Niseko Now: Tuesday 28th January 2014
- Jan 28, 2014
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 30, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 20cm
Snowfall at base this season 819cm
Posted on Tuesday 28th January 2014 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
More snow this morning, with close on 20cm of fresh to report from Hirafu. A bit heavy and wet by the looks of it, but hopefully that will fix up with the snow still coming down.
Nice and cold, nice and snowy.
Limited visibility on the mountain though but if that means fresh snow, I'm not sure too many will complain too much. Just be careful where you're going. Be prepared though as it's due to continue coming down through the day and into tomorrow. We might see a bit of a warm up around Thursday but should be back to snow and colder conditions from Friday once again.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -4C, 20cm new snow in the last 12hrs. Moiwa 800m: -6C, 30cm new snow. Annupuri 1150m: -6C, wind SW25m/s, snowdrift development. Hirafu 1000m: -6C, wind and poor visibility. Annupuri peak 1308m: -7.2℃, wind SSE5.8m/s. Cape Benkei: W12m/s, Cape Kamui: SSW22m/s, wave 1.9m, pressure 1003hPa.
Rapid snow drift development with the increase of wind and snow as low pressure system passed. The avalanche risk above 800m is rising. Avoid riding open steep slopes, knolls and leeward slopes. Beware cracks are starting to appear under knowls. Take care riding slopes for the first time and falling into one.
From current observations the avalanche risk is rising in Strictly Off Limit south facing slopes like Haru no Taki. Do not try to sneak past Patrol into these areas. Lately there have been many incidents of people ducking ropes. Niseko Rules are there for the safety of everyone. One person ducking the rope will lead others to follow. Ducking ropes is NEVER allowed in the Niseko area. When in Niseko, you must respect the Niseko Rules. Gate openings yet to be decided. Please respect the Patrols decisions. Today the snow in the trees is superb. Be aware of a sudden change in the weather.
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Official snow depth numbers and lift news at time of writing:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 390cm
Base - 185cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 330cm
Base - 220cm
Annupuri:
Top - 280cm
Base - 200cm
Niseko Now 2013-2014 season |
Data as of Tuesday 28th January 2014 Total snowfall at base so far 819cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 57 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (14th January) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 275cm reported on 22 days January 2014 snowfall 421cm reported on 26 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.