Niseko Now: Sunday 29th December 2024
- Dec 29, 2024
- 5 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 17cm
Snowfall at base this season 336cm
Posted on Sunday 29th December 2024 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Moderate snowfall as I write this, but looking at webcams it seems varied depending on where you are. So experiences may differ.
All ski areas appear to be open as planned with a fair few people lining up for first lifts.
Nice snow to enjoy.
I forgot to remind you on Friday that Asahigaoka (the small ski area behind Kutchan Station) is now open.
Please allow me a moment of off-topic babbling. Hope you don't mind.
I have recently been researching a future personal trip for next summer and have come across various videos on YouTube. As I am sure lots of people similarly check out videos when researching a trip, I thought I’d share some of my thoughts.
First, what is it with so many YouTube people addressing their audience as ‘you guys’ so much? And what’s with all the begging for subscriptions, liking and hitting the bell (whatever that is) - before I’ve even watched the video! Blimey, give me a chance to actually like something… before I ‘like it’.
In my discussions with Mr SnowJapan over recent months/years, I have learnt that there has been a distinct increase in the number of self-proclaimed ‘influencers’ (in itself, cringeworthy) contacting SnowJapan. They often promise to write/record ‘favourable positive reviews of your ski area/hotel’, in return for a free stay, free lift tickets and other freebies. It’s important to note that SnowJapan is clearly not a hotel or ski area. (And, of course, such requests are ignored).
These people generally promise a certain number of ‘followers’ and page/video views, etc, and, of course, a glowing review.
The first thing is: clearly, some of these people are sending out emails without much or any thought, a scattergun approach, in the hope that they get some replies from places keen on the exposure. Whether it’s genuine or not.
But also, how can you promise to write a favourable positive review before you have even been there? Unless it’s just made up, of course... in return for free stuff.
Knowing all that and just how phoney some of these people sound anyway, I find that world to be rather insincere and lacking integrity. Unfortunately, that makes it increasingly difficult to know what to believe.
I wonder, do some of those people start off with the best intentions and just get carried away with things when they become more successful?
I think it’s important to acknowledge that some people making content do so with the utmost integrity and make high-quality and impressive content. I found some clearly ‘good guys’ in my own personal search. I applaud those people. (And I believe SnowJapan is very much one of those entities). Sadly, I suspect the number of people doing things right might be drowned out by the more cheesy and less honest approach.
I dare not look at Niseko-related videos, of which I am sure there are many. I can only imagine how 'epic' it all must be!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base -7℃, heavy snowfall, 25cm snowfall in 6hr. Moiwa 800m: -10.4℃, WNW7.2m/s, minor cornice development, soft slabs. Mikaeri 750m: -9℃, W4.6m/s, heavy snowfall, increasing snow depth, poor visibility. Annupuri 1100m: -12.3℃, W5.9m/s, heavy snowfall, 30cm soft slabs. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -11.8℃, SW2.9m/s, 30cm snow in the last 12hrs, light winds, heavy snowfall. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW18m/s, Kamui cape WSW9m/s, 1009kPa, wave 1.5m.
Heavy snowfall starting around midnight, poor visibility at the base, light winds. Above 800m slow cornice development and 40cm soft slabs. In the morning tests there were no noticeable fractures and the avalanche risk below 900m is low. Snow is good in the forest, but deep. Be careful falling and suffocating. Riders are likely to trigger avalanches on 30 degree slopes like valley sidewalls. Stay away from the valley bottoms. Be especially careful making big turns on boards as they can have a large impact on the slope. Yesterday, one person was completely buried in Mikaeri Batten-Zawa, but was rescued by his friends, much to their relief. In hindsight they know the cause of the accident, but it is too late. The avalanche was caused by the breakage of a 30cm soft slab on the 12/27 low pressure layer. It is best not to ski on steep slab-like slopes or the side of a valley today either. There is no safety on the mountains in the middle of winter. Repeatedly making careless decisions will result in a brutal attitude adjustment. Is your beacon on? This information is provided for mountain safety. Have a nice day.
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Individual ski area information for Sunday 29th December 2024
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day at the time of writing.
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 20cm
Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 212cm (+2cm change since yesterday)
Base: 180cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Lifts:
All lifts are scheduled to be operating
The gondola is scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 30cm
Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 240cm (+15cm change since yesterday)
Base: 125cm (+15cm change since yesterday)
Lifts:
All scheduled lifts are operating apart from Ace Number 4 pair
The Ace Gondola, Ace Family quad, King Gondola and King Holiday pair lifts are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 150cm (-10cm change since yesterday)
Base: 100cm (-10cm change since yesterday)
Lifts:
All lifts apart from Country Road are scheduled to be operating
The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair lifts are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 180cm (+10cm change since yesterday)
Base: 130cm (+10cm change since yesterday)
Lifts:
All lifts are scheduled to be operating
The Jumbo Number 1 quad lift is scheduled to be open until 7:30pm
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
All lifts are scheduled to be operating
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Night skiing
Floodlit night skiing is planned daily until Wednesday 23rd March 2025.
Niseko Now 2024-2025 season |
Data as of Sunday 29th December 2024 Total snowfall at base so far 336cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 34 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 23cm (16th December) November 2024 snowfall 38cm reported on 8 days December 2024 snowfall 298cm 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.