Niseko Now: Sunday 1st February 2015
- Feb 1, 2015
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 15cm
Snowfall at base this season 821cm
Posted on Sunday 1st February 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko on this first day of February.
February already?! (I'll be taking a look at the final numbers for January in my report tomorrow morning).
It's snowing quite heavily out there this morning and there's a good 15cm (and counting) of snow on the top of my parked car outside at the moment.
Similar kind of conditions forecast through the day today and tomorrow as well, with things easing off by Tuesday.
It's great to get new fresh snowfall, and conditions should be fun this morning... justgo away winds!
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Resort specific news as of 8:30am - subject to change during the day
Niseko Grand Hirafu:
Top King Number 4, King Number 3 and Ace Number 4 lifts on hold due to weather conditions.
'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am).
Niseko Hanazono:
Top Hanazono Number 3 lift on hold.
Niseko Village:
Niseko Gondola and top Wonderland lift on hold early on due to strong winds.
'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am).
Niseko Annupuri:
Annupuri Gondola and top Jumbo Number 4 lifts on hold due to strong winds.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -5C, 15cm of crushed crystal snowfall in 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: NE18m/s, -7C, 50cm of snowdrifts. Annupuri 1000m: N15m/s, -10C, 50cm of snowdrift, 275cm snowpack. Hirafu 1000m: strong NE wind, -8C, developing snowdrifts. Peak anemometer: NNW19.2m/s at 6am. Coastal data: Benkei cape E14m/s, Kamui cape ENE6m/s, 1-14hPa, 2.1m waves.
Strong NE wind generated large development of unstable snowdrifts, easily sliding from Jan 31st layer. Hard-slabs and cornices in Osawa ad Mikaeri bowl that formed in a short period of time are very unstable. Avalanche risk is high in those slopes today. The wind will shift to north, then to westerly and snowdrifts will develop accordingly. Beware. Peak gates scheduled to be kept closed.
A decent dump has finally come, however it’s better to stay in the trees and course-side powder areas for now. The new snow is a bit shallow but pretty good. Many of the avalanche accidents occur in leeward slopes during a storm. Sunlight is weak and the surface is hard to see. Stay in control, be prudent and ride safe.
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Official resort snow depths:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 350cm
Base - 130cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 280cm
Base - 180cm
Niseko Annupuri:
Top - 275cm
Base - 160cm
Niseko Now 2014-2015 season |
Data as of Sunday 1st February 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 821cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 54 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm reported on 23 days February 2015 snowfall 15cm 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.