Niseko Now: Thursday 21st February 2019
- Feb 21, 2019
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 2cm
Snowfall at base this season 894cm
Posted on Thursday 21st February 2019 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Some more snow this morning - 2cm of it in fact, and it looks pretty decent condition too for what it's worth.
It is a beautiful morning. The sun is out and we have mostly clear blue skies with just a bit of cloud over our mountain and Mt Yotei is looking magnificent. Currently -2C here at base. The forecast shows a fair bit of sun to be expected over the coming days so we can enjoy that, just hoping that it doesn't warm up too much.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Mountain Base 6.00am: -2°, 2cm new snow. Moiwa 800m: -3.8°, WSW0.8m/s, 2cm new snow, no snowdrift development. Annupuri 1120m: snow depth 250cm, 1100m: light winds, -6.2°. Hirafu 1000m: -5.8°, SSE2.0m/s. Village: Mizuno no Sawa: -4.88°, SSE0.4m/s, 2cm new snow in the last 24hrs. Kutchan Weather Station: -0.4°, SSW0.8m/s, snow depth 163cm. Cape Benkei: N6m/s, Cape Kamui: calm, pressure 1016hPa, wave 0.7m.
We are currently in a low pressure zone but the sea and mountains are calm. There has been no new snow and only minor cornice and snowdrift development. From observation the general avalanche risk is low. All gates are expected to be open. Please listen to the patrols advice and be prepared before going out of bounds. Large cracks are starting to open up around the mountain. Be careful falling into them. Its a good idea to carry 7.7mm/20m of rope for rescues. The snow is hard and a bit savage, be careful.
Today ski patrol are doing a more snow tests in Yunosawa. Do not follow them to ride in Yunosawa area. By Niseko Rules, Yunosawa and Harunotaki are strictly off limits areas, but these tests are being conducted with the aim of opening up Yunosawa for future riding. Have a good day.
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Ski resort operation information: Thursday 21st February 2019
Subject to change due to weather conditions
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 350cm
- Base: 150cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts should be opening as planned (Ace Number 1 pair and King Number 2 quad lifts rested)
- The Ace Family quad (until 8:30pm), Ace Center 4 quad (8:20pm), Hirafu Gondola (until 8:10pm) and Holiday Number 1 pair (until 8:30pm) lifts are normally open during the evening
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 258cm
- Base: 203cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts should be opening as planned
- The Hanazono lifts are normally open until 3:50pm (Number 3 until 3:30pm)
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 330cm
- Base: 160cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts should be opening as planned
- The Jumbo 1 lift is normally open until 8:30pm during the evening
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 330cm
- Base: 160cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts should be opening as planned (Country Road lift rested)
- The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair lifts are normally open until 8:00pm during the evening
Niseko Now 2018-2019 season |
Data as of Thursday 21st February 2019 Total snowfall at base so far 894cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 77 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (29th December) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 333cm reported on 26 days January 2019 snowfall 285cm reported on 25 days February 2019 snowfall 192cm reported on 18 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.