Niseko Now: Wednesday 19th February 2014
- Feb 19, 2014
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 8cm
Snowfall at base this season 994cm
Posted on Wednesday 19th February 2014 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Just under 10cm of fresh snow this morning since yesterday here in the Hirafu area, though I notice the Avalanche report below is saying 40cm in places over at Annupuri due to snowdrift.
Strong winds have not been very friendly the last few days, causing some very large lift lines at some of the lifts on the mountain again. I'm afraid it looks like the top lifts at Hirafu (Ace 4, King 3, King 4) are going to be affected again this morning and I don't yet have any updates from the other resorts at the time of writing. Please check before going is the best advice. Hirafu is expecting the strong winds to remain until evening today so hopefully we can stop talking about wind tomorrow.
Expect a mad rush situation once those lifts and gates get to re-open!
It's mostly cloudy this morning but thinning with a bit of blue sky just about visible in some places. Snow showers probably won't be too far away though over the next few days.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -6C, 15cm of fresh snow with development of snowdrifts. Moiwa 800m: NNW16m/s, -9C, developing snowdrifts and poor visibility. Annupuri 1150m: gusty NNW20m/s, -11C, 40cm of new snow with snowdrift development. Hirafu 1000m: -10℃, 20cm of new snow with snowdrift development. Peak 1308m: N12.3m/s, -12.5℃. Coastal data: Benkei cape NNW11m/s, Kamui cape E4m/s, 3m waves, 1015hPa.
The isobars are starting to space out, but the wind remains strong above 800m. Cornices and snowdrifts are still developing. The snow in the trees is lighter nice blowers, however avalanche risk remains high in wind affected snowdrift/cornice slopes above 800m. Gate 2 & 3 will be kept closed. Other gates undecided. Please respect the ski patrol’s instructions and do not duck ropes to seek fresh tracks. One irresponsible track left under the rope will lead many others to do the same and increase the chances of accidents to occur.
Cracks are hidden under fresh snow, beware of falling into hidden-cracks. Falling headfirst can lead to suffocation or other critical situation. Be careful choosing your route. Do not traverse across slopes under cornices today. Ski/ride down the fall line. The storm will pick up again as the isobars narrow up again, beware of sudden weather changes.
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Official snow depth numbers and lift news at time of writing:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 375cm
Base - 175cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 360cm
Base - 215cm
Annupuri:
Top - 330cm
Base - 210cm
Niseko Now 2013-2014 season |
Data as of Wednesday 19th February 2014 Total snowfall at base so far 994cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 75 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (14th January) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 275cm reported on 22 days January 2014 snowfall 461cm reported on 29 days February 2014 snowfall 135cm reported on 15 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.