Niseko Now: Sunday 21st January 2018
- Jan 21, 2018
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 6cm
Snowfall at base this season 712cm
Posted on Sunday 21st January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
This morning I have another 6cm of snowfall to report since yesterday and I see the report below mentioning up to 15cm of fresh higher up.
That 6cm takes my observed (base level) snowfall up to 118cm for the first 21 reports of January 2018.
We may get some more snow during today and into tomorrow with the really decent snowfall still there on the forecasts from around Wednesday onwards.
Since I started putting this report together there have been some breaks in the clouds with even a bit of sunshine peeking through in some places - though the sun is hidden again now.
And it is snowing!
Wind appears to be affecting the Gondola and top lift at Annupuri as well as the day begins - see below for individual ski-jo information as of 8:30am.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6.00am: -8°, 5cm new snow, wind effected snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -12°, W7.6m/s, 5pm to this morning was around W12m/s, peaking at 17.4m/s at midnight, snowdrift development. Annupuri 1100m: -13°, NW16.3m/s - maximum21.1m/s. Hirafu 1250m: -13°, 15cm new snow, light winds, ridgeline snowdrift development. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:NW13m/s. Kamui Cape: W11m/s,1014hPa, wave 2.2m.
After the passing of the low pressure system yesterday afternoon a westerly wind and snow picked up. Although the amount of snow wasn’t that much, cornices and drifts above 800m had rapid development. Leeward snowdrifts are not yet stabilised. There is 30-50cm layer on top of the Jan 20th low pressure snowfall layer that is easily fracturing. The avalanche risk is high on leeward slopes above 800m this morning. Hirafu and Annupuri peak gates are expected to be closed. Do not duck ropes to enter Osawa cornice face, East Ridge cornice slope, Strictly Off Limits areas Haru no Taki or Yuno Sawa.
Most avalanche accidents occur during blizzards, where snowdrifts are quickly turning to slabs. During blizzards all leeward slopes should be considered high risk for avalanches. The snowdrift growth is hard and heavy, prone to surface slab avalanches trigged by rider stimulation. Snow conditions change everyday, do not disregard the danger of avalanches. This week we will have a strengthening typical cold winter weather pattern and the snowstorm is expected to continue. Make a reasonable action plan. The snow in the trees is good but heavy.
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Sunday 21st January 2018
Resort specific information (operations subject to change):
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts apart from King Number 2 should be operating
- The top Ace Number 4 and King Number 4 lifts are on hold at start of the day due to strong winds
- 'Early Morning' services from 8:00am until 8:20am (Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift). Until 28th January. 500 yen special ticket required.
Official snow depth:
- Top: 370cm
- Base: 170cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts are generally operating
- Gondola and top Jumbo Number 4 lifts on hold at start of the day due to strong winds
Official snow depth:
- Top: 290cm
- Base: 170cm
Niseko Village
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts apart from the Country Road Chair lift should be operating
- 'Early Gondola' service from 7:30am until 8:30am (Niseko Gondola). January 27th-28th; February 3rd-4th. 1,400 yen special ticket required.
Official snow depth:
- Top: 280cm
- Base: 170cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Sunday 21st January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 712cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 54 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (21st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 118cm 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.