Niseko Now: Wednesday 13th March 2019
- Mar 13, 2019
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 1cm
Snowfall at base this season 902cm
Posted on Wednesday 13th March 2019 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko.
I have a bit more snow to report to you this morning! Another 1cm to add, and as you can see below up to 5cm is being reported in places this morning.
It is a cloudy morning, with better visibility than yesterday. And that's about it really; maybe a little bit more snow at times over the coming few days. Just a bit.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Mountain base 6am: -1.5℃, light snowfall. Moiwa800m: -3.9℃, NE1.02m/s, 5cm snowfall, no snowdrift developments. Annupuri 1100m: -6.5℃, E0.8m/s, 250cm snow depth. Hirafu1000m: -6.3℃, SSW2.0m/s, light snowfall. Kutchan weather station: -0.6℃, NE0.9m/s, 116cm snow depth. Benkei cape: NNE3m/s, Kamui cape: E3m/s, 1004hPa, 0.6m waves.
Calm wind with some light snowfall. The tracks have been buried. The overall snowfall is below average and the snowpack is shallower than usual, however the temperature remained low above 800m and thaw are yet to reach the higher slopes.
The snow melt is progressing at the base of the mountain. Beware of small glide avalanches in gullies below 700m elevation, and always stay away from large valley bottoms (namely Osawa and Back bowl) in order to avoid large scale glide avalanches.
Cornices can collapse far from the edge, better not stand anywhere on top. Beware of cracks. It is strongly recommended to carry a thin rope in your backpack as they would come in handy when in need. Carabiners and harnesses are not a necessity.
The mountain is shifting into Spring, however snowfall are still expected. Seek for ski patrol’s advices before stepping out of the gates and be ready for sudden weather changes. Have a great day.
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Ski resort operation information: Wednesday 13th March 2019
Subject to change due to weather conditions
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Plans to be open until Monday 6th May 2019
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 320cm
- Base: 120cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts opening as normal at the start of the day (Ace Number 1 pair and King Number 2 quad rested)
- The Ace Family quad (until 8:30pm), Ace Center 4 quad (8:20pm), Hirafu Gondola (until 8:10pm) and Holiday Number 1 pair (until 8:30pm) lifts are normally open during the evening
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Plans to be open until Sunday 7th April 2019
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 230cm
- Base: 170cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts opening as normal at the start of the day
- The Hanazono lifts are normally currently open until 4:20pm
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Niseko Annupuri
Plans to be open until Monday 6th May 2019
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 290cm
- Base: 100cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts opening as normal at the start of the day
- The Jumbo 1 lift is normally open until 8:30pm during the evening
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Niseko Village
Plans to be open until Sunday 7th April 2019
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 290cm
- Base: 100cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts opening as normal at the start of the day (Country Road Chair rested)
- The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair lifts are normally open until 8:00pm during the evening
Niseko Now 2018-2019 season |
Data as of Wednesday 13th March 2019 Total snowfall at base so far 902cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 81 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (29th December) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 333cm reported on 26 days January 2019 snowfall 285cm reported on 25 days February 2019 snowfall 198cm reported on 20 days March 2019 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 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.