Niseko Now: Friday 20th January 2023
- Jan 20, 2023
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 7cm
Snowfall at base this season 532cm
Posted on Friday 20th January 2023 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko.
It's another fine morning. The sun is out, and we have blue skies, with just a little cloud here and there. Lovely, and with some fresh snow overnight too.
It should remain below zero through the day at base.
The clear and sunny skies won't be lasting long, though, with snow due by tonight. And if forecasts are correct, we will see consistent snowfall through next week. Hopefully wind won't be too... pesky.
So I would recommend making the most of the sunshine today, as we might not see much of it (or at all) for a while.
The Chinese New Year period is upon us again, and I believe Sunday is the main day. I am guessing we will see many people around over the next week or so. Pre-covid, this period had become one of the busiest periods of the season. Of course, it always was, with late January or early February being peak season. Visitors for Chinese New Year celebrations added to that! To those visitors this year... welcome. :)
The Sapporo Snow Festival this year is being held from 4th-11th February, by the way.
---------------
Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base -4C, 10cm new snow, Strong wind and low pressure snow pre-dawn. Moiwa 800m: -7.0C, WNW8.8m, snowdrift development, fracture face 40cm. Annupuri 1100m: -10.2C, NW6.4m/s, pre-dawn blizzard with cornice collapses. Mizuno no Sawa: -9.1C, NNW2.8m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -8.9C, NNE11.8m/s, trace new snow, snowdrift development. Hanzono#3: -6.7C, N5.2m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape NNE7m/s, Kamui Cape ENE2m/s, 1015hPa, 1.5m waves.
---------------
Ski area information for Friday 20th January 2023
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day, weather permitting.
Official snow depth numbers in brackets show the change since previous report.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 5cm
- Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 280cm (-10cm since yesterday)
- Base: 105cm (-5cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Ace Family quad [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four) [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 3 pair
- Hirafu Gondola
- Holiday Number 1 pair
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
- Swinging Monkey
-------
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 208cm (-2cm since yesterday)
- Base: 160cm (-5cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
-------
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 160cm (+20cm since yesterday)
- Base: 140cm (+20cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open until 7:30pm for night skiing]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 3 pair [* normally open on weekends and holidays]
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
-------
Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 155cm (+10cm since yesterday)
- Base: 140cm (+5cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Niseko Gondola
- Upper Village Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Banzai Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Wonderland Chair
-------
Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- Number 1 pair lift
- Number 2 pair lift
- Quad lift
Niseko Now 2022-2023 season |
Data as of Friday 20th January 2023 Total snowfall at base so far 532cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 48 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 22cm (2nd and 16th January) November 2022 snowfall 17cm reported on 5 days December 2022 snowfall 336cm reported on 27 days January 2023 snowfall 179cm reported on 16 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.