Niseko Now: Thursday 23rd January 2020
- Jan 23, 2020
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 9cm
Snowfall at base this season 493cm
Posted on Thursday 23rd January 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
It's an absolute beauty of an early morning.
I have 9cm of fresh snow to report overnight here at base; hopefully that means we might have got a double digit number higher up.
We should be in for a day of clear skies and sunshine. Everywhere looks ever so beautiful with the fresh white snow and those blue skies. With a special mention to the beautiful landscapes.
I love being here so much.
I don't think I need many words today - everything should be open as planned this morning and so I will leave it there and see you tomorrow.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -5℃, calm and 10cm low-pressure snowfall. Moiwa 800m: 354°(N) 3.8m/s, -5.0℃. Hirafu 1000m: 352°(N)5.0m/s, -7.6℃. Hanazono 720m: 348°(NNW) 2.0m/s, -4.5℃. Niseko Village 900m: 328°(NNW)1.5m/s, -7.4℃. Annupuri 1000m snow depth: 155cm. Benkei cape: NNW6m/s, Kamui cape: NNW5m/s, 1021hPa, 0.8m waves.
15cm of low-pressure snowfall has blanketed slopes above 800m in the past 12h and have partially formed slabs due to the temperature drop and wind during the night. No prominent weak layers was observed during the morning tests, however 30cm thick surface slab avalanches are likely to occur in leeward slopes with snowdrift accumulation around 1000m elevation. Old tracks are still present, however the snow in the trees is in decent conditions.
The power balance between the Siberian cold airmass and the Sea of Japan warm airmass seems to influence the route of the low-pressure systems, eventually having an impact on the snowfall pattern of this season. Either way, it’s nice to see some snowfall. The peak gates are schedule to open from the morning. Always keep in mind that the out of bounds area is not the resort anymore. Have a good read of the Niseko Rules. Annupuri gate 1 is schedule to open today. Beware of trees and bushes. Have a nice day.
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Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 245cm
- Base: 120cm
All lifts are normally operating EXCEPT:
- King Number 2 quad lift (this lift is normally rested)
All courses normally open
Lifts scheduled for late operations:
- Ace Family quad until 8:30pm
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad until 8:20pm
- Hirafu Gondola until 8:10pm
- Holiday Number 1 pair until 8:30pm
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 175cm
- Base: 110cm
All lifts are normally operating
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 155cm
- Base: 100cm
All lifts are normally operating
Lift scheduled for late operations:
- Jumbo Number 1 quad until 8:30pm
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 175cm
- Base: 100cm
All lifts normally operating EXCEPT:
- Country Road (this lift is normally rested)
Lifts scheduled for late operations:
- Annupuri Village Gondola until 8:00pm
- Village Express until 8:00pm
- Banzai Chair until 8:00pm
Niseko Now 2019-2020 season |
Data as of Thursday 23rd January 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 493cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 48 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 33cm (21st January) November 2019 snowfall 85cm reported on 10 days December 2019 snowfall 207cm reported on 21 days January 2020 snowfall 201cm 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.