Niseko Now: Saturday 21st March 2020
- Mar 21, 2020
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 4cm
Snowfall at base this season 715cm
Posted on Saturday 21st March 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Morning from Niseko.
Strong winds overnight - I was relieved to see my house remained in place, was worried at times - and it remains windy this morning.
There is actually some fresh snow but the wind means that numbers are probably all over the place. I see Hirafu appear to be reporting 15cm of fresh on their upper area and the Avalanche report is mentioning 10cm.
Really nice blue skies with some (fast moving) cloud but the wind is causing issues with lifts. As of 8:30am:
- the three lifts at Hanazono are not opening
- all top lifts on hold
- Village and Annupuri gondolas on hold
- All but the Community and Bandai chair lifts at Niseko Village are closed
Lower areas seem to be opening but the situation may change. Hopefully tomorrow should be calmer.
Take care out there.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base 5am: 2℃, 10cm snowfall in 12h. Moiwa 800m: NW 320°10.1m/s, -1.3℃, sunny. Annupuri 1100m: W 268°12.6m/s, -6.3℃. Yu no sawa: NW 293°3.7m/s, -6℃. Village 900m: W 282°5.4m/s, -5.3℃. Hirafu 1000m: -5.8℃. Hanazono 720m: WNW 295°4.7m/s, -1℃. Sea of Japan Benkei cape: NW16m/s, Kamui cape: WSW14m/s, 1000hPa, 3.4m waves.
The low pressure has passed however the wind remains strong. The wind peaked around midnight and stayed strong until 5am, averaging 15+m/s. Cornices and snowdrifts have developed drastically in leeward slopes. According to observations, reports and tests, 60cm thick snowdrifts are present in leeward knolls above 800m elevation and are extremely unstable, prone to slide with minimal stimulation. Avalanche risk is very high today and the gates will be kept closed. Rapid thaw is also making the glide avalanche hazard level rise in open steep slopes under 600m elevation. Do not cross boundary ropes to access out of bounds areas.
We demand understanding and respect of the Rules. It may be sunny, but the mountain conditions are quite treacherous. Be prudent and have a nice day.
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Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 330cm
- Base: 90cm
All lifts are normally operating EXCEPT:
- Ace Number 1 pair lift (normally rested)
- King Number 2 quad lift (normally rested)
Lifts scheduled for late operations:
- Ace Family quad until 8:30pm
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad until 8:20pm
- Hirafu Gondola until 8:10pm
- Holiday Number 1 pair until 8:30pm
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 209cm
- Base: 110cm
All lifts are normally operating
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 180cm
- Base: 100cm
All lifts are normally operating
Lift scheduled for late operations:
- Jumbo Number 1 quad until 8:30pm
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 190cm
- Base: 100cm
All lifts normally operating EXCEPT:
- Village Express
- Country Road Chair (normally rested)
Lifts scheduled for late operations:
- Annupuri Village Gondola until 8:00pm
- Banzai Chair until 8:00pm
Niseko Now 2019-2020 season |
Data as of Saturday 21st March 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 715cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 80 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 33cm (21st January) November 2019 snowfall 85cm reported on 10 days December 2019 snowfall 207cm reported on 21 days January 2020 snowfall 224cm reported on 20 days February 2020 snowfall 143cm reported on 19 days March 2020 snowfall 56cm reported on 10 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.