Niseko Now: Saturday 16th February 2019
- Feb 16, 2019
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 6cm
Snowfall at base this season 891cm
Posted on Saturday 16th February 2019 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
This morning I have measured 6cm to be added to my reports.
There's not much of a wind, earlier light snow has eased off, there is some blue sky to be seen between the clouds. And visibility is pretty good. Oh yes, it's not quite as cold as it has been over the last week or so.
Everywhere should be open as planned this morning.
The forecasts are showing less snow on the horizon over the coming week along with some upcoming milder conditions. Perhaps that is inevitable as we are closer to the end of February than the beginning but... I will resist! (Yeah, I know, that doesn't mean much. Just want to point out that I'm not yet ready to think about potential early signs of spring. See my report archives to see how much snow we usually get in late February and March).
Well, that's about it for this morning. I hope you have a good Saturday.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Mountain base 6am: -6℃, 10cm snowfall in 24h. Moiwa800m: -6.5℃, NW4.5m/s, development of cornices/snowdrifts have settled. Annupuri1120m: 250cm snow depth, 1100, -8.9℃, calm, 15cm snowfall. Hirafu peak: calm, -12℃. Mizuno no sawa: -7.85℃, 4cm snowfall in 24h, 177cm snow depth, NW6.4-9.6m/s. Weather Station Suttsu: -0.9℃, NNW5.2-9.1m/s, Kutchan: -6℃, S0.9m/s, 188cm snow depth. Benkei cape: NNE9m/s, Kamui cape: NNW6m/s, 1008hPa, 1.2m waves.
Calm morning as a small low-pressure center is sitting right above the area. The cronices/snowdrifts development has settled and the general avalanche risk is low. Foggy conditions above 1000m elevation. All gates are scheduled to open. Listen to the ski patrol’s advice before stepping out of the gates. The wind is forecasted to pick up as the low-pressure moves east. Beware of sudden weather changes.
Avalanche forecast in Niseko emphasizes on the developments of wind-slabs. Drastically developing slabs (snowdrifts) are very unstable and easily triggers a surface slab slide with riding stimulations or falling cornices. Although cornices might look stable, they can collapse anytime and potentially initiate a slide depending on the slope stability underneath it. Cornice drops aren't a good idea.
The snow is still good today. Stay away from valley bottoms and do not traverse across knolls and slopes under cornices.
Have a great day.
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Ski resort operation information: Saturday 16th February 2019
Subject to change due to weather conditions
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 370cm
- Base: 170cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts planning to be operating as normal at the start of the day (Ace Number 1 and King Number 2 lifts rested)
- The Ace Family quad (until 8:30pm), Ace Center 4 quad (8:20pm), Hirafu Gondola (until 8:10pm) and Holiday Number 1 pair (until 8:30pm) lifts are normally open during the evening
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 288cm
- Base: 235cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts planning to be operating as normal at the start of the day
- The Hanazono lifts are normally open until 3:50pm (Number 3 until 3:30pm)
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 330cm
- Base: 170cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts planning to be operating as normal at the start of the day
- The Jumbo 1 lift is normally open until 8:30pm during the evening
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 320cm
- Base: 170cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts planning to be operating as normal at the start of the day (Country Road lift rested)
- The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair lifts are normally open until 8:00pm during the evening
Niseko Now 2018-2019 season |
Data as of Saturday 16th February 2019 Total snowfall at base so far 891cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 75 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (29th December) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 333cm reported on 26 days January 2019 snowfall 285cm reported on 25 days February 2019 snowfall 189cm reported on 16 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.