Niseko Now: Saturday 16th February 2013
- Feb 16, 2013
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 10cm
Snowfall at base this season 1151cm
Weather overview Cloud, snow
Wind
Moderate to strong
Temperature -4C base / -7C top
Visibility Poor
Posted at 9:02am on Saturday 16th February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Another 10cm or so of fresh snow to report from Niseko this morning, more in places. Looking out of my window here, looks like a complete white-out situation.
Can't see a thing! Webcams are all showing very poor visibility this morning as well, so got to watch out where you're going.
Windy on the mountain as well this morning. Niseko Annupuri is reporting wind speeds of up to 18m/s, Niseko Village up to 14m/s. Niseko Grand Hirafu wind speeds of between 5m/s on lower areas and 10m/s at the top. Guess what I'm going to say next? ;)
Yes, the wind is affecting some lifts. It's not actually too bad here in the village area, but here's a rundown of how things look on the mountain at 9am:
Niseko Annupuri:
Jumbo Number 1, Family, Jumbo Number 2 operating. Annupuri Gondola, Jumbo 3 and Jumbo 4 top lifts not moving due to wind and poor visibility.
Niseko Village:
The lower Banzai, Community and Morino Chairs are moving. Niseko Gondola and top Wonderland Chair not moving.
Niseko Grand Hirafu:
Top lifts not moving (Ace 4, Ace 3, King 3, King 4, Swinging Monkey). Ace Number 2 Center Four operating at reduced speed.
Niseko Hanazono:
Top lift not moving, the other two at reduced speed.
Avalanche Information
Niseko base 6am: -12C, 20cm of broken & crystal snow. Moiwa 800m: -13C, strong westerly wind with snow, developing snowdrifts. Annupuri peak: NW10.8m/s, -15.3C. Coastal data: NW16m/s, 2m waves and 1007hPa.
The wind and snowfall has picked up during the night due to winter pressure pattern and snowdrifts have been developing drastically. The avalanche risk is high and rising. Potential sliding scale up to 60cm thickness in 800m SE facing knolls; the developing slabs are extremely unstable and could collapse/slide with the slightest stimulation. Potential trigger layer is Feb 15th’s facets layer. The avalanche hazard level depends on how the snow fell, not how much it snowed. No matter what layers are present; the avalanche risk will be high in leeward steep slopes in a stormy day.
The snow in the trees is heavy but good. Visibility is bad. Beware of loosing track or falling into cracks. Peak gates will be closed. Others to be determined; please respect the ski patrol’s decision. Still plenty of powder left in and around the courses. Do not duck ropes to seek fresh lines. Have a safe day. The snow condition is constantly changing every day.
Niseko Now 2012-2013 season |
Data as of Saturday 16th February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 1151cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 76 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 443cm reported on 26 days February 2013 snowfall 172cm reported on 12 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.