Niseko Now: Friday 20th January 2017
- Jan 20, 2017
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 9cm
Snowfall at base this season 377cm
Posted on Friday 20th January 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko and a bit of a nice surprise with just over 9cm of lovely fresh snowfall to report to you.
Most welcome! Hopefully there'll be a bit more than that up on them there slopes, and so I will be heading up myself very soon. Just so that I can check.
There was cloud over the mountain an hour or so ago (and clearer over towards Mt Yotei) but it's the other way round now as this report is about to be posted and the sun is out over the mountain. Should be a nice early morning.
The forecast now seems to be showing snowfall from Sunday through Tuesday, so all fingers crossed we get both quality and quantity.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -6℃, mild wind, 10cm snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -8℃, NW8m/s, 15cm new snow with no snowdrift development. Annupuri 1150m:-13℃, W10m/s, 15cm snow without snowdrifts. Hirafu 1250m: -11℃, light breeze, 10cm new snow and no snowdrifts development. Kamui cape lighthouse:ENE3m/s, 1014hPa, 1.7m waves.
The isobars are spread out and the weather is calm. 10-15cm light crystal snowfall fell overnight and is blanketing the mountain. New snowdrifts and cornices development is minimal, the snowpack seems stable and the general avalanche risk is low.
All gates are scheduled t open from the morning. Listen to the ski patrol and step out of the gates. Wearing a beacon and a helmet is highly recommended.
The snow is shallow but good. Very light and dry snow this morning. Sluffs are to be expected, however slab slides are less probable. More emphasize should be put on weather and snowfall transition for evaluating hazard levels in the mountains. We would like to remind that most accidents occur during and just after foul weather. Snowdrifts and slabs that formed during storms and high winds are the cause of many surface slab avalanches. Keep an eye on the snowfall patterns. There are many other hazards lurking in the out of bounds area. Better not over-estimate your knowledge, skills and equipment. Always be prudent and humble in the mountains.
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Official resort snow depths as of Friday 20th January 2017:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 265cm
Base - 100cm
Niseko Village
Top - 210cm
Base - 120cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 220cm
Base - 120cm
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Night skiing is planned until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Niseko Annupuri, Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Village resort areas. There is no nighta in the Hanazono area.
Niseko Now 2016-2017 season |
Data as of Friday 20th January 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 377cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 48 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 181cm reported on 22 days January 2017 snowfall 86cm reported on 12 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.