Niseko Now: Saturday 29th December 2018
- Dec 29, 2018
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 4, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 32cm
Snowfall at base this season 389cm
Posted on Saturday 29th December 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
My oh my!
It has been snowing pretty much since I last wrote my report yesterday and I have 32cm of fresh snowfall on the ground to report to you - with more on the way. The Avalanche Report is reporting 50cm.
Loads of lovely fresh snow.
Wind affected some lifts during the day yesterday - including the Niseko Gondola at Niseko Village at times - and today wind may well play a part in proceedings. We are starting the day with all planned lifts moving though. I have also noticed that Niseko Grand Hirafu have their King Number 2 quad moving... probably to cope with the busy New Year period.
Without wanting to sound like a cheesy marketing brochure, it really is going to be deep out - and real care is needed. (Both on and off the slopes!) This kind of snowfall can get somewhat overwhelming and it is of course natural to get super excited about it all, but it brings its own dangers. So please do take care whilst enjoying it all.
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Even knowing all of the reasons why official snow depths don't reflect exact how much snow has fallen (compression, grooming, etc), the official base snow depth numbers do seem rather low. But hey, they're just numbers again!
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Mountain Base 6.00am: -7°, 50cm new snow in the last 24 hrs, fine. Moiwa 800m: -12°, NNW10m/s, 50cm new snow, snowdrift and cornice development. Coastal data: Benkei Cape: NNW14m/s. Kamui Cape: WSW10m/s, 1006hPa, wave 3.4m. Niseko Village Mizuno no Sawa 1000m: -11.32°, WNW10.8m/s(max). Hirafu Peak inaccessible due to deep snow, -14°, N10m/s. Annupuri 1120m: snow depth 160cm. Kutchan Weather Station: snow depth 103cm.
The isobars are moving further apart and lots of snow has fallen. Due to the strong wind the snow deposition has been inconsistent and is fracturing in the upper 40cm. There is about 100cm of new snow over the Dec 27th layer which is slowly compacting to form slabs. Avalanche risk on steep south facing slopes and knolls is especially high due to solar radiation. Do not enter strictly off limits areas like Yuno Sawa and Haru no Taki. Please respect Niseko Rules.
The snow in the trees is good but it is very deep. Don't go too far from the resorts, you might not be able to get back. Do not stand on cornices, if the falls it will be big. Have a good day.
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Ski resort operation information: Saturday 29th December 2018
The below information is manually checked each morning and believed to be correct at time of report. Subject to change!
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 255cm
- Base: 125cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts apart from Ace Number 4 pair lift are normally operating
- 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
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 165cm
- Base: 135cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All Hanazono lifts are normally operating
- The Hanazono lifts are normally open until 3:30pm
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Courses:
- All official courses are now available
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 200cm
- Base: 110cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All Annupuri lifts are normally operating
- 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: 210cm
- Base: 110cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts apart from the Country Road Chair are normally operating
- 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 Saturday 29th December 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 389cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 32 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (29th December) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 24 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.