Niseko Now: Thursday 3rd March 2016
- Mar 3, 2016
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 9cm
Snowfall at base this season 915cm
Posted on Thursday 3rd March 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
When I wrote the report yesterday morning the snow was really coming down nicely. There was more snow during the day and a bit more overnight, giving me another 9cm to report this morning.
Fantastic conditions out there yesterday, everyone I spoke to seemed to have had a very fine day indeed. Let there be more like it this March!
It's another cold morning and light snow is falling as I am writing this. Temperatures may rise to around zero or slightly above at base today. Limited visibility by the sounds of things on the upper areas of the mountain which are covered with fog and for that reason some top lifts are not opening at the start of the day, so keep an eye on that situation, hopefully things will get clearer during the day.
There's a good chance we'll see some clearer skies and maybe sunshine at times tomorrow and Saturday in particular.
It still looks like we should expect warmer conditions over the weekend (5C at base?) and possibly some rain around Sunday.
Once the weekend is over though it is forecast to get colder again and a return to some fresh snowfall hopefully by Tuesday.
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Resort specific lift opening news at time of posting (subject to change during the day):
Niseko Grand Hirafu
The top Ace Number 4 and King Number 4 lifts are on hold at the start of the day due to thick fog.
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
All lifts plan to be operating as normal.
Niseko Village
The top Wonderland lift is on hold at the start of the day.
Niseko Annupuri
The top Jumbo Number 4 lift is on hold at the start of the day due to poor visibility.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -5℃, 5cm snowfall and calm morning. Moiwa 800m: -6℃, 15cm snowfall and moderate development of snowdrifts. Mikaeri Cat track: -6℃, SW5m/s, 15cm snowfall with moderate snowdrift development. Hirafu peak ridge: -10℃, SW8m/s, 10cm snowfall. Benkei cape: SSW7m/s. Kamui cape: E6m/s, 1014hPa, 0.7m waves.
About 10cm of new snow fell overnight as a small low-pressure system rolled in. The snow is in crystal form almost not affected by the wind, and there are no notable developments of snowdrifts. The snowpack above Feb 24th’s temperature change layer is stable, a notable Mar 2nd layer will form as well as today’s layer will be a noticeable one in the future snowpack. According to today’s observations, the general avalanche hazard level is low, however stabilization in areas around cornices, knolls and steep drops in 1000m elevation and higher is delayed. Be prudent and be ready. Peak gates will open from the morning. Listen to the ski patrol’s instructions before stepping out of the gates. Inform the patrols early in case you need help, going out of bounds in late afternoon is not recommended, search and rescue operation becomes difficult and dangerous a night. This information is released for the sake of resort users going out of bounds. Today’s snow is not bad at all.
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Official resort snow depths as of Thursday 3rd March 2016:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 410cm
Base - 180cm
Niseko Village
Top - 380cm
Base - 190cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 390cm
Base - 190cm
Niseko Now 2015-2016 season |
Data as of Thursday 3rd March 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 915cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 72 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 41cm 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.