Niseko Now: Friday 31st March 2023
- Mar 31, 2023
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 1006cm
Posted on Friday 31st March 2023 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
It's not the most appealing of mornings with some spots of rain.
I see Hanazono are actually reporting 2cm of fresh snow on their upper areas (though 'rain' as the weather condition up there as of 8am), so that will probably have disappeared pretty quickly! Hirafu is actually reporting light snow up there, but all the others are going with light rain. You probably get the idea.
This isn't due to last all day with a good chance of us getting to see the sun later on.
And very probably we will get sunshine over the weekend.
In ski area news, Niseko Moiwa have extended their season with a new planned closing date of 9th April (previously 2nd April). They plan to just have the Number 1 pair lift operating for that last week.
I'll take a look back at March and post a (up-to-now) season recap tomorrow.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base 4C, light wind and rain. Moiwa 800m: +1.9C, SSE1.5m/s. Annupuri 1100m: -1.7C, WSW6.7m/s. Mizuno no Sawa: 0.3C, WSW8.8m/s. Hirafu Hanazono: -0.5C, SSW12.2m/s. Hanazono#3: 1.7C, SSW4.4m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape WNW3m/s, Kamui Cape WSW2m/s, 1015hPa, 0.8m wave (3am: S17m/s, 1013hPa, 1.3m wave).
The low pressure front has brought rain at the base of the mountain, wet snow and graupel above 1000m and moderately strong S winds on the Hirafu side of the mountain. Gate opening will be delayed. Please follow the patrols instructions. This is the last avalanche report for the season. Thanks to the ski patrol, grooming operators and the lift staff for their help throughout the season. They protect us on the mountain. It reminds me of the cap left by Corky Ward from Jackson Hole Ski Patrol when he visited Niseko many years ago - "My job is better than your vacation". Let's hope for a safe end to the season.
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Ski area information for Friday 31st March 2023
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day, weather permitting.
Official snow depth numbers in brackets show the change since previous report.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Info:
- All courses are still available, apart from lower Super course
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 300cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 50cm (-5cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Ace Family quad
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four)
- Hirafu Gondola
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
Planned season:
- Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu plans to be open until Sunday 7th May 2023
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 220cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 130cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola
Planned season:
- Niseko HANAZONO Resort plans to be open until Sunday 9th April 2023
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Info:
- All courses are still available, apart from Marchen and Fukayuki Rinkan
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 190cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 65cm (-10cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
Planned season:
- Niseko Annupuri Kokusai plans to be open until Sunday 7th May 2023
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 185cm (-5cm since yesterday)
- Base: 140cm (-10cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Niseko Gondola
- Village Express
- Banzai Chair
- Wonderland Chair
Planned season:
- Niseko Village Ski Resort plans to be open until Sunday 9th April 2023
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- Number 1 pair lift
- Number 2 pair lift
Planned season:
- Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort plans to be open until Sunday 9th April 2023 (* extended)
Niseko Now 2022-2023 season |
Data as of Friday 31st March 2023 Total snowfall at base so far 1006cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 90 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (27th & 28th January, 6th February) November 2022 snowfall 17cm reported on 5 days December 2022 snowfall 336cm reported on 27 days January 2023 snowfall 332cm reported on 27 days February 2023 snowfall 289cm reported on 25 days March 2023 snowfall 32cm reported on 6 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.