Niseko Now: Saturday 1st December 2018
- Dec 1, 2018
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 20cm
Snowfall at base this season 104cm
Posted on Saturday 1st December 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from my secret Hirafu base where things are looking very wintery.
So we move into December, an as planned all four of the Niseko United resorts are now open, with lifts at Niseko Village and Niseko HANAZONO starting to move as this report goes live.
Niseko HANAZONO plan to have all three of their lifts moving today with 'top to bottom' skiing possible. Don't worry, snowboarders. Presumably top to bottom snowboarding is possible too! ;)
Over at Niseko Village, the Upper Village Gondola (which is actually by base) and the Community Chair lifts are starting their season; so the action there is down by the base area for now.
Niseko Grand Hirafu are adding some new lifts too, including the Hirafu Gondola - but you still need to get either the Gondola or Ace Number 2 quad lift back down.
And as I mentioned yesterday, the lower Dream Number 1 Quad Lift at Niseko Annupuri is opening this morning from 9:00am.
The nearby Moiwa area is also planning on opening from tomorrow.
Phew. I think I have got all that lot right!
In all that excitement, I almost forgot to tell you the good snow news. There's more to report this morning with 20cm of fresh being measured by myself. And it looks really nice quality too.
So to sum up this morning... hurray!
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
A big thank you and 'otsukaresama in advance' to the very good folk putting the avalanche reports together. The first one of the season...
Moiwa base 6am: -5℃, snowing, 20cm of snowfall in the past 12hours. Minimal wind influence. Sea of Japan Benkei cape: NW9m/s, Kamui cape: 1.4m waves, 1014hPa. Moiwa 850m and Annupuri 1100m wind data is not yet available.
NW15m/s snow & wind at 1200m elevation made cornices and snowdrifts slowly develop. Slides from 11/28 layer are likely to occur in leeward exposed 40°slopes. Beware when touring in the backcountry. Avalanches will happen when the conditions align, no matter the snowpack depth and will only be an accident if a person is involved in it.
Out of bounds area is still closed and is not suitable for riding yet. Beware of bushes, dirt, rocks and other obstacles in the ungroomed snow. Need to wait for some more snowfall. Better be patient and not waste the season with an early injury. The resorts course conditions are yet to be at its best.
Niseko's out of bounds riding is supported by the strong work of the ski patrols, lift staffs and cat operators. Please respect their work and the Niseko Rules. We hope everyone have a great season.
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Ski resort operation information: Saturday 1st December 2018
The below information is manually checked each morning and believed to be correct at time of report!
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Part open
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 115cm
- Base: 50cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Ace Number 3 pair
- King Number 3 quad
- Swinging Monkey
- Ace Number 2 Center Four (for transport, last down at 4pm)
- Hirafu Gondola (for transport, last down at 4pm)
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Part open
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 48cm
- Base: 30cm
- * Not updated by resort as of 8:30am
Ski lifts operating:
- Hanazono Number 1 quad
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
Hirafu & Hanazono Courses open:
- Center Course
- Rinkan Course (lower area)
- Beginners Access
- Jumbo Course
- Yotei Sunset
- Parallel Course
- Silver Dream
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Niseko Annupuri
Part open
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 60cm
- Base: 20cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Annupuri Gondola
- Jumbo Number 3 pair
- Dream Number 1 quad
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Niseko Village
Part open
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: -cm
- Base: 20cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Upper Village Gondola
- Community Chair
Niseko Now 2018-2019 season |
Data as of Saturday 1st December 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 104cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 9 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 20cm reported on 1 day |
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.