Niseko Now: Thursday 15th February 2018
- Feb 15, 2018
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 26cm
Snowfall at base this season 1038cm
Posted on Thursday 15th February 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
I bring further good news, oh yes I do.
We got a lot of snow during the day yesterday and some more overnight. Just a short while ago I measured 26cm of fresh snowfall to add to the reports from down here at base.
It's actually quite bright as I type this - is that a bit of sun peeking through the clouds? ...probably temporary - though it is still snowing lightly and continued snow is there on the forecast through into next week.
So things are looking good and there doesn't seem to be much wind about today either.
All lifts look set to be operating as normal but we can expect gates to be closed this morning. There's plenty of fresh fun to be had within the resort so there is no need to be tempted to do anything silly or naughty.
Take care and have fun!
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -9℃, 15cm snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -12℃, NW20m/s wind from early morning, 10m/s average overnight, 30cm snowfall with large snowdrifts development. Annupuri 1150m: -13℃, W15m/s, 30cm snowfall, large snowdrifts. Hirafu 1250m: -12℃, strong NW wind, large snowdrifts. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW15m/s, Kamui cape NNW10m/s, 1007hPa, 1.8m waves.
Intermittent snow & wind made snowdrifts develop unevenly. The newly formed snowdrifts from late night to early morning is very large (up to 100cm) and the knolls around 800m easily collapses due to weak bonding within the slabs. Avalanche risk remains high in the steep slopes of Mikaeri bowl, 1000m Osawa (Annupuri bowl) cornice slopes, Kozan no sawa (Back bowl) all area and Higashi-One cornice slopes.
All gates are expected to close. Do not step out of bounds when the gates are closed. Avoid stimulating knolls and cornices anywhere today. Better not ride down to the bottom of valleys/gullies with cornices above it. Heavy deposit of wind-affected dense & grippy snow in the trees. Snowboarders are recommended to carry snowshoes & poles in case stuck at the bottom.
The light is weak and the bumps are hard to see. Beware of hitting trees or falling into cracks. The conditions will get better soon. Be flexible & make conservative decisions according to the weather. We strongly hope the day will end safely. Have a great day.
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Thursday 15th February 2018
Resort specific information (operations subject to change):
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts (apart from King Number 2) should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 485cm
- Base: 260cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 380cm
- Base: 230cm
Niseko Village
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts (apart from the Country Road Chair lift) should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 380cm
- Base: 230cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Thursday 15th February 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1038cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 75 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 139cm reported on 11 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.