Niseko Now: Sunday 16th December 2018
- Dec 16, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 4, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 6cm
Snowfall at base this season 258cm
Posted on Sunday 16th December 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
When I got up there was some light snow falling but that has stopped and it is now just kind of cloudy and overcast and actually some blue sky to be seen as well. Might it even clear up?
It is certainly feeling milder than it has been, though still it is happily under zero (but might inch above that later on).
So yes, it's a calm morning.
I should have more snow to report tomorrow morning though with regular refreshes likely over the coming days.
How it should be. And we want things to be in tip top shape for Santa-san.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain Base 6.00am: -3°, light snowfall overnight. Moiwa 800m: -5°, light winds, 10cm new snow in the last 24hrs, no snowdrift development. Hirafu trace new snow. Coastal data: Benkei Cape: WSW5m/s. Kamui Cape: SW19m/s, 1016hPa, wave 1.6m.
Light winds at lower levels however at higher elevations a strong SW wind is blowing. From observation there is no new snow drift development around 800m level and drifts have stabilised. The general avalanche risk is low. From the snowfall transition expect 15-16 Dec layer to be significant in the future. There still is not enough snow to ride everywhere and the side of the runs are all tracked out. Take care in low light, the surface undulations are hard to see.
This information is published to prevent accidents around the Niseko ski resorts. Accidents occur when you act carelessly or overconfident. Most accidents can be avoided with care. In recent years we hear of commercial training sessions undermining efforts made by ski patrol to maintain safety in the area. These attitudes don’t create any progress toward mountain safety. Local history and dangers are the first point of call for anyone wanting to learn more. There is no global standard for avalanche knowledge of rescue techniques.
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Ski resort operation information: Sunday 16th December 2018
The below information is manually checked each morning and believed to be correct at time of report
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 180cm
- Base: 85cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Ace Family quad (until 8:30pm)
- Ace Number 2 Center Four (until 8:20pm)
- Ace Number 3 pair (until 3:30pm)
- Hirafu Gondola (until 8:10pm)
- Holiday Number 1 Pair (until 8:30pm)
- King Number 3 quad (until 3:30pm)
- Swinging Monkey (until 3:00pm)
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 145cm
- Base: 105cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Hanazono Number 1 quad (until 3:30pm)
- Hanazono Number 2 quad (until 3:30pm)
- Hanazono Number 3 quad (until 3:00pm)
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Courses:
- All courses apart from the below courses are now open
- Onsenzawa
- Large
- Miharashi
- Dynamic
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 150cm
- Base: 90cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Annupuri Gondola (until 3:15pm)
- Dream Number 1 quad (until 5:30pm)
- Jumbo Number 1 quad (until 8:30pm)
- Jumbo Number 2 pair (until 3:15pm)
- Jumbo Number 3 pair (until 3:15pm)
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 150cm
- Base: 90cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Niseko Gondola (until 3:00pm)
- Upper Village Gondola (until 8:00pm)
- Village Express (until 8:00pm)
- Community Chair (until 4:30pm)
- Banzai Chair (until 8:00pm)
Niseko Now 2018-2019 season |
Data as of Sunday 16th December 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 258cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 21 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (23rd November and 14th December) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 174cm reported on 13 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.