Niseko Now: Wednesday 21st December 2022
- Dec 21, 2022
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 1cm
Snowfall at base this season 274cm
Posted on Wednesday 21st December 2022 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
There is hardly any snow to report this morning with a slight snowfall yesterday and none overnight. It is mostly just cloudy as I put this report together, with some light snow falling in places.
Forecasts hint that tomorrow will be somewhat milder. The snow clouds shouldn't be too far away over Christmas.
Interesting to note in the Avalanche Report that the top lifts might not be running 'for another while'. Still, there is plenty of terrain to enjoy in the meantime,
Annupuri added their "S"-ji course to the list of available runs this morning.
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Here's the other Hirafu trivia I promised yesterday.
The ski area opened as Niseko Hirafu in 1961.
It changed its name to Niseko Kokusai Hirafu in 1970. Kokusai means ‘international’. There were quite a few ski areas in Japan using that word in their name. Ironically, that was back when skiing in Japan was far from being 'international'.
In 2004, the ski area's name was changed to Niseko Mountain Resort Grand Hirafu.
And in 2021, it officially changed to its current name, Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu.
Omoshiroi!
By the way, Tokyu comes from the name of the company that owns and operates the ski area. That company has also had various name changes but always included the 'Tokyu' bit. The current company name is 'Tokyu Resorts & Stays'.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -5℃, no snowfall, good visibility. Moiwa 800m: -8℃, W5m/s, no snowfall but wind-snowdrifts developed. Annupuri 1000m: -8℃, westerly 10m/s, no snowfall, wind-snowdrifts developed from pre-dawn. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW16m/s, Kamui cape W14m/s, 1016hPa, 2.0m waves.
Slight snowfall. A westerly wind kept relatively strong above 1000m elevation, which blew the surface snow forming snowdrifts. Leeward slopes have been mostly reset and although yesterday’s tracks are still present, the snow in the forest is looking good. Beware of obstacles and holes hiding under the surface. The snowdrift on top of Dec 13th layer has reached 150cm in Moiwa 800m area. This layer let go with the snowcat's pressure, however the overall avalanche risk is relatively low today. A high pressure system is laying over the area and it’s a good day for riding. Beware of overspeeding and hitting trees. Keep in mind that winter weather can change very quickly. Many of the avalanche accidents occur as the developing snowdrift slab breaks during bad weather. If 20m/s winds last for over 12h, the consolidation of the snowpack delays and the snowdrifts remain structurally unstable, raising the avalanche risk. Avalanches do happen even in early season if the conditions align. Avalanches triggered by 200+cm thick snowdrifts can reach 70m/s, 220km/h speeds. These types of avalanches can destroy bridges and buildings. Better not underestimate the power of avalanches. The chairlifts above 1000m elevation won’t run for another while as the course maintenance is delayed. Please be patient. The morning groomer condition is fantastic. Please respect the Niseko Rules.
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Ski area information for Wednesday 21st December 2022
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.
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: 20cm (* perhaps not updated since yesterday?)
- Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 180cm (-20cm since yesterday)
- Base: 85cm (-5cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Ace Family quad
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four) [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Hirafu Gondola
- Holiday Number 1 pair
- King Number 3 quad
Courses:
- All courses are now open except Large, Konayuki, Miharashi and Dynamic
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 3cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 135cm (-5cm since yesterday)
- Base: 105cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 0cm
- Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 145cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 110cm (no change change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open until 7:30pm for night skiing]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 0cm
- Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 110cm (-5cm since yesterday)
- Base: 95cm (-15cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Niseko Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Banzai Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- Number 1 pair lift
- Number 2 pair lift
- Quad lift
Niseko Now 2022-2023 season |
Data as of Wednesday 21st December 2022 Total snowfall at base so far 274cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 25 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 21cm (17th December) November 2022 snowfall 17cm reported on 5 days December 2022 snowfall 257cm reported on 20 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.