Niseko Now: Saturday 15th February 2020
- Feb 15, 2020
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 585cm
Posted on Saturday 15th February 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Well, after that spell of rather mild days with temperatures venturing into positive numbers, I am happy to report that it definitely feels colder this morning.
And!
While it is not snowing where I am, I can see light snow falling on the Hanazono live webcam.
The forecast is looking good for fresh snow in the first part of the week. The weather may start getting a bit wild from later on in the day tomorrow.
If we do get the snow that's on the forecast, snow conditions across the mountain should be much improved by the middle of the week. Perhaps sooner!
All lifts should be operating as planned this morning.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -5℃, no snow, frozen. Moiwa 800m: NNW333°8.8m/s, -7.2℃. Yu no sawa 1000m: WNW308°2.5m/s, -9.7℃. Niseko Village 900m: WNW294°3.3m/s, -8.3℃. Hirafu 1000m: S183°4.0m/s, -9.9℃. Hanazono 720m: NW310°6.6m/s, -6.2℃. Benkei cape: NW11m/s, Kamui cape: WSW8m/s, 1020hPa, 1.2m waves. Annupuri 1000m snow depth 170cm.
The wind is calm and no snow has fallen under a cold high-pressure system. A thick fog is covering 1000m southern area during the day. Patches of soil are starting to show up under 600m elevation due to the warm temp of the last few days. Be careful riding. There is no fresh snow anywhere and the mountain is tracked out. A crust layer is covering the surface in the trees too, making it difficult to come down safely. It is strongly recommended to wear a helmet. Small scale glide avalanche risk is rising in cliff slopes such as in Haru no Taki. Do not cross boundary ropes for your own sake.
All gates are scheduled to open from the morning. Be careful. Prudency is key to avoid accidents.
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Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 240cm
- Base: 90cm
All lifts are normally operating EXCEPT:
- Ace Number 1 pair lift (normally rested)
- King Number 2 quad lift (normally rested)
All courses normally open
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: 170cm
- Base: 97cm
All lifts are normally operating
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 170cm
- Base: 100cm
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: 200cm
- Base: 115cm
All lifts normally operating EXCEPT:
- 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 15th February 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 585cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 61 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 69cm reported on 10 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.