Niseko Now: Friday 23rd February 2024
- Feb 23, 2024
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 14cm
Snowfall at base this season 801cm
Posted on Friday 23rd February 2024 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko.
And what a lovely morning it is!
There's fresh snow, it's suitably cold, there are blue skies and the sun is out. Nice. All lifts opening as planned and it should be a fine morning, though the clearer skies might not last.
I have 14cm of fresh snowfall to report. Hanazono seems to reporting 20-33cm on the mountain and Hirafu is reporting 30cm... a bit surprising, but it sure sounds good and definitely worth investigating.
There's more snow lined up on forecasts too, so it looks like it should be a fair end to the month.
If I am not mistaken, the Louis Vuitton Niseko Winter Resort Pop-up Store tent thingy at the base of Hanazono will be open until this coming Sunday, so if you want posh bags and stuff, you have a few more days to get on over there!
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Oops, sorry. I made a mistake yesterday. Today is a national holiday, but it is the Emperor's Birthday... not Vernal Equinox Day (that's next month).
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain Base 6am: -9°, 15cm new snow, calm. Moiwa 800m: -17.1°, NNW2.1m/s , minor snowdrift development. Mikaeri 764m: -10°, N1.9m/s. Annupuri 1100m: -13.5°, WNW2.0m/s. Village 1000: -12.1°, NW1.7m/s. Hanazono 1000m: -13.0°, SSW2.8m/s, 15cm new snow, calm. Hanazono 3 : -1.9°, SSE0.0m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape: NE10m/s. Kamui Cape NNE6m/s, 1024hPa, wave 0.8m.
There is little atmospheric pressure gradient, the sea and mountains are calm. Cold air flowed into the area last night dropping 10-15cm of crystal snow. Snowdrift development was negligible, from observation and data the general avalanche risk is low. All gates are expected to be open. Please follow the patrols advice, prepare your beacon and other rescue gear and only exit the ski resort through a gate. Once you go through the gate you are no longer at the ski resort. Ducking ropes is strictly prohibited. Also never enter strictly prohibited areas Haru no Taki and Yu no Sawa. Repeat - outside the gates is not the ski resort - no Ski Patrol. In Niseko the gates are opened to allow out of bounds riding when conditions are considered “safe”. However, this sport is never 100% safe. Don t be over confident and always be cautious. Accidents can be prevented with care. More and more serious accidents with people crashing into trees. Ride according to your ability.
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Individual ski area information for Friday 23rd February 2024
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day at the time of writing and subject to change.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 30cm
- Base: 30cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 320cm (+20cm since yesterday)
- Base: 120cm (+20cm since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts apart from King Number 1 pair and King Number 2 quad (normal operations)
- The Ace Family quad, Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four), Hirafu Gondola and Holiday Number 1 pair lifts are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 33cm
- Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 260cm (+32cm since yesterday)
- Base: 175cm (+20cm since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts
- The Hanazono Symphony Gondola is scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 220cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 140cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts
- The Jumbo Number 1 quad lift is scheduled to be open until 7:30pm
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 215cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 127cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts apart from Country Road
- The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
Niseko Now 2023-2024 season |
Data as of Friday 23rd February 2024 Total snowfall at base so far 801cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 76 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 62cm (8th January) November 2023 snowfall 120cm reported on 11 days December 2023 snowfall 247cm reported on 24 days January 2024 snowfall 298cm reported on 24 days February 2024 snowfall 136cm 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.