Niseko Now: Saturday 3rd March 2018
- Mar 3, 2018
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 14cm
Snowfall at base this season 1221cm
Posted on Saturday 3rd March 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Oh dear, I'm a bit late this morning aren't I? Gomenasai! OK so I'll try to get this up as quickly as possible.
14cm of fresh snowfall and happily the worst of that storm has now passed... though it's still quite windy and top lifts are not open at the moment (see below for resort specifics). I reckon there'll be more snow in places, but less in others too so variable conditions. Let me add I have not been out there to check on that yet.
It's mild today and tomorrow milder still. Happily, it won't be as warm as some places to the south of us look set to be. (Yikes!)
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -3℃, 20cm snowfall. Moiwa800m: -6.4℃, SW7.5m/s, large snowdrift development. Annupuri1150m: -9℃, SW15m/s, cornice and snowdrifts development. Hirafu1250m: -10℃, strong NW wind with snowdrifts developing. Benkei cape: WNW16m/s, Kamui cape SW16m/s, 1010hPa, 2.9m waves.
The storm has passed, however the development of the snowdrifts has been drastic in the past 24hours. The course and chair-lift maintenance will take longer than usual. So much snow deposit that the terrain has changed in some areas. The snowpack is starting to stabilize, but 2 uneven bonding and one deeper weak layer (Mar 1st low pressure snow) has been observed in the morning pressure test. The snowpack is relatively stable, however if a slide happens, it could be in a very large scale. The avalanche risk in areas above 800m is high. Gates opening is undetermined, please respect the patrol’s decision.
Avalanches caused by collapsing snowdrifts that developed thick during strong storms are the most terrifying. Many of the accidents occur during and just after storms and most of then could be avoided if all mountain-goers were paying more attention to the recent weather transition.
An avalanche experiment will be undertaken at Mikaeri Bowl this morning. A large slide is expected to occur, please stay away from Moiwa bowl and Mikaeri area. The snow in the trees is dense, but in good condition. Have a nice day.
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Saturday 3rd March 2018
Resort specific information (operations subject to change):
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- Top Ace and King Number 4 lifts and Hanazono Number 3 lift on hold currently due to strong winds
Official snow depth:
- Top: 515cm
- Base: 245cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- Gondola and top Jumbo Number 4 lift on hold currently due to strong winds
Official snow depth:
- Top: 420cm
- Base: 250cm
Niseko Village
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- Top Wonderland Chair lift on hold and Gondola moving at slow speeds currently due to strong winds
Official snow depth:
- Top: 420cm
- Base: 280cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Saturday 3rd March 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1221cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 90 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 299cm reported on 24 days March 2018 snowfall 23cm reported on 2 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.