Niseko Now: Sunday 24th February 2019
- Feb 24, 2019
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 3cm
Snowfall at base this season 897cm
Posted on Sunday 24th February 2019 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Interesting. I have 3cm of fresh snowfall to report to you this morning which was delivered overnight. Very good to see that. And I notice that some of the resorts are adding a bit of snow to their snow depths. Perhaps there might be closer to 10cm of fresh up top> I think we need to investigate - don't worry, I will take on said task. (The things I have to do!)
It is a lovely morning with blue skies and sunshine. Temperature under zero now but will probably rise a bit into positive numbers at base during the day.
As 8:30am approaches, it seems that all top lifts are not starting up right away due to gusty westerly winds up there. Details below as they are at 8:30am. Lots of people lining up waiting for those first lifts.
Should be a good day.
And more sunshine is expected tomorrow.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Mountain Base 6.00am: -6°, no new snow. Moiwa 800m: -7.6°, WSW2.19m/s. Annupuri 1100m: -9.7°, WSW9.2m/s, snow depth 250cm. Hirafu 1000m: -8.7°, N4.4m/s, Hirafu Peak: -12°. Kutchan Weather Station: -12.3°, NW0.4m/s, snow depth 158cm. Cape Benkei: SSW3m/s, Cape Kamui: SSW20m/s, pressure 1015hPa, wave 1.1m.
From data and observation the general avalanche risk is low. All peak gates are expected to be open. Please listen to the patrol's advice before going out the gates. Do not duck the ropes.
The atmospheric pressure gradient is getting steeper to the north and the wind is increasing. Beware of a sudden change in weather. Cold temperatures have kept the snow conditions hard, be careful falling and going for a long slide. To avoid getting caught in a large scale avalanche avoid riding in the valley bottoms. Although cornices seem stable, if they collapse the will cause a lot of damage. Expect pieces as big and heavy as a bus. Do not wait around under cornices. Have a good day.
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Ski resort operation information: Sunday 24th February 2019
Subject to change due to weather conditions
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 340cm
- Base: 145cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Top Ace and Pair lifts on hold at the start of the day
- The Ace Family quad (until 8:30pm), Ace Center 4 quad (8:20pm), Hirafu Gondola (until 8:10pm) and Holiday Number 1 pair (until 8:30pm) lifts are normally open during the evening
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 247cm
- Base: 206cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Top lift on hold at the start of the day
- The Hanazono lifts are normally open until 3:50pm (Number 3 until 3:30pm)
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 320cm
- Base: 150cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Top Jumbo pair lift on hold at the start of the day
- The Jumbo 1 lift is normally open until 8:30pm during the evening
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 320cm
- Base: 150cm
Ski lifts operating:
- Top Wonderland lift on hold at the start of the day
- The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair lifts are normally open until 8:00pm during the evening
Niseko Now 2018-2019 season |
Data as of Sunday 24th February 2019 Total snowfall at base so far 897cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 78 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (29th December) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 333cm reported on 26 days January 2019 snowfall 285cm reported on 25 days February 2019 snowfall 195cm reported on 19 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.