Niseko Now: Friday 16th March 2018
- Mar 16, 2018
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 3cm
Snowfall at base this season 1242cm
Posted on Friday 16th March 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
After the rain we got yesterday, I am happy to be able to report some fresh snow this morning. Just a bit - I am measuring 3cm - and light snow falling as I prepare the report. So not a total reset of course, but hopefully there will be some more as you go higher up.
There's some snow on the forecast too on and off in the coming days, so fingers crossed!
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -3℃, 5cm snowfall. Moiwa800m: -5.5℃, WNW7.9m/s. Annupuri1150m: -7℃, N5m/s, 3cm snowfall, wet snow below 1000m. Hirafu peak: -6℃, 5cm snowfall. Benkei cape NNE13m/s, Kamui cape ENE3m/s, 1012hPa, 2.3m waves.
3-5cm new snow is blanketing the mountain. 20cm snowdrift just below ridgeline in 800m western area leeward slopes. Surface slab avalanche risk is moderately high in slopes above 900m. Caution is required in open steep slopes. New snow is pretty good but shallow, beware of overspeeding, falling into cracks and hitting trees. All gates are expected to open.
Glide avalanche from 1000m upper cornice/snowdrift slopes are to be highly expected. Drastic changes in temperature can also trigger those slides. Stay away from valley bottoms. There are no chances to override a glide avalanche.
Creeks are also swelling with the snowmelt. Falling from snowbridges could easily lead to crucial situation. Cross valley/creeks carefully.
This information is issued for the safety of all resort users. Please respect the Niseko Rules.
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Friday 16th March 2018
Resort specific information (operations subject to change):
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts should be operating as planned (King Number 2 lift not operating)
Official snow depth:
- Top: 485cm
- Base: 200cm
Niseko Annupuri
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts should be operating as planned
Official snow depth:
- Top: 440cm
- Base: 220cm
Niseko Village
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts should be operating as planned (Country Road Chair lift not operating)
Official snow depth:
- Top: 430cm
- Base: 220cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Friday 16th March 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1242cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 95 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 299cm reported on 24 days March 2018 snowfall 44cm reported on 7 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.