Niseko Now: Saturday 2nd January 2021
- Jan 2, 2021
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 24cm
Snowfall at base this season 452cm
Posted on Saturday 2nd January 2021 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
The consistent snowfall has continued, allowing me to this morning add another 24cm to the report; good to see the Avalanche report mentioning up to 40cm at Moiwa.
Lots!
Right now the snow has eased off and there is actually breaks in the cloud starting to appear. There's even a bit of sun shining down on the base of Hanazono as I write this.
We probably can't expect too many prolonged periods of sunshine and blue sky any time over the next week or so, so if you aren't into skiing as it falls perhaps this morning is a time to get out for some early lifts. The weather can change very quickly though, so always be prepared.
There is not as much wind today and so all of the planned lifts should be operating.
It remains very cold with Annupuri reporting -20C up top as of 6am; the thermometer outside my place just before was telling me -12C (and asking if it could come inside for a bit of a warm up!)
Should be a very good day.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Sea of Japan Benkei cape: NNW10m/s, Kamui cape: W7m/s, 1014hPa, 1.5m waves. Hanazono1000m: -18.8℃. Hanazono720m: -14.6℃, N3.5m/s. Moiwa800m: -16.0°C, NW4.2m/s, 40cm snowfall. Annupuri1100m: -19.2℃, WNW3.5m/s. Mizuno no sawa: -17.6℃, WNW1.9m/s. Kutchan weather station: -12.1℃, SW0.5m/s, 122cm snowdepth, 1015hPa, Moiwa base: -14℃, 25cm snowfall in 12h, good visibility and calm.
The isobars have spread out and the storm has calmed down. 40cm of lightly wind-affected snow can be found at 700m ridges and forests. The transmission of stimulation in the snowdrift slabs around 800m elevation was slower than yesterday. Evaluating from snowfall transition, weather data and coastal data, the avalanche risk under 1000m elevation is lowering. However the snowpack at high elevation steep slopes such as the Backbowl’s 1200m slopes is still very unstable as the snow has been highly influenced by the wind. Highly hazardous conditions continue in those aspects. Beware of sudden weather changes, low temperature; hypothermia and frostbites. The weather can quickly deteriorate as soon as the atmospheric pressure gradient gets steeper.
All gates opening are to be confirmed. Please respect the ski patrol’s decisions. Do not enter strictly off-limits areas. Wear a helmet to avoid head injuries. Are you carrying an avalanche beacon, shovel and a probe? It is nearly impossible to dig out your buddy from the snow without those equipment. The snow is nicely deep. Have a good day.
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Planned ski area operations: Saturday 2nd January 2021
The below information is manually checked each morning and believed to be correct at time of report.
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 250cm (+10cm)
- Base: 150cm (+0cm)
Ski lifts operating:
- All planned lifts operating (see note below)
- Ace Family Quad, Ace Number 2 Center Four open for night skiing
Courses:
- All courses open
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 200cm (+5cm)
- Base: 150cm (+5cm)
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts operating
- No night skiing
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 170cm (+10cm)
- Base: 130cm (+10cm)
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts operating during the daytime
- Jumbo Number 1 quad opens for night skiing
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 180cm (+10cm)
- Base: 120cm (+5cm)
Ski lifts operating:
- Niseko Gondola
- Village Express [*]
- Community Chair [*]
- Banzai Chair [*]
- Wonderland Chair
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Night time operations are available in the Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri areas until 7th March 2021.
Lifts marked [*] are scheduled to be operating during night skiing, until 8:00pm.
There is no night skiing in the Niseko HANAZONO area.
The Ace Pair Number 1, 3 and 4, King Pair Number 1 lift and King Quad Number 2 lifts are being rested for the season at Niseko Grand Hirafu.
Niseko Now 2020-2021 season |
Data as of Saturday 2nd January 2021 Total snowfall at base so far 452cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 33 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 34cm (31st December) November 2020 snowfall 62cm reported on 6 days December 2020 snowfall 348cm reported on 25 days January 2021 snowfall 42cm 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.