Niseko Now: Sunday 13th March 2016
- Mar 13, 2016
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 5cm
Snowfall at base this season 969cm
Posted on Sunday 13th March 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Hello from Niseko on this Sunday morning.
5cm more snow to report this morning - this is snow that fell yesterday. There were some spells of clearer conditions after that and we enjoyed a clear evening and a very cold night so no further snow overnight.
This morning we woke to a mix of cloud and clearer skies. After that cold night it is a chilly start to the day and thankfully it doesn't feel like it's going to be warming up just yet... sometime later in the week.
For the next few days we can expect a mix of sunshine, cloud and perhaps occasional snow flurries (or hopefully a bit more than flurries if we are lucky).
Just a bit of news from Niseko Grand Hirafu where a few small sections are going to be closed today due to some events being held - 'Technical Prize Test' and 'One Coin Time Challenge', apparently! Areas to watch out for the part closures are the Furiko Course, part of Jumbo Course by the Swinging Monkey lift and part of the Boyo Course. They'll be back open to the public just as soon as the events are finished.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6.00am: -10°C, no new snow, calm. Moiwa 838m: -8.1°C, WSW2.8m/s, no new snow. Annupuri: -11°C, W5m/s. Annupuri 1000m: snowpack 300cm. Hirafu Ridgeline: -11°C, light winds, sunny. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:SSW4m/s. Kamui Cape S9m/s, 1024hPa, wave 0.8m.
Mountain base has cooled overnight under clear sky. Currently we are under influence of high pressure system and the mountains and seas are calm. From observation the general avalanche risk is low. The 12th Mar layer is still on the surface of the snow pack and will become a notable layer in the future snow pack. Peak west ridge, Kozan no sawa sidewall(backbowl), many cracks are appearing around 1100m on south side.
This winter snowdrifts are very thick and with temperature fluctuations there is high probability that full depth avalanches will occur on south facing slopes earlier than usual this year. In Niseko these avalanches do not only happen on warm days, they are similar to glacial avalanches and can happen anytime.
Full depth avalanches happen very quickly and travel a great speed. They have a devastating impact on the valley below clearing rocks and trees over long distances. Do not ride in the valley bottom , this is the avalanche course. All peak gates are expected to be open. Snow is still good, but yesterdays tracks are still there. Have a good day.
Niseko Now 2015-2016 season |
Data as of Sunday 13th March 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 969cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 77 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 95cm reported on 8 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.