Niseko Now: Saturday 20th January 2024
- Jan 20, 2024
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 16cm
Snowfall at base this season 619cm
Posted on Saturday 20th January 2024 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko.
Ah, the weekend. And what better way to start than being able to sample some lovely surprise fresh snow. (After the toast, of course).
I have 16cm of snowfall to report this morning. And it snowing nicely now too, though it might not last - some forecasts show some blue sky and sun during the day today.
And... the coming week has consistent snowfall on the forecasts. All is good.
The top Jumbo Number 4 lift at Annupuri will, at long last, be open this morning from 9:30am. Hurray!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain Base 6am: -5°, calm, 20cm new snow, light winds. Moiwa 800m: -17.2°, NW3.7m/s(max 18m/s @ 2am). Mikaeri Live Camera 764m: -10°, slow snowdrift development, good visibility. Annupuri 1100m: -12.2°, WNW1.9m/s, 30cm new snow. Village 1000m: -10.8°, WNW1.9m/s. Hanazono 1000m: -11.8°, NNE2.9m/s. Hanazono 3 : -9.1°, NNE8m/s, 30cm new snow. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:NW7m/s. Kamui Cape NNW2m/s, 1033hPa, wave 0.7m.
We are currently under a high pressure system with a gentle pressure gradient, the sea and mountains are calm. Up to 40cm of snow fell overnight with no significant snow drift development. The general avalanche risk is low. Peak gates 2 and 3 are expected to be open. Please follow the patrols instructions. Do not duck ropes to go out of bounds- use the gates. Do not enter Strictly Off Limits areas Haru no Taki or YunoSawa. Avoid getting caught in an avalanche- do not traverse under cornices or have multiple riders on the slope at the same time. Ride the fall line. Don't wait around in gullies or the valley bottoms, avalanches follow the these lines. The snow might be good today? Have a nice day.
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Individual ski area information for Saturday 20th January 2024
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day at the time of writing and subject to change.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 20cm
- Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 310cm (+10cm since yesterday)
- Base: 130cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- All lifts operating apart from Ace Number 1 pair, King Number 1 pair and King Number 2 quad
- The Ace Family quad, Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four), Hirafu Gondola and Holiday Number 1 pair lifts are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 17cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 250cm (+15cm since yesterday)
- Base: 181cm (+1cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- All lifts operating
- The Hanazono Symphony Gondola is scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 200cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 180cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- All lifts operating (hurray!)
- The Jumbo Number 1 quad lift is scheduled to be open until 7:30pm
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 219cm
- Base: 159cm
Lifts:
- All lifts operating apart from Country Road
- The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- All lifts operating
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Floodlit night skiing is planned daily until Wednesday 20th March 2024.
Night skiing is usually until 7:00pm at Hirafu, Hanazono, Village and until 7:30pm at Annupuri.
Niseko Now 2023-2024 season |
Data as of Saturday 20th January 2024 Total snowfall at base so far 619cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 52 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 62cm (8th January) November 2023 snowfall 120cm reported on 11 days December 2023 snowfall 247cm reported on 24 days January 2024 snowfall 252cm reported on 17 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.