Niseko Now: Monday 18th February 2013
- Feb 18, 2013
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 7cm
Snowfall at base this season 1178cm
Weather overview Cloud, light snow
Wind
Light
Temperature -6C base / -11C top
Visibility Fair
Posted at 8:28am on Monday 18th February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko and Happy Monday(s) to you. Into a new week after another busy weekend. The absolutely peak weekends of the season are probably now behind us with the long weekends and Chinese New Year. Those few weekends are always particularly busy in Niseko.
Anyway it's a relatively calm morning here, I'm happy to report. It's not a Blue Monday, with very light snow falling as I write this. Just a bit of new snowfall since yesterday, with around 5-10cm or so of fresh since yesterday at base.
Out on the mountain lifts will be moving as planned, though it seems the Annupuri Gondola may get off to a later-than-usual start this morning after undergoing some kind of inspection/maintenance. Hopefully nothing significant. Other than that, all open.
The forecast over the coming week into next weekend is looking very snowy. Consistent snowfall is something that Niseko is great at and the coming week looks like it won't disappoint. Look to Wednesday in particular for some significant snowfall. From tomorrow we can expect temperatures to drop somewhat as well.
Avalanche Information
Niseko base 6am: -8C, 5cm of crystal snow and calm morning. Moiwa 800m: mild wind, -8C and moderate development of snowdrifts. Annupuri peak: S1.6m/s, -12.3C. Coastal data: SSE7m/s, 0.5m waves and 1013hPa. Annupuri 1000m snowpack: 370cm.
The isobars are spaced out and the mountain is calm. The new snowdrifts have stabilized and the general avalanche hazard is lowering. Peak gates are scheduled to open at 9:30am. Another storm is forecasted to pick up from this afternoon as a new low-pressure is approaching. Seek for advice from the ski patrol before stepping out of the gates. Avalanche hazard is permanently present during winter in leeward steep slopes in heavy snowfall area such as Niseko. Whether it says “low hazard” in this information, it will never be 100% safe. Think safety first and be prudent.
Visibility is bad up high; beware of cracks and hitting trees. Better not overestimate your gears’ performance or your own skills. Be safe, have fun and enjoy your day.
Niseko Now 2012-2013 season |
Data as of Sunday 17th February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 1178cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 78 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 443cm reported on 26 days February 2013 snowfall 199cm reported on 14 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.