Niseko Now: Friday 19th January 2018
- Jan 19, 2018
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 8cm
Snowfall at base this season 701cm
Posted on Friday 19th January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
The gates were closed yesterday (I believe) and that was due to the really poor visibility up there. They should be open today with improved conditions - though I would expect still fairly limited visibility this morning on mountain.
I have 8cm of fresh snowfall on the ground to report this morning; falling yesterday afternoon and last night. Very nice to see of course; perhaps not enough to completely cover tracks, but certainly welcome and I believe a personal inspection is required this morning!
Light-moderate snow is falling now as the resorts open up for the day and all lifts appear to be starting up as planned.
Maybe see some of you out there.
It was funny, the other day someone asked me 'if I liked toast' when they heard that I lived locally. They were trying to uncover the identity of the Niseko Now writer! Of course, I pretended to be confused by such a question and held back with my response! ;)
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6.00am: -5°, 10cm new snow. Moiwa 800m: -5.9°, E3.4m/s, 15cm new snow, minor snowdrift development. Annupuri 1100m: -6.7°, WNW3.5m/s, 15cm new snow, minor snowdrift development. Hirafu 1250m: -11°, light westerly winds, 20cm new snow, snowdrift development. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:NNW12m/s. Kamui Cape: N7m/s,1017hPa, wave 1.4m.
From midnight the atmospheric pressure gradient increased and above 800m there was some slow snowdrift development. The mountain is reset for the first time in a while. From observation the general avalanche risk is low. All gates are expected to be open. Listen to the patrols advice before going out of bounds. Be careful riding, the old tracks are not completely covered.
Cracks are appearing everywhere on the mountain. The risk of large scale avalanche from a deep layer or full depth avalanche in Haru no Taki is increasing due to the warm winter and large amount of snow. Do not duck ropes to enter this area from either the Hirafu or Higashiyama side. Do not overestimate your knowledge, skills or equipment. Always err on the side of caution. Groomers are in fantastic condition.
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Friday 19th 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: 370cm
- Base: 175cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts are generally operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 290cm
- 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: 280cm
- Base: 170cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Friday 19th January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 701cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 52 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 107cm 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.