Niseko Now: Wednesday 16th March 2022
- Mar 16, 2022
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 4cm
Snowfall at base this season 1104cm
Posted on Wednesday 16th March 2022 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
It's a cloudy morning with foggy conditions higher up so limited visibility.
I have more fresh snow to report this morning. Just under 5cm here around base, but Hirafu is reporting 20cm of fresh snowfall on upper areas. That sounds good! So head high. All the ski lifts are open as planned this morning.
Once we get into this stage of the season, it gets increasingly likely that there will be times when there is snow at higher elevations and not much (or none) at base. And, perhaps like today, the quality of the snow might well be more fluffy the higher you get.
(Having said that, perhaps we will get some decent snow at base over the weekend).
While I don't live up on the mountain, of course, I will continue to report what I can and also always note the snowfall reported by the ski areas in the list below. You're going to have to put up with me for another 7+ weeks!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base: -1℃, light wind and 1cm snowfall, wet snow. Moiwa 800m: -2.4℃, W3.0m/s. Annupuri 1150m: -5.2℃, W4.4m/s, 15cm snowfall, wet snow, thick fog, bad visibility. Hirafu 1000m: -4.8℃, SSE2.5m/s, thick fog, bad visibility, 5cm snowfall. Peak ridge 1250m: -5℃, small snowdrift, good visibility. Coastal data Benkei cape: WNW8m/s, Kamui cape: WSW5m/s, 1012hPa, 0.8m waves.
The atmospheric gradient is flat, dense fog below 800m elevation due to heavy airmass changes. 15cm wet snowfall in some places mainly on the west side of the mountain range. The snow is heavy but good. Light wind and trees are covered in rime. Snow was hard to groom this morning but the piste condition is good. Based on the information from the groomer operators, ski patrols, observation and weather data, general avalanche risk is low. Gates will be open but it’ll take a little time. Steep slopes, cliff slopes, slopes under chairlifts are prone to surface avalanche due to the heavy new snow. Be careful. There are glide avalanches constantly occurring on south facing slopes under 700m elevation. Do not stay at the bottom of these slopes. Slopes over 1000m elevation are still winter. Cracks in Kozan no Sawa, Annupuri O-sawa, and Mikaeri Bowl are gradually getting bigger. There is a high possibility of a large-scale avalanche occurring after 20March to the first week of April. Avoid valley bottoms, this is where avalanches run. Road surfaces freeze in the morning and evening. Drive carefully. It may be spring at the base but it is still winter in the mountains. Have a good day.
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Planned ski area operations: Wednesday 16th March 2022
The below snow depth and snowfall data is manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day (nature might intervene).
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 415cm (+20cm)
- Base: 195cm (+5cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 20cm
- Base: 10cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Ace Family quad
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Hirafu Gondola
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
- Swinging Monkey
Planned season:
- Niseko Grand Hirafu plans to be open until Thursday 5th May
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 350cm (+10cm)
- Base: 237cm (+2cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 5cm
- Base: 10cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
Planned season:
- Niseko HANAZONO plans to be open until Sunday 3rd April
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 360cm (no change)
- Base: 210cm (no change)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 0cm
- Base: 0cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open for night skiing until 7:30pm]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
Planned season:
- Niseko Annupuri plans to be open until Thursday 5th May
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 300cm
- Base: 200cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Niseko Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Banzai Chair
- Wonderland Chair
Planned season:
- Niseko Village plans to be open until Sunday 3rd April
Niseko Now 2021-2022 season |
Data as of Wednesday 16th March 2022 Total snowfall at base so far 1104cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 92 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (23rd December and 22nd February) November 2021 snowfall 85cm reported on 6 days December 2021 snowfall 307cm reported on 23 days January 2022 snowfall 325cm reported on 30 days February 2022 snowfall 337cm reported on 25 days March 2022 snowfall 50cm reported on 8 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.