Niseko Now: Saturday 3rd February 2024
- Feb 3, 2024
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 11cm
Snowfall at base this season 703cm
Posted on Saturday 3rd February 2024 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Here we are at the first weekend in February and there's more fresh snow to report. 11cm is my measurement and both Hirafu and Hanazono are reporting up to 20cm on the mountain. We're on a roll, and hopefully it will continue for a bit longer.
Nice and cold too.
With less wind this morning, the top lifts are scheduled to open so it should be an excite morning all round. See below for some gate info.
Roll. Mmmmmm. Time for some toast.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain Base 6am: -9°, 10cm new snow, calm. Moiwa 800m: -13.0°, NNE12.4m/s, 20cm new snow, snowdrift development. Mikaeri 764m: no data. Annupuri 1100m: -15.2°, NNE4.7m/s. Niseko Village 1000m: -13.6°, NNW6.9m/s, heavy snowfall, bad visibility. Hanazono 1000m: -14.8°, NNE11.5m/s, snawfall easing. Hanazono 3 : -12.2°, NNE3.3m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:N13m/s. Kamui Cape N9m/s, 1026hPa, wave 2.6m.
The isobars are starting to open up and the snowfall is easing, but it's cold. Above 800m cornices and snowdrifts are slowly developing. From observation and data the avalanche risk is still high on Backbowl Sidewall, West ridge SW face, Annupuri Osawa 1100m cornice face and East Ridge upper cornice face. Gates 1, 2, 3 will be closed. Other gates yet to be decided. Please respect the patrols decisions. Snowdrifts are starting to stabilise, however the peak gates cannot be opened yet due to the sheer numbers of inexperienced people heading out the gates. Experienced riders please be patient. Once you go through the gates you are not in the ski area anymore, you are on your own. The snow is fantastic in the trees below 1000m. Avoid carelessly stimulating knolls above the tree line. Avoid avalanche paths by staying out of the valley bottoms. Avalanches are a natural occurrence, people being involved makes them an accident. There is no 100% safety guarantee in this sport. Always be cautious. Accidents can be avoided if you think and act accordingly. Is the beacon on? Have a nice day.
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Individual ski area information for Saturday 3rd February 2024
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 and subject to change.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 20cm
- Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 340cm (+10cm since yesterday)
- Base: 130cm (+10cm since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts apart from King Number 1 pair and King Number 2 quad (normal operations)
- The Ace Family quad, Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four), Hirafu Gondola and Holiday Number 1 pair lifts are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 17cm
- Base: 15cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 265cm (+5cm since yesterday)
- Base: 203cm (+6cm since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts
- The Hanazono Symphony Gondola is scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 210cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 180cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts
- The Jumbo Number 1 quad lift is scheduled to be open until 7:30pm
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 260cm (+14cm since yesterday)
- Base: 170cm (+7cm since yesterday)
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts apart from Country Road
- The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts (scheduled):
- All lifts
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Floodlit night skiing is planned daily until Wednesday 20th March 2024.
Night skiing is usually until 7:00pm at Hirafu, Hanazono, Village and until 7:30pm at Annupuri.
Niseko Now 2023-2024 season |
Data as of Saturday 3rd February 2024 Total snowfall at base so far 703cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 62 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 62cm (8th January) November 2023 snowfall 120cm reported on 11 days December 2023 snowfall 247cm reported on 24 days January 2024 snowfall 298cm reported on 24 days February 2024 snowfall 38cm 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.