Niseko Now: Saturday 17th December 2016
- Dec 17, 2016
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 24cm
Snowfall at base this season 245cm
Posted on Saturday 17th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
A very good, cold and snowy morning to you from Niseko.
Yesterday was excellent. And today is looking like it's going to be excellent too. 24cm of fresh snowfall on the ground is a sure sign and as I write this it is snowing quite heavily. And with that much falling down here at base, it's pretty certain that there's that much more higher up.
For those of you who came to Niseko for a (some may say risky) mid-Christmas early season fix - congratulations!
So yes, we have lots more fresh snowfall on the ground but it has me wondering when the remaining lifts and courses will be opened. Surely there's enough snow now - but it still looks like the top lifts are on stand-by. As of yesterday, Niseko Grand Hirafu were saying that they planned to have the King Number 4 lift operating from Saturday (today), but it has been delayed due to there being not enough snow. Interesting. I don't have any other news on that score this morning but it would surprise me if they kept them closed for much longer.
Before we get carried away with too much excitement, it is worth taking a look at the forecast which unfortunately is looking rather dry after today. There's going to be lots of sunshine and temperatures are going to be on the milder side (though not enough for us to be worrying about a melt!) I'm personally looking forward to a day in the sun with this current snow we have, though it would be nice to have a few top-ups of snow following on quickly after. As the forecast stands, it's not looking like there's much chance of snow through until at least the end of the week.
Time to ski!
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -8℃, 30cm of crystal snow and calm morning. Kamui cape data: W11m/s, 1010hPa, 2.0m waves. Moiwa peak 800m: -10℃, W10m/s, 40cm snowfall and moderate development of snowdrifts.
The typical winter barometric chart is generating abundant snowfall. The wind remained around 10m/s westerly around 1000m elevation. The cornices and snowdrifts are developing slowly.
The new snow layer above Dec 14th is reaching up to 80cm in leeward slopes at 800m. Looking a observations, the snowdrifts are stable and the general avalanche risk is low.
Although we had a good dump, bushes, bamboos and streams are yet to be covered. Accidents in the out of bounds areas will be difficult to rescue.
Gates are closed and out of bounds riding is yet to be permitted. Do not duck ropes to seek fresh lines. One track under the rope leads many others to do the same and easily increase the chances of accidents to happen.
Niseko area is doing the best to respect the freedom to ride, however is also deeply concerned about their safety. Please respect the Rules and have a nice day. Wonderful conditions today.
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Resort specific opening news at time of writing (subject to change during the day):
All four resort areas appear to be able to open as planned at the start of the day.
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Lifts planned to be operating:
- Ace Family pair*
- Ace Number 2 Center Four*
- Ace Number 3 pair
- Hirafu Gondola*
- King Number 3 quad
- Holiday Number 1 pair*
- Swinging Monkey
Courses that are not yet open:
- Large
- Miharashi
- Dynamic
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts planned to be operating:
- Hanazono 1 quad
- Hanazono 2 quad
- Hanazono 3 quad
Courses planned to be open:
- All open apart from Hanazono Park
Niseko Village
Lifts planned to be operating:
- Niseko Gondola
- Upper Village Gondola*
- Village Express*
- Community Chair*
- Banzai Chair
- Morino Chair
Niseko Annupuri
Lifts planned to be operating:
- Jumbo Number 1 quad* (opening late this morning)
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 3 pair
- Annupuri Gondola
Courses planned to be open:
- Utopia
- Shirakaba
- Silver
- Paradise
- Junior
- Family
- Dynamic
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Official resort snow depths as of Saturday 17th December 2016:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 240cm
Base - 110cm
Niseko Village
Top - 120cm
Base - 100cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 100cm
Base - 100cm
Niseko Now 2016-2017 season |
Data as of Saturday 17th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 245cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 26 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 135cm 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.