Niseko Now: Thursday 31st December 2020
- Dec 31, 2020
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 34cm
Snowfall at base this season 410cm
Posted on Thursday 31st December 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko on this last day of 2020.
And we end the year with a very cold morning and a significant amount of fresh snow, with it really pounding down overnight. Hurray!
I have just measured 32cm. The ski areas are reporting 20-30cm of 24 hours snowfall at base areas and actually the same up top. Avalanche Report is reporting 40cm.
Nice. Excellent quality snow as well. It's light, it's dry, it's just lovely.
Snow continues to come in and visibility is all round limited to very poor at the start of the day.
No doubt there will be people eager to get to this snow... but real care needed out there in such conditions.
That's it from me for this year. I will put together my first monthly recap sometime over the next few days so look out for that in an upcoming report.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Coastal Data. Cape Benkei: NNW17m/s. Cape Kamui: NW15m/s, 1000hPa, wave 2.8m. Hanazono 1000m: -16.0℃. Hanazono 720: -14.2℃. Mizuno no Sawa 900m: -14.2℃, WNW4m/s. Moiwa 800m: -13.2℃, NW5m/s. Annupuri 1100m: -16.1℃, WNW7.3m/s. Kutchan Town: -12.9℃, ENE1.6m/s, snow depth 106cm, 1001.4hPa. Moiwa base: -11, 40cm in last 6hrs, poor visibility.
40cm new snow fell from 1am to 7am at the base of the mountain. Above 800m there has been major snowdrift growth, 100cm on top of the Dec 30 layer in some locations. This is expected to increase during the day. The snow is light crushed crystals and snowdrift consolidation will be slow. Annupuri groomers report that at 1100m elev shallow surface avalanches are occurring with very little stimulation. Snow clearing on road to the Goshiki area is delayed due to bad visibility. Snow in the trees is deep.
Off piste the avalanche risk is high. All peak gates will be closed, including Gate 6. The avalanche risk is the same on all Niseko mountains, so take extreme care. Maybe today is an onsen day? Leeward slopes below 600m are relatively calm. Be careful falling in the trees though, there is risk of suffocation depending on how you fall. Happy New Year!
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Planned ski area operations: Thursday 31st December 2020
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: 235cm (+5cm)
- Base: 145cm (+20cm)
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: 185cm (+5cm)
- Base: 140cm (+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: 150cm (+0cm)
- Base: 120cm (+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: 160cm (+10cm)
- Base: 115cm (+15cm)
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 Thursday 31st December 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 410cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 31 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 |
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.