Niseko Now: Wednesday 22nd February 2023
- Feb 22, 2023
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 11cm
Snowfall at base this season 907cm
Posted on Wednesday 22nd February 2023 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
I am measuring another 11cm of snow since yesterday, with Hirafu and Hanazono both reporting 20-25cm, so I would expect more on the slopes.
Like yesterday, we are starting with some blue sky, sun and good visibility. Early morning snow has eased off and there is still some cloud around, but it looks really nice out there at the start of lift operations. All should be opening as planned.
It's always nice to have some clearer weather along with the fresh snow delivery.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -6C, 10cm snowfall, calm. Moiwa 800m: -10.0C, W7.9m/s, 15cm snowfall, cornices/snowdrifts developing. Annupuri 1100m: -13.0C, WNW6.6m/s, cornices/snowdrifts development. Mizuno no Sawa: -11.6C, NNW3.5m/s. Hirafu Hanazono: -12.8C, SSE0.8m/s, 10cm snowfall and cal. Hanazono#3: -9.7C, N6.6m/s. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW11m/s, Kamui cape NNW8m/s, 1026hPa, 1.7m waves.
A high-pressure system is approaching and the wind is calming down on the sea and the mountains. 30cm or less wind-affected snow has blanketed the treeruns. The snow is a little heavy and forming soft slabs. Cornices fall with slight stimulation. According to weather data, the avalanche risk is starting to stabilize, however remains high above 1000m elevation. Be conscious of the past/present wind direction when riding places like the Backbowl. Heavy loads of snow from strong westerly wind makes the avalanche risk rise in there. Yesterday’s slide in Higashi-One 2nd gully was caused by the previous day’s strong northerly storm. 40-50cm crown and 100m distance, it was a relatively small avalanche, however avalanches can happen in under the treeline when the conditions align. Always be prudent. Praise to the first person dropping into the Backbowl sidewall yesterday for his courage. But the whole group dropping in at the same time was not a wise move.
This information is issued for accident prevention in the out of bounds area. All gates will open from the morning. Have a nice day.
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Ski area information for Wednesday 22nd February 2023
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day, weather permitting.
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
- Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 395cm (+10cm since yesterday)
- Base: 180cm (+10cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Ace Family quad [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four) [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 3 pair
- Hirafu Gondola
- Holiday Number 1 pair
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
- Swinging Monkey
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 20cm
- Base: 23cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 335cm (+10cm since yesterday)
- Base: 270cm (+5cm 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 (really?) (again, sorry)
- Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 260cm (+10cm since yesterday)
- Base: 190cm (+10cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open until 7:30pm for night skiing]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 3 pair [* normally open on weekends and holidays]
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 245cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 220cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Niseko Gondola
- Upper Village Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Banzai Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Wonderland Chair
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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 22nd February 2023 Total snowfall at base so far 907cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 79 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (27th & 28th January, 6th February) November 2022 snowfall 17cm reported on 5 days December 2022 snowfall 336cm reported on 27 days January 2023 snowfall 332cm reported on 27 days February 2023 snowfall 222cm 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.