Niseko Now: Tuesday 14th February 2023
- Feb 14, 2023
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 7cm
Snowfall at base this season 825cm
Posted on Tuesday 14th February 2023 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko.
It was snowing quite hard for a while there yesterday afternoon, and this morning I have an additional 7cm to add to my report.
Quite cold feeling this morning and currently it is just under -9C outside. Niseko Village are reporting a temperature of -18C up top (and 5-10cm of fresh snowfall). I was actually just over there and some nice big flakes of snow were falling from the skies, with less visibility than yesterday morning. Wind doesn't appear to be an issue this morning and so lifts are opening as planned.
An ongoing update as I put this report together: there's a bit of sun peeking through the clouds in places. That might not last long and it is still snowing nicely over at Village. Bottom line: varied weather conditions around the mountain early morning.
It's the middle of February. Where did it all go?! That means that we are pretty much right slap bang in the middle of the season, with some lifts planning to be open until early May. Give me fresh snow until later in the season and I'll be happy.
Oh yes, please remember that by reading these reports, you signed on to continue reading them until early May. It was in the contract you signed!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -6C, 5cm new snow. Moiwa 800m: -10.9C, WSW1.9m/s. Annupuri 1100m: -13.0C, WNW3.6m/s, 10cm new snow, cornice and snow drift development. Mizuno no Sawa top: -11.9C, NNW2.6m/s. Hirafu Hanazono: -12.8C, NNE0.6m/s. Hanazono#3: -10.8C, SSE1.3m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape NNW10m/s, Kamui Cape N7m/s, 1008hPa, 2.4m waves.
Snowdrifts have accumulated above the 800m treeline due to winds from midnight to dawn. Although snowfall has slowed at the moment it could pick up again if the isobars over the Sea of Japan tighten up. There is a small low pressure system over the Ishikari Bay. Although less than 15cm of snow has fallen on the Niseko mountains, cornices and snowdrifts are breaking easily. The avalanche risk on 1100m slopes with wind blown snow accumulations is rising. Peak gates are expected to be open. Please follow the patrol’s advice. Do not duck ropes to go out of the ski resort even after the gates are closed. As the depth of the snowpack increases the risk of full depth avalanches(sliding on the ground level vegetation) in areas like the NW slope of NishiOne is increasing. Full depth avalanches occur in Niseko even when it's cold. Be careful when you drop onto wide open slopes. Also avoid waiting in the valley bottom, which is an avalanche path. Is your beacon on? Have a good day.
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Ski area information for Tuesday 14th February 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, weather permitting.
Official snow depth numbers in brackets show the change since previous report.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 360cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 160cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Ace Family quad [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four) [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 3 pair
- Hirafu Gondola
- Holiday Number 1 pair
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
- Swinging Monkey
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 300cm (+5cm since yesterday)
- Base: 240cm (+5cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
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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: 260cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 180cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open until 7:30pm for night skiing]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 3 pair [* normally open on weekends and holidays]
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 230cm (+15cm since yesterday)
- Base: 200cm (+5cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Niseko Gondola
- Upper Village Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Banzai Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Wonderland Chair
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- Number 1 pair lift
- Number 2 pair lift
- Quad lift
Niseko Now 2022-2023 season |
Data as of Tuesday 14th February 2023 Total snowfall at base so far 825cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 72 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (27th & 28th January, 6th February) November 2022 snowfall 17cm reported on 5 days December 2022 snowfall 336cm reported on 27 days January 2023 snowfall 332cm reported on 27 days February 2023 snowfall 140cm reported on 13 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.