Niseko Now: Monday 2nd April 2018
- Apr 2, 2018
- 5 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 1247cm
Posted on Monday 2nd April 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
After the wet of yesterday, thick fog down to base areas early this morning but sun is forecast and indeed away from the mountain some blue skies are visible.
The Spring Park at Hirafu - which is now generally open - is, er, closed today due to the weather conditions. I hope that kind of makes sense!
A look back at the season so far: March 2018
It is time for a look back the month of March and the season so far here in Niseko. And as always, I would like to remind you that all of the numbers from these reports are available at any time on each of the archived Niseko Now report pages. They are linked below. And there’s some really cool graphs going on if you click on that big blue tab titled ‘Snowfall Analysis’ at the top of this page.
So...March 2018.
Here’s the snowfall that I have measured near the base of Niseko Grand Hirafu over the last six seasons in the month of March:
March 2018: 49cm
March 2017: 83cm
March 2016: 109cm
March 2015: 139cm
March 2014: 113cm
March 2013: 164cm
On previous form we were hoping for around 1m of snow but in the end, we got just half of that. A disappointing showing, certainly.
But the low snowfall count wasn’t just a Niseko thing, or a Hokkaido thing.
It looks like it was a Japan thing.
It seems that this season - to varying degrees - most of Japan clicked into ‘spring mode’ just as soon as the month started. And with our 49cm of snow at base here in Niseko, we actually did better than many regions of Japan. A quick look at some of the other Now daily reports here on SnowJapan will confirm that.
Observed snowfall at base for the season up until the end of March:
OK, so March was disappointing in terms of fresh snowfall but how has that affected the ‘season so far’ numbers?
17/18 season total up until the end of March 2018: 1247cm
16/17 season total up until the end of March 2017: 688cm
15/16 season total up until the end of March 2016: 992cm
14/15 season total up until the end of March 2015: 1144cm
13/14 season total up until the end of March 2014: 1163cm
12/13 season total up until the end of March 2013: 1491cm
Looking at the season as a whole, things suddenly look so much better.
12.5m? Impressive!
Over the 2017-2018 season, we have still received way more snowfall than during the 2016-2017 season and considerably more than the season before that too.
The first half of the 2017-2018 season was indeed very special indeed, and we need to remember that.
At the same time, we also need to remember that next season might be the same, it might be the other way round (with a better late than early season), or it might well be totally mixed up and be nothing like either of those patterns.
Oh, the fun of relying on the weather!
What to expect from the month of April
April is usually the month when spring takes full control. Here’s how much snowfall I have observed here at base over the previous five seasons:
April 2017: 0cm
April 2016: 6cm
April 2015: 3cm
April 2014: 13cm
April 2013: 32cm
With the way March went, more fresh snowfall this season feels somehow unlikely – but then again, as I write this I am looking at the forecast which seems to be telling me that we might get some fresh snowfall at the end of the week, with the better chance of that as you go higher (meaning more likely rain at base). So, you never know. Let’s see.
Whether we get any more or not, there is still a lot of snow left on the slopes so they will surely have no problems remaining open until Golden Week in early May.
There’s lots of spring fun left to be had.
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For information, here is the data that the Japan Meteorological Agency report from their observation station in Kutchan town:
March 2018: 59cm
March 2017: 90cm
March 2016: 124cm
March 2015: 141cm
March 2014: 118cm
March 2013: 124cm
17/18 season total up until the end of March 2018: 1013cm
16/17 season total up until the end of March 2017: 831cm
15/16 season total up until the end of March 2016: 823cm
14/15 season total up until the end of March 2015: 966cm
13/14 season total up until the end of March 2014: 922cm
12/13 season total up until the end of March 2013: 1024cm
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Monday 2nd April 2018
Resort specific information (operations subject to change):
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Plans to be open daily until Sunday 8th April
Lifts info:
- King Number 1 and 2 and Ace Number 4 lifts rested.
- Other lifts should be operating.
Official snow depth:
- Top: 435cm
- Base: 140cm
Niseko Annupuri
Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May
Lifts info:
- Jumbo Number 2 and 3 lifts rested.
- Other lifts should be operating.
Official snow depth:
- Top: 400cm
- Base: 130cm
Niseko Village
Plans to be open daily until Sunday 8th April
Lifts info:
- Village Express, Niseko Gondola and Wonderland Chair remain operating
- Other lifts should be operating.
Official snow depth:
- Top: 380cm
- Base: 130cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Monday 2nd April 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1247cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 96 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 299cm reported on 24 days March 2018 snowfall 49cm reported on 8 days April 2018 snowfall 0cm |
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.