Niseko Now: Saturday 17th February 2018
- Feb 17, 2018
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 21cm
Snowfall at base this season 1076cm
Posted on Saturday 17th February 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
More fresh snow this morning with 21cm measured and added to my reports.
Not bad... not bad.
(I'm just kidding - it's really great!)
But forgive me for refraining from my head overheating and exploding (or is that imploding?) due to overuse of cheesy over-the-top descriptions. It's kind of amusing in a weary kind of way, but I'll leave that kind of stuff for bar talk and marketing dudes.
Some heavier snow was falling earlier on this morning. That had eased a little while ago, but as of 8:20am it is snowing lightly again. Is that the sun breaking through some clouds again? Confusing!
Anyway, bottom line - lots of people around with exciting regular snowfall that is filling in tracks. All is good and I'm glad that Niseko is delivering for this very busy period. Hope some of you are out enjoying it.
:)
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You might notice that the official snow depth for the upper part of Niseko Grand Hirafu has now bust through the 5m mark. Let's comparing:
Niseko Grand Hirafu: 510cm
Niseko Village: 390cm
Niseko Annupuri: 390cm
Why the big difference some of you ask? Well, that's best asked of the people providing such numbers - ie. not me or SnowJapan.
In my humble opinion, official snow depth numbers are an interesting 'background number' looking at the season as a whole. A big base is of course great for a potentially long season: but it's always the amount of freshly fallen snow that is the much more important bit of info. You might notice that some resorts in Japan almost never change their official snow depth, over long periods when there are milder conditions and also fresh snowfall. Check out Kagura (in Yuzawa, Niigata) as a good example. That has to be one of the most unrealistically static bits of data out there!
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -6℃, 15cm snowfall. Moiwa800m: -7.8℃, SE5.7m/s, 20cm snowfall, no snowdrift. Annupuri1150m: -9℃, SE10m/s, 20cm snowfall. Hirafu1250m: -10℃, SE15m/s, 10cm snowfall. Coastal data: Benkei cape S7m/s, Kamui cape SE2m/s, 998hPa, 0.6m waves.
Calm morning, with typical pre low-pressure snowfall since before dawn. Looking at the past 12 hours snowfall transition and test results, the snowdrifts that developed until yesterday are now mostly stable. The general avalanche risk is relatively low. Gates opening is yet to be decided. Please follow the patrol’s instructions.
Many uneven layers are still present in the snowdrifts that developed in the past 4 days. Avalanches from deeper layers caused by strong stimulations, such as falling cornices, are to be highly expected. Stay away from cornice slopes and gullies even if the gates open. Many of the past avalanche accidents occurred when skiing unstable wind-loaded steep slopes during and just after stormy conditions.
Today’s snow is quite better than yesterday’s. Avoid cornices and drop in from the ridges. Do not cut/traverse knolls. Stay alert as heavy low-pressure snowfall can cause loose snow avalanches in the forests. Beware of hidden cracks. The snowfall will pick up again as the low-pressure passes.
Have a nice day.
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Saturday 17th February 2018
Resort specific information (operations subject to change):
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts (apart from King Number 2) should be operating
- Top Ace, King Number 4 and Hanazono Number 3 lifts on hold at the start of the day due to weather conditions
Official snow depth:
- Top: 510cm
- Base: 250cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 390cm
- Base: 260cm
Niseko Village
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts (apart from the Country Road Chair lift) should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 390cm
- Base: 280cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Saturday 17th February 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1076cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 77 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 177cm reported on 13 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.