-4:00pm)
Courses:
- Beginners run by the lift
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 15cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 5cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Upper Village Gondola (8:30am-4:00pm)
- Village Express (9:00am-4:00pm) * used for transport only
- Community Chair (8:30am-4:00pm)
- Banzai Chair (8:30am-4:00pm)
Niseko Now 2023-2024 season |
Data as of Wednesday 13th December 2023 Total snowfall at base so far 160cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 18 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (1st December) November 2023 snowfall 120cm reported on 11 days December 2023 snowfall 40cm 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.