Niseko Now: Saturday 25th February 2017
- Feb 25, 2017
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 19cm
Snowfall at base this season 582cm
Posted on Saturday 25th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko and it is another good one.. we're on a bit of a mini-roll at the moment. I like it - let's keep it up!
So this morning I have measured 19cm of nice light snowfall here at base. It's good and cold too, so it should be a very agreeable morning out on the slopes.
Visibility looks limited and rather poor higher up and while it doesn't feel windy to me down here, top lifts at Hirafu, Village and Annupuri are all waiting out on the conditions for the moment.
From the looks of the forecast, I should be reporting more snow in my report tomorrow too. :)
Take care out there and have fun.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -8℃, 20cm snowfall. Moiwa 800m: light breeze, -9℃, 20cm snowfall with large development of snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: -13℃, W15m/s, blizzard and poor visibility, 30cm snowfall. Hirafu 1250m: -13℃, W10m/s, good visibility. Kamui cape lighthouse: WW8m/s, 1010hPa, 1.4m waves.
Westerly wind is staying in higher altitude but is forecasted to calm down. 20cm of light crystal snow is blanketing the mountain. 800m elevation impact test showed that a weak layer (Feb 23rd ) is present at around 60cm depth, but the snowdrift are mostly stable. Stimulation to knolls and cornices, and/or traversing leeward slopes around 1000m are highly likely to trigger a slide. The general avalanche risk is lowering but is still considerable. Gates are scheduled to open. Listen to the ski patrol’s opinion before stepping out the gates.
Do not duck ropes and do not enter strictly off-limits areas. Some east-European group tried to go through closed Gate 6 and got scolded. They probably didn’t know about the Niseko Rules, but selfish interpretation or neglecting the Rules will be strictly prosecuted.
The snow is in really good shape.
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Resort specific opening news at time of writing (subject to change during the day):
Niseko Grand Hirafu
The top Ace Number 4 and King Number 4 lifts are on hold at the start of the day due to strong winds and poor visibility.
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
All three lifts operating at the start of the day.
Niseko Village
The top Wonderland Chair lift is on hold at the start of the day.
Niseko Annupuri
The top Jumbo 4 lifts is on hold at the start of the day.
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Official resort snow depths as of Saturday 25th February 2017:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 350cm
Base - 140cm
Niseko Village
Top - 315cm
Base - 140cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 315cm
Base - 140cm
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Night skiing is planned until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Niseko Annupuri, Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Village resort areas. There is no nighta in the Hanazono area.
Niseko Now 2016-2017 season |
Data as of Saturday 25th February 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 582cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 71 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 181cm reported on 22 days January 2017 snowfall 152cm reported on 18 days February 2017 snowfall 139cm 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.