Niseko Now: Friday 23rd January 2015
- Jan 23, 2015
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 2cm
Snowfall at base this season 775cm
Posted on Friday 23rd January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
It's another wild ride today.
One of those days when it's going to be a difficult to give a measure on snow - I'm going with a few cm though for now. Luckily (for those purposes) not much yet.
Naughty strong northerly winds on mountain are enjoying blowing things around and disrupting top lifts - along with all of the lifts at Annupuri - at the beginning of the day unfortunately. With strong winds expected to continue for the day and very possibly get worse, we can expect more disruptions I'm afraid. For resort status as of the start of the day, check below - I do updated that every day in case you didn't know.
So it's either take a break from the skiing and boarding and take a dip in an onsen, or brave the conditions and make the most of the very possibly less crowded slopes (I suppose that will depend on how many people decide to take a rest, and how many lifts remain open).
Snow is expected to continue into tomorrow but hopefully wind will ease off at least somewhat. Sunday is currently looking set to be much calmer and we might get some clearer skies as well.
Snow back with us from around Tuesday.
Have a good day, if you do venture out... be safe. Of course.
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Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day
Niseko Grand Hirafu:
Top King Number 3, Ace Number 4, King Number 4 and Swinging Monkey lifts on hold early on due to the weather conditions.
'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am).
Niseko Hanazono:
Hanazono Number 3 lift on hold due to weather.
Niseko Village:
Niseko Gondola and top Wonderland chair on hold at the start of the day due to weather conditions.
'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am).
Niseko Annupuri:
All lifts on hold at the beginning of the day at Annupuri.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -3C, north-easterly storm for the last 12 hours has made snowdrifts develop in leeward area. Moiwa 800m: NE20m/s, -5C, large development of snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m NE20m/s with drastic development of snowdrifts. Hirafu peak ridge NE25m/s, -7C. Coastal data: Benkei cape NE13m/s, Kamui cape ESE4m/s, 1007hPa, 1.8m waves.
A strong NE storm is persisting, making snowdrifts drastically develop on top of Jan 22nd layer. The avalanche risk is extremely high today. Highly wind-affected dense snow is also present in the treeruns. All gates above 800m will be closed today. Today is not a day to go out of bounds. Similar hazardous conditions in Nito, Chise, Shiribetsu and other surrounding areas. Carefully plan your tour route. The wind will calm down tomorrow, better not push it too far today. Many accidents occur during a storm. Have a nice day.
Travel insurances may not cover accidents in out of bounds areas, it is strongly suggested to have an insurance that covers mountaineering accidents.
Niseko Now 2014-2015 season |
Data as of Friday 23rd January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 775cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 48 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 226cm 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.