Niseko Now: Wednesday 1st January 2014
- Jan 1, 2014
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 10cm
Snowfall at base this season 408cm
Posted on Wednesday 1st January 2014 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Happy New Year!
Celebrations aplenty in the area last night (some probably still going on) and some fireworks to bring in the New Year. I don't know if I was imagining it, but there seemed to be less people up and out and about around 8am when I was walking through the village. Can't think why!
We have 10-15cm or so of new snow as well since my last report, though it's a fairly mild morning hovering around 0C and not the most light and fluffy variety. Down here anyway, a bit heavy. It was snowing earlier but eased off as I write this report. But snow is forecast for the day, and tomorrow and the day after and... well, basically for the coming week. If the forecasts are right, we won't be seeing a whole lot of the sun. Temperatures should dip as well later on today so we'll be back to the cold and I would imagine some fine quality snow will be delivered.
I can't go without mentioning the wind. From the get go a few lifts aren't moving (see below) and stronger winds likely later on in the day. So there may well be disruption on the mountain and if you are planning on being out there an advance check is highly recommended. It's probably not going to calm down much in that respect tomorrow, though hopefully the snow conditions will make up for that.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -2C, 5cm of new snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -4C, 10cm of new snow, moderate development of snowdrifts, westerly 10m/s wind. Annupuri 1000m: -5C, 5cm of new snow, westerly wind picked up from 5am 15m/s, development of snowdrifts. Coastal data: benkei cape WSW7m/s, Kamui cape S16m/s , 1m waves, 991hPa. Peak wind forecast at noon: westerly 18m/s.
Light pre-low pressure snowfall and wind-drift snow accumulation is small. The snowpack has stabilized except in upper area of 1000m leeward cornice & knoll slopes. The overall avalanche risk is low. A January 1st layer will form in the future snowpack due to temperature change. A westerly wind is forecasted to pick as the low pressure passes. Gates opening is still undecided. Please respect the ski patrol decisions. The snow condition is ever changing. Hazard evaluation in Niseko is based on the snowfall transition and snowpack observations. Avalanches are likely to occur during storms and become an accident if a person happens to be there. This information is published to protect the freedom to ski/ride the backcountry, but at the same time, to also protect the general safety of all resort users. We are hoping that everyone makes good use of it and respect the Niseko Rules. Beware of sudden weather changes today. The snow in the trees is nice. Happy New Year 2014.
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Official snow depth numbers and lift news at time of writing:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 250cm
Base - 100cm
King 3, King 4 and Hanazono 3 lifts affected by wind.
Niseko Village:
Top - 170cm
Base - 120cm
Gondola and Wonderland chair affected by wind.
Annupuri:
Top - 145cm
Base - 130cm
Jumbo Number 4 affected by wind. Gondola was earlier, but seems to be ok now.
Niseko Now 2013-2014 season |
Data as of Wednesday 1st January 2014 Total snowfall at base so far 408cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 32 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 35cm (14th, 15th and 24th December) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 275cm reported on 22 days January 2014 snowfall 10cm 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.