Niseko Now: Thursday 30th December 2021
- Dec 30, 2021
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 7cm
Snowfall at base this season 377cm
Posted on Thursday 30th December 2021 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
It is snowing nicely at the moment. Not quite as cold as it has been but still in negative numbers and later today and tomorrow is going to get colder. The snow is set to continue through into the New Year and beyond.
All of the official courses at Niseko Grand Hirafu are now open. In other Hirafu news, it looks like the Ace Family quad lift will be open from 8:30am until 4:00pm until 10th January. I must admit I can't recall what the normal operating times are, but it's news so presumably an adjustment!
The upper Jumbo Number 3 lift might open late this morning due to some 'inspection/maintenance'.
Great to see the top lifts moving. And of course that means that you can get from one place to another without taking your skis or board off. It's never as fun taking the United Shuttle Bus to get around.
As the report below states Gate 5 should be open today. The peak gates... not just yet.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko Base: -3℃, 5cm snowfall, calm. Moiwa800m: -9℃, 10cm snowfall, calm. Annupuri1100m: -7℃, light westerly wind with snowfall, 30cm snowdrifts moderately developing. Sea of Japan Benkei cape: NNW11m/s, Kamui cape: WNW10m/s, 1009hPa, 1.1m waves.
The atmospheric pressure gradient is getting a little steeper and a light westerly wind with snowfall is blowing above 1000m elevation. According to all weather data and observations, the general avalanche risk is low at the moment, however it may change as the weather deteriorates. Old tracks are not covered, but the snow is good. Gate 5 (Hanazono) is scheduled to open today. Please follow the ski patrol's instructions. Bushes are thick and the gully is not fully buried in the lower section. Beware of irregularities and dips in the slopes. The sunlight is weak making it difficult to see the surface’s undulations. The slopes under the Higashi-One cornices could slide from the deeper weak layers. It is highly recommended not to traverse all the way, even if the gate might be open. Ride the fall-line, not across it. Traversing a steep slope can trigger an avalanche. Peak gates won’t open before New Year. Have a good day.
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Planned ski area operations: Thursday 30th December 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: 255cm (no change)
- Base: 135cm (no change)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Planned lift operations:
- Ace Family quad
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Hirafu Gondola
- Holiday Number 1 pair
- King Number 3 quad
- Swinging Monkey
- King Number 4 (*maybe)
Planned open courses:
- All courses open
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 205cm (+5cm)
- Base: 145cm (-2cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 12cm
- Base: 10cm
Planned lift operations:
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 190cm (no change)
- Base: 130cm (no change)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 5cm
- Base: 5cm
Planned lift operations:
- All lifts operating
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open for night skiing until 7:30pm]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 3 pair
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
Planned open courses:
- All but one course are now open
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 190cm -
- Base: 130cm -
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: ?cm
- Base: ?cm
Planned lift operations:
- Niseko Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Banzai Chair
- Wonderland Chair
Niseko Now 2021-2022 season |
Data as of Thursday 30th December 2021 Total snowfall at base so far 377cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 28 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (23rd December) November 2021 snowfall 85cm reported on 6 days December 2021 snowfall 292cm reported on 22 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.