Niseko Now: Thursday 22nd February 2018
- Feb 22, 2018
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 5cm
Snowfall at base this season 1141cm
Posted on Thursday 22nd February 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Morning greetings to you all.
And this morning I have 5cm of fresh snow to report.
And, yes, it is snowing. Quite bright though this morning (at least here in the village as I write this; not so much by looking at the webcams) and it feels fairly calm, so I expect the top lifts should be able to open as normal.
So there's not quite as much fresh this morning, but the forecast still shows consistent snowfall over the coming week and into March. If the sun does get to make a guest appearance sometime, make the most of it because it isn't due to stick around for too long!
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 5.00am: -11°, trace new snow, calm. Moiwa 800m: -12°, WNW2.5m/s, cornice and snowdrift development until midnight. Annupuri 1150m: -13°, NW10m/s, snow wind is calming down. Hirafu 1250m: -15°, light wind, snow wind is calming down. Coastal data: Benkei Cape: NW11m/s. Kamui Cape: W9m/s, 1018hPa, wave 1.4m.
The pressure gradient is levelling out and the sea and mountains are finally calming down. Cornice and snowdrift development are starting to settle down. From observation snow has stabilised, the general slope avalanche risk is low. No 2,3 peak gates are expected to be open. Please listen to the patrols advice and be prepared before going out of bounds.
The weather is expected to deteriorate after lunch. Plan accordingly. Leeward slopes in the forest have good snow. Be careful falling into cracks, hitting trees or getting lost. Following someone you don't know is easy way to get lost, always know your current location. From data and analysis the avalanche risk at Kozan no sawa sidewall, Osawa cornice slope near 1000m, Higashi One far side continues to be high. Ride the fall line, don't ever traverse steep slopes under cornices. Many people are stopping in the valley bottoms so be careful near and under cornices they may collapse suddenly without warning. When above them stay a save distance (10m) from the edge.
This report is published daily to try and prevent accidents of ski resort users. Hoping there is no accident today. We are getting a little tired. Have a good day.
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Thursday 22nd February 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
Official snow depth:
- Top: 510cm
- Base: 255cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 400cm
- Base: 260cm
Niseko Village
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts (apart from the Country Road Chair lift) should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 400cm
- Base: 280cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Thursday 22nd February 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1141cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 82 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 242cm 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.