Niseko Now: Sunday 3rd December 2023
- Dec 3, 2023
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 2cm
Snowfall at base this season 151cm
Posted on Sunday 3rd December 2023 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Almost 2cm of snow since my last report. This morning is calm and we are already seeing some clearings in the clouds and some sunshine. We might get a lot more of that today... and perhaps on Monday and Tuesday too. It will be a bit milder too, hopefully not too much.
We are already seeing more lifts moving. Joining in the fun from this morning are the Annupuri Gondola, Village Express and Hanazono Symphony gondola lifts and there is a bit more terrain open. Check out the info below.
It will be interesting to see if any more will be able to open before we get our next snowfall. In the meantime, there is still lots of early season fun to be had.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base 300m: -3C, 3cm snowfall in 12h, calm morning. Moiwa 600m: -4C, 3cm snowfall, good visibility. Hanazono 1000m: -5.8C, SSE1.5m/s. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW10m/s, Kamui cape WSW10m/s, 1016hPa, 1.0m waves.
The atmospheric pressure gradient is shallow, the seas and mountains are calm preceding an approaching low pressure system. Snow is good but snowpack is still low. Watch out for undulations in the snow surface. The light is weak, so slope contours will be difficult to see. According to observations, the avalanche risk is low.
In the Niseko area, we have Niseko Rules which are the official rules for the Niseko ski resorts and are in place to prevent accidents. Please respect them. Snow will improve in time. Watch your speed and beware of falling. Have a good day.
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Individual ski area information for Sunday 3rd December 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 at the time of writing.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 5cm
- Base: 5cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 80cm (0cm since yesterday)
- Base: 40cm (-10cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four) (8:30am-3:10pm)
- Ace Family quad (8:30am-3:30pm)
- Ace Number 3 pair (8:40am-3:20pm)
Courses:
- Family
- Center
- Sennoki
- Alpen
- Beginners
- Green
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 1cm
- Base: 1cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 80cm (-10cm since yesterday)
- Base: 57cm (-10cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola (8:30am-2:00pm)
- Hanazono Number 1 (9:00am-2:00pm)
- Hanazono Number 2 quad (9:00am-3:00pm)
- Hanazono Number 3 quad (9:00am-3:00pm)
Courses:
- Juicy Fruit
- Yotei Sunset
- Mango Salad
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 60cm (-5cm since yesterday)
- Base: 40cm (0cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Annupuri Gondola (8:30am-3:00pm)
- Dream Number 1 quad (8:30am-4:00pm)
- Jumbo Number 1 quad (8:30am-4:00pm)
Courses:
- Utopia
- Shirakaba
- Paradise
- Junior
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 30cm
- Base: 30cm
Lifts:
- Village Express (8:30am-3:30pm)
- Community Chair (8:30am-3:30pm)
- Banzai Chair (8:30am-3:30pm)
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- Number 1 pair lift (8:00am-4:00pm)
- Number 2 pair lift (8:00am-3:30pm)
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Floodlit night skiing is planned from Saturday 16th December 2023 until Wednesday 20th March 2024.
Niseko Now 2023-2024 season |
Data as of Sunday 3rd December 2023 Total snowfall at base so far 151cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 14 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (1st December) November 2023 snowfall 120cm reported on 11 days December 2023 snowfall 31cm reported on 3 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.