Niseko Now: Saturday 16th December 2017
- Dec 16, 2017
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 4cm
Snowfall at base this season 332cm
Posted on Saturday 16th December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
There is just a little bit more fresh snowfall at base to add to the tally this morning. I measure it as 4cm.
It's a pretty cold early morning - not as full on as it has been - and light snow is currently falling.
The bigger news this morning is that the top lifts are getting started from today - the King Number 4 lift at Niseko Grand Hirafu, the Wonderland Chair lift at Niseko Village and the Jumbo Number 4 lift at Niseko Annupuri are now operating. Yey!
That means that the full area is now open with on-mountain access to and from each of the resorts now available. Very nice to be able to report that on this 16th December morning. We'll probably need it more and more too with lots of people starting to pile in seeking Niseko-tastic fun.
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I must apologise for a mistake that I had not noticed... in previous reports I had tagged one of the pair lifts at Niseko Annupuri as a quad lift. My mistake, sorry!
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Someone actually sent in an email to SnowJapan for me, asking if I prefer nuts or toast. That made me laugh out loud, thank you. :)
Hmmm. Toast easy wins early morning. Though I might have to go with nuts for an evening.
If you don't know what I'm blabbering on about, note my ongoing documented love of pre-report toast and my mention of nuts in the report yesterday.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6.00am: -5°, 3cm new snow, calm. Moiwa 800m : -6°, light winds, 5cm new snow. Annupuri 1150m: -8°, W5m/s, 5cm new snow. Hirafu Ridgeline: -8°, light N winds, trace new snow. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:NE6m/s. Kamui Cape NNE6m/s, 1010hPa, wave 0.8m.
There is light snowfall is preceding a low pressure front, both mountains and sea are calm. As the low pressure system passes the wind will pick up above 800m. General avalanche risk is low, however if this low pressure snow fall increases, a surface flowing type of avalanche on steeps slopes is likely, take care. Snow conditions are good. The Dec 16 layer is expected to become notable in future snowpack.
Be careful with the low light, it is hard to see the contours of the snow surface. All top lifts will be running from today. Take care riding off the course and into the trees, there still isn't enough snow. The snow surface is uneven and there are still holes around. Peak gates are being prepared to open around Christmas. Please be patient. Please follow Niseko Rules, do not duck the ropes. Do not enter Strictly Off Limits areas Haru no Taki and Yu no Sawa. Have a good weekend.
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Saturday 16th December 2017
What's planned to be open today in Niseko (subject to change):
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Lifts operating:
- Ace Number 3 Pair lift
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift (nighta)
- Ace Family quad lift (nighta)
- King Number 3 quad lift
- Hirafu Gondola
- Holiday Number 1 pair lift
- Swinging Monkey
- King Number 4
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts operating:
- Hanazono Number 1 quad lift
- Hanazono Number 2 quad lift
- Hanazono Number 3 quad lift
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts operating:
- Annupuri Gondola
- Jumbo Number 1 quad lift (nighta)
- Jumbo Number 2 pair lift
- Jumbo Number 4 pair lift
- Dream Number 1 quad lift
Niseko Village
Lifts operating:
- Niseko Gondola
- Banzai Chair
- Community Chair (nighta)
- Upper Village Gondola (nighta)
- Village Express (nighta)
- Morino Chair
- Wonderland Chair
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Official resort snow depths on Saturday 16th December 2017:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 245cm
Base - 95cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Top - 150cm
Base - 90cm
Niseko Village
Top - 160cm
Base - 100cm
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Floodlit 'nighta' skiing:
Night skiing is planned for every evening at the Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri areas. There is no nighta at the Niseko HANAZONO area. Ski lifts that are scheduled to be operating for nighta are noted above.
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Saturday 16th December 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 332cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 26 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 29cm (20th November) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 144cm reported on 15 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.