Niseko Now: Thursday 16th February 2017
- Feb 16, 2017
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 4cm
Snowfall at base this season 506cm
Posted on Thursday 16th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Yesterday it was something of a surprise to see the snow continuing to fall, wasn't quite expecting that and the clear up didn't really happen. I even have 4cm of snow to report (that's what is on my report today), though there is no further fresh snow to report overnight. I am hearing that there was around 10cm of snow and more further up on the mountain which is something of a relief... didn't get up there myself yesterday.
This morning we have overcast conditions and like what seems like lots of Japan it is going to get mild. Borderline warm, depending on how you look at it.
The forecast is looking quite promising for us to start getting snowed on properly from perhaps overnight tonight or tomorrow morning. Steady and regular snowfall is there on the forecast well into next week, so fingers crossed this turns out to be a decent delivery.
We need a complete and impressive reset.
It feels fairly calm early this morning but stronger winds are due to be blowing around later and might affect lifts. Resorts look set to be opening as normal at the start of the day though.
Have fun and stay safe.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Mountain base: -5°, no new snow. Moiwa 800m: -6°, no new snow. Annupuri 1150m, -6°, SSW5-10m/s, poor visibility, no new snow. Hirafu 1250m, -7°, S10m/s, poor visibility, no new snow. Coastal data: Kamui Cape:SSW18m/s, 1014hPa, wave 1.6m.
The temperature is rising and a southerly wind is picking up as a low pressure system approaches. From observation the general avalanche risk is low but it will rise as the temperature increases today. The 15 Feb snowfall is not bonded well and will easily form loose avalanches 10-15cm thickness on steep slopes. There is a high possibility that this layer will become a weak layer in the future snowpack. Many accidents occur in bad weather. With strong winds and heavy snowfall, snowdrifts on previously safe slopes can develop rapidly into having unstable avalanche prone conditions. Best not to venture too far today. All gates are expected to be open but please listen to the patrols advice.
The inbounds snow is OK today. Go for a few runs this morning then hit the onsen before the bad weather hits this afternoon. Don't duck ropes, today is not the day to try and sneak out of bounds.
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Official resort snow depths as of Thursday 16th February 2017:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 295cm
Base - 120cm
Niseko Village
Top - 280cm
Base - 140cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 315cm
Base - 140cm
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Night skiing is planned until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Niseko Annupuri, Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Village resort areas. There is no nighta in the Hanazono area.
Niseko Now 2016-2017 season |
Data as of Thursday 16th February 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 506cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 63 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 181cm reported on 22 days January 2017 snowfall 152cm reported on 18 days February 2017 snowfall 63cm reported on 9 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.