Niseko Now: Saturday 14th March 2020
- Mar 14, 2020
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 3cm
Snowfall at base this season 701cm
Posted on Saturday 14th March 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
The sun is making itself seen this morning and we have a lot of blue sky.
3cm of snow observed since yesterday which isn't as much as I would have though given that we did have snow falling for a large part of the time.
Unfortunately I was not able to get out yesterday due to something suddenly coming up that I had to see to. But this morning, in updating official snow depth numbers (below), I notice that the upper official snow depth of Niseko Grand Hirafu has jumped up by 40cm. That's probably one of the biggest jumps of the season. Even given what I said in the report yesterday, was there really that much?! I would like to think so. And I am going to make an extra effort to get up there myself today.
Take care!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base 6am: -5℃, 2cm snowfall in 12h, calm morning. Mowa 800m: SE 189°1.6m/s, -7.4℃, 40cm snowdrift in 24h, good visibility and calm. Annupuri 1100m: WSW 243°2.1m/s, no temp data. Yu no sawa 1000m: SSW 243°2.6m/s, -9.9℃. Village 900m: S 173°1.6m/s, -9.4℃. Hirafu 1000m: no wind data, -10.0℃. Hanazono 720m: S 185°3.1m/s, -8.0℃. Sea of Japan Benkei cape: WNW6m/s, Kamui cape: SW12m/s, 1011hPa, 2.1m waves.
The isobars are spacing out and the wind is calming down. Cold air is flowing in. The snowdrifts above 800m elevation that developed yesterday seems to have stabilized by this morning. Looking at the data transitions, the general avalanche risk is low today. A good 15-20cm layer of fresh snow has blanketed the tree-runs. Cornices above 900m elevation are still likely to collapse, better not unnecessarily stimulate them. Peak gates are being ready to open from the morning. Listen to the ski patrol’s advice and be well prepared for backcountry traveling. There is no guaranteed safety in the out of bounds. Always make conservative decisions in the mountains. Being precautious is key to avoid accident. Wearing a helmet is strongly recommended. Have you switched your beacon on? Have a nice.
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Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 335cm
- Base: 115cm
All lifts are normally operating EXCEPT:
- Ace Number 1 pair lift (normally rested)
- King Number 2 quad lift (normally rested)
Lifts scheduled for late operations:
- Ace Family quad until 8:30pm
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad until 8:20pm
- Hirafu Gondola until 8:10pm
- Holiday Number 1 pair until 8:30pm
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 235cm
- Base: 127cm
All lifts are normally operating
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 185cm
- Base: 110cm
All lifts are normally operating
Lift scheduled for late operations:
- Jumbo Number 1 quad until 8:30pm
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 190cm
- Base: 100cm
All lifts normally operating EXCEPT:
- Village Express
- Country Road Chair (normally rested)
Lifts scheduled for late operations:
- Annupuri Village Gondola until 8:00pm
- Village Express until 8:00pm
- Banzai Chair until 8:00pm
Niseko Now 2019-2020 season |
Data as of Saturday 14th March 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 701cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 78 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 33cm (21st January) November 2019 snowfall 85cm reported on 10 days December 2019 snowfall 207cm reported on 21 days January 2020 snowfall 224cm reported on 20 days February 2020 snowfall 143cm reported on 19 days March 2020 snowfall 42cm 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.