Niseko Now: Sunday 2nd February 2020
- Feb 2, 2020
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 2cm
Snowfall at base this season 518cm
Posted on Sunday 2nd February 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Some sunshine in the day yesterday and it has started snowing again this morning and I can add 2cm to the report so far. Light snow here as I started putting this report together, but it has just started to come down a bit faster and it looks like it is snowing nicely over at Hanazono just now too. Limited visibility as that snow falls.
We should be on a roll over the coming weeks, with regular snowfall forecast. That sounds good.
At the start of the day, the top Ace Number 1 pair at Niseko Grand Hirafu and Morino Chair at Niseko Village are on hold; not exactly sure why, perhaps a temporary issue.
I hope you have a good day and take care out there.
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I'm going to have a few pieces of toast and some good coffee, look through my reports over last month and put together my recap which will appear tomorrow. I don't know if many people enjoy reading those, but I certainly find it thinking about the season as a whole every so often and the process of putting them together.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain Base 6am: -5°, calm. Moiwa 800m: NNW 345deg 8.0m/s, -6.8°, no snow, snowdrift development. Yu no Sawa 1000m: NNW 329deg 1.6m/s, -9.3°. Niseko Village 900m:N 306deg 1.2m/s , -8.5°. Hirafu 1000m: NNW 345deg 1.7m/s, -9.5°. Hanazono 720m: calm, -7.9°. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:NW10m/s. Kamui Cape light winds, 1018hPa, wave 0.6m. Annupuri 1000: snow depth 160cm.
The low pressure system has moved off to the east, the atmospheric pressure gradient is shallow and weather is calm on the seas and mountains. There has been light snowfall and there has been no noticeable snow drift development. Snow drifts that formed up to yesterday have begun to stabilise and from observation and data the general avalanche risk is low. Round 900-1000m on Kozan no Sawa(Back Bowl) side wall a hard slab has formed and is likely to fracture and cause a shallow avalanche. This could cause a serious accident if caught in it. Do not take inexperienced riders into this area.
Accidents are continuing to happen in Hokkaido. Most accidents are caused by getting on slopes with heavy wind effected slabs. Do not over estimate your knowledge or skills. Guides and tour leaders always have a great responsibility. Be cautious. Be careful running into a tree. Beacons and helmets are highly recommended. Peak gates are expected to open in the morning. Have a good day. Groomers are hard but in good condition.
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Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 230cm
- Base: 95cm
All lifts are normally operating EXCEPT:
- Ace Number 1 pair lift (normally rested)
- King Number 2 quad lift (normally rested)
All courses normally open
Lifts scheduled for late operations:
- Ace Family quad until 8:30pm
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad until 8:20pm
- Hirafu Gondola until 8:10pm
- Holiday Number 1 pair until 8:30pm
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 163cm
- Base: 95cm
All lifts are normally operating
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 160cm
- Base: 100cm
All lifts are normally operating
Lift scheduled for late operations:
- Jumbo Number 1 quad until 8:30pm
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 175cm
- Base: 100cm
All lifts normally operating EXCEPT:
- Country Road (normally rested)
Lifts scheduled for late operations:
- Annupuri Village Gondola until 8:00pm
- Village Express until 8:00pm
- Banzai Chair until 8:00pm
Niseko Now 2019-2020 season |
Data as of Sunday 2nd February 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 518cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 52 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 33cm (21st January) November 2019 snowfall 85cm reported on 10 days December 2019 snowfall 207cm reported on 21 days January 2020 snowfall 224cm reported on 20 days February 2020 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day |
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.