Niseko Now: Saturday 18th March 2023
- Mar 18, 2023
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 2cm
Snowfall at base this season 1006cm
Posted on Saturday 18th March 2023 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
We have received a little more snow yesterday and it is a pleasant early morning.
There is a lot of cloud around, but the sun is appearing at times and we are probably going to be seeing more of the sun today and indeed over the next few days. The sun will be warming things up again.
Might I add, as I am about to post this at 8:20am, there is some very (very) light snow falling too.
Can you believe it's the second half of March already? Whooosh. By this stage of the season I always feel there's a much more relaxed feel without the crowds of the peak weeks. Some people definitely prefer that.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -2C, trace new snow, refrozen, sunny. Moiwa 800m: -4.0C, 2cm new snow, good visibility. Annupuri 1100m: -7.4C, trace new snow, good visibility. Mizuno no Sawa: -6.0C, WSW3.5m/s. Hirafu Hanazono: -7.0C, SSE6.6m/s. Hanazono#3: -3.7C, SSW2.1m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape WSW6m/s, Kamui Cape SW13m/s, 1017hPa, 1.3m waves.
Its sunny under a high pressure system, a moderately strong SW wind is blowing at higher levels and shallow snowdrifts have accumulated in ribbons of new snow. Take care around 1200m on Mt Yotei. As temperatures rise today full depth avalanches could easily occur around 800m as slopes start to slump under their own weight. Do not wait at the bottom of open slopes or in the valley bottoms. Many people use this information, however some people still ignore it. The more people ignoring this information the more likely an accident will occur. Accidents always have a reason, often overconfidence or just ignorance of the dangers. This information is issued to prevent deadly accidents. The Hirafu Super Course is closed due to the increased risk of full-depth avalanches. Do not duck ropes to enter strictly off limits area Yunosawa. The danger of a full depth avalanche razing the valley is increasing. Peak gates open. Be aware of sudden changes in weather. Have a nice day.
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Ski area information for Saturday 18th March 2023
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day, weather permitting.
Official snow depth numbers in brackets show the change since previous report.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 0cm
- Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 340cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 100cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Ace Family quad [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four) [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 3 pair
- Hirafu Gondola
- Holiday Number 1 pair
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
- Swinging Monkey
Planned season:
- Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu plans to be open until Sunday 7th May 2023
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 1cm
- Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 265cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 175cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
Planned season:
- Niseko HANAZONO Resort plans to be open until Sunday 9th April 2023
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 0cm
- Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 220cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 115cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open until 7:30pm for night skiing]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 3 pair [* normally open on weekends and holidays]
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
Planned season:
- Niseko Annupuri Kokusai plans to be open until Sunday 7th May 2023
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 220cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 180cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Niseko Gondola
- Upper Village Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Banzai Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Morino Chair
- Wonderland Chair
Planned season:
- Niseko Village Ski Resort plans to be open until Sunday 9th April 2023
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- Number 1 pair lift
- Number 2 pair lift
- Quad lift
Planned season:
- Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort plans to be open until Sunday 2nd April 2023
Niseko Now 2022-2023 season |
Data as of Saturday 18th March 2023 Total snowfall at base so far 1006cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 90 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (27th & 28th January, 6th February) November 2022 snowfall 17cm reported on 5 days December 2022 snowfall 336cm reported on 27 days January 2023 snowfall 332cm reported on 27 days February 2023 snowfall 289cm reported on 25 days March 2023 snowfall 32cm reported on 6 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.