Niseko Now: Saturday 15th March 2014
- Mar 15, 2014
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 2cm
Snowfall at base this season 1141cm
Posted on Saturday 15th March 2014 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Just a couple of cm of fresh snow to report this morning in Niseko.
Light snow is falling this morning though and it feels a bit more winter-like. It is colder this morning but there's much less wind than there was yesterday, so the ski lifts should all be operating as normal today. The forecast for the day is cloud and snow at times, with a similar look to the forecast for tomorrow as well. The sun may pop in for greetings from time to time as well through the clouds.
So we are now half way through March of course. I have observed 104cm of snow since the beginning of the month which it turns out is almost the same as what I observed at the same point of last season. Last year 164cm was observed for the whole of the month of March (with over 60cm in the second half of the month).
JMA are so far recording 99cm of snow in Kutchan town this month. The total snowfall recorded by JMA in Kutchan town for March last season was 124cm.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -5C, 5cm of crystal snow in 12 hours. Moiwa peak: n/a. Annupuri 1000m: NW8m/s, -11C, 5cm of new snow and development of snowdrifts, snowpack 340cm. Hirafu 1000m: mild wind, 5cm fresh snow, -9C. Peak 1308m: NW8.9m/s, -11.4C. Coastal data: cape Benkei NW13m/s, cape Kamui WSW2m/s, 0.8mwaves, 1-14hPa.
Northerly wind picked up during the night and cornices are slowly developing above 1000m altitude. Feathery crystal snow started to fall since early morning and the snow in the trees is getting better. According to observations and data evaluation, the general avalanche risk is low, however shallow slides are to be expected in Higashi-One cornice areas and Backbowl 1100m sidewalls. Ride one by one, be conscious of the risks and avoid riding the bottom of the valleys. Peak gates will open from the morning. The snow around the courses is really good. Sun-baked surfaces are forming slabs in south facing slopes under 800m. Thin slides from March 14th layer are to be expected around cliffs and under lift-lines in the afternoon. Do not duck ropes to access the out of bounds areas, always use the gates. Have a nice day.
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Official snow depth numbers and lift news at time of writing:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 390cm
Base - 190cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 390cm
Base - 200cm
Annupuri:
Top - 395cm
Base - 200cm
Niseko Now 2013-2014 season |
Data as of Saturday 15th March 2014 Total snowfall at base so far 1141cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 91 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (14th January) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 275cm reported on 22 days January 2014 snowfall 461cm reported on 29 days February 2014 snowfall 178cm reported on 20 days March 2014 snowfall 104cm 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.