Niseko Now: Wednesday 17th January 2018
- Jan 17, 2018
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 1cm
Snowfall at base this season 693cm
Posted on Wednesday 17th January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning Niseko fans.
Just about 1cm of fresh snow to be able to report to you this morning. That's not particularly exciting but the weather conditions today should score some extra points - it seems calm and the sun is out looking out from the resort. Still a lot of cloud above the upper parts of the mountain but perhaps conditions will clear up more; I suspect they will.
It is colder this morning as well and so rather icy out there.
The forecast looks nice and promising at the end of the week and into next week so we should hopefully be getting a good old full-on reset soon.
I have recorded 99cm of snowfall in January up until today. That's less than quarter of the snowfall I measured during the full month of December, so a noticeable slowdown. It was always going to be difficult to keep up that pace. But anyway a second half of January that is more December than the first half would be very nice. Onegai shimasu!
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -5℃, 1cm snowfall, calm. Moiwa800m: -6.5℃, W3.2m/s. Annupuri 1150m: -9.9℃, WNW4.1m/s. Hirafu1250m: -9℃, 2cm snowfall, calm. Coastal data: Benkei cape NNE6m/s, Kamui cape N5m/s, 1019hPa, 0.7m waves.
The isobars are spread out and the weather is calm over the Mountains and Seas. No snow clouds are present over the Sea of Japan and snowfall on the Niseko range is scarce. No notable development of snowdrifts and cornices as the wind remained calm. According to the observations, the general avalanche risk is low. Peak gates are expected to open from the morning. Ask for the patrol’s advice, be prepared for backcountry touring and always use the gates to step out of bounds.
Resort accessible areas are mostly tracked out. Beware of hidden bushes in the tree-runs. Mountains are never 100% safe. Be cautious at all times. The groomers conditions are wonderful this morning. Do not enter the strictly off limits areas such as Haru no Taki to seek fresh snow. Violators will be severely punished. Have a wonderful day.
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Wednesday 17th January 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
- 'Early Morning' services from 8:00am until 8:20am (Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift). Until 28th January. 500 yen special ticket required.
Official snow depth:
- Top: 365cm
- Base: 165cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts are generally operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 280cm
- Base: 170cm
Niseko Village
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts apart from the Country Road Chair lift should be operating
- 'Early Gondola' service from 7:30am until 8:30am (Niseko Gondola). January 20th-21st, 27th-28th; February 3rd-4th. 1,400 yen special ticket required.
Official snow depth:
- Top: 270cm
- Base: 180cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Wednesday 17th January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 693cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 51 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (21st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 99cm 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.