Niseko Now: Monday 22nd January 2018
- Jan 22, 2018
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 16cm
Snowfall at base this season 728cm
Posted on Monday 22nd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Hurray!, after snow (and wind) during the day yesterday I have double digit fresh snowfall numbers to report this morning - a very reasonable 16cm. And I see lots of people lined up waiting for the lifts to get going.
But there's a lot more to come this week, with some very decent snowfall being forecast by... the forecasts... into the weekend and beyond. It looks like it should be a very good week for snow, which is what I love to report.
And not only here in Hokkaido but lots of regions of Japan are set to get snowed on. Even Tokyo, which is set to get some snow today. Of course they don't like getting snow and it causes all sorts of problems (cue video on the national news of people slipping on the snow, along with some instantly broken umbrellas), so it would be good if it just fell in the areas that want it. Like, us.
Hopefully wind won't cause too many problems.
Light snow is falling as I write this report and snow on and off is what seems to be on the local forecasts for the day, though there's actually a bit of sun shining through a break in the clouds over to the east.
All ski resort areas appear to be opening as planned this morning - check for gate info.
Let's get ready for it. It should be a good week and a very positive last section of the month.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -10℃, 15cm snowfall with snowdrifts. Moiwa 800m: -13℃, W15m/s, large snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: -17℃, W15/s, 15cm snowfall with large snowdrifts. Hirafu1250m: -19℃, 20cm snowfall, mild wind with occasional gusts. Benkei cape: NW15m/s, Kamai cape: WSW12m/s, 1019hPa, 2.6m waves.
The isobars were tight and the wind stayed strong until late night, the leeward aspects have heavy load of snowdrifts and the avalanche risk is high above 800m. The wind is forecasted to calm down, the gates opening is still undetermined, but working on it. Please follow the patrol’s instructions.
The avalanche risk in the Backbowl, Osawa, Higashi-One is high, please refrain from going too far even after the gate open. Avalanche swipes the whole valley at 100+km/h. Better stay away from the bottom to be able to avoid. Traversing knolls and steep slopes can trigger a slide at anytime. Never traverse avalanche terrain. The tree runs are filled with slightly heavy, wind affected snow, very good conditions.
Please be mindful of your tour route. Being careful will prevent most accidents. Have you turned your beacon on? Helmet? Not obligatory, but strongly recommended. Beware of frostbites. The Niseko Rules exist to protect the safety and freedom of out of bounds riding. Please respect the Rules. Stormy days will persist throughout the week. We hope no accidents will happen.
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Monday 22nd 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
- '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: 375cm
- Base: 175cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts are generally operating
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: 290cm
- Base: 170cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Monday 22nd January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 728cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 55 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 134cm reported on 17 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.