Niseko Now: Thursday 2nd February 2017
- Feb 2, 2017
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 15cm
Snowfall at base this season 477cm
Posted on Thursday 2nd February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from here near my secret Hirafu base.
And there's more snow to report this morning. This is what I like to see. 15cm measured by myself just a short while ago and it is a very cold morning out there. Doesn't feel windy but wind is actually affecting some lifts (see below) so keep an eye on that.
Yesterday the sun didn't really appear other than when I was posting the report, and this fresh snow all came overnight.
And there will be more than what I measure up on the mountain of course, so conditions should be great this morning.
Let's keep this going and get some more in before it clears us... which seems likely during the day today sometime.
After today we can probably expect a few days of clearer and calmer conditions and then hopefully back to snow early week.
Have a fun day!
----
Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -13℃, 25cm new snow. Moiwa 800m: -13℃, NW12m/s, 30cm new snow with snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: -19℃, W18m/s, 40cm snowfall with snowdrifts. Hirafu 1250m: -18℃, N15m/s, 30-40cm new snow with snowdrifts. Kamui cape lighthouse: NNW13m/s, 1006hPa, 3.1m waves.
Wind & snow picked up on the ocean and mountains from late night and started to calm down since dawn, however wind/snow of about 15m/s is persisting above 800m elevation. A 30+cm soft-slab is blanketing the mountains and the avalanche risk is high in 1000m leeward slopes during the morning. Extra caution is required in Kozan-no-Sawa (Backbowl), O-sawa (Annupuri bowl) and higashi-One. Gates opening is undecided; please respect the ski patrol’s decision.
The snow this is in very good shape. The new soft slabs are a bit dense and fun to ride, however avalanche risk is high in higher elevation where snowdrifts developed rapidly with 18+m/s winds. Better let the snow stabilize for a while. The hazard level depends on how strong the wind blew in that particular spot. The stronger the wind, the more drastically the snowdrifts develop, and are more likely to slide. Wind above 18m/s is a red flag to keep in mind. A weak layer within yesterday’s snowfall is present and can potentially be the trigger layer of a surface slab slide. The snow condition is ever-changing, plan accordingly and make conservative decisions, prudency is key to avoid accidents. Avalanches run through valley bottoms, stay away from it. Beware of frostbites.
---
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 stand-by at the start of the day due to strong winds.
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
The top Hanazono Number 3 lift is currently running at reduced speed. The other two lifts operating as normal.
Niseko Village
The top Wonderland Chair lift is on stand-by at the start of the day due to strong winds.
Niseko Annupuri
The Annupuri Gondola and top Jumbo Number 4 lift are on stand-by at the start of the day due to strong winds.
---
Official resort snow depths as of Thursday 2nd February 2017:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 325cm
Base - 140cm
Niseko Village
Top - 260cm
Base - 140cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 300cm
Base - 140cm
---
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 Thursday 2nd February 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 477cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 56 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 34cm reported on 2 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.