Niseko Now: Wednesday 4th February 2015
- Feb 4, 2015
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 3cm
Snowfall at base this season 849cm
Posted on Wednesday 4th February 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Just a fairly thin layer of snow since yesterday - that early snowfall didn't really end up amounting to much in the end. Likely more higher up than down here of course. Light snowfall has been easing off this morning with clearer conditions now expected during the day today. So we might get some sunshine and clear skies today and tomorrow as well. Temperatures will hopefully remain in negative numbers. Looks like the wind isn't going to be a problem and there should be a calmer feel to proceedings over the next few days.
That should be nice, but what about the snow?
Well, look towards later in the day on Saturday for the start of what might potentially be a very decent snowfall coming out way.
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Anyone see the piece that NHK TV did last night after the 7pm news about the increase in popularity of backcountry in Japan? I didn’t know that it was going to be - would have mentioned in advance if I had, so sorry about that.
With more people going out of bounds – and sadly in many cases without the knowledge and equipment needed to be safe - there has been an increase in unfortunate accidents, and even fatalities this season down in Nagano and Niigata.
As well as giving some background to the situation and appeal of backcountry, they mentioned the Niseko Rules and gate system as a success story in avoiding fatalities since it started. They also showed Shinya-san up there at 5am in the morning checking on the snow and safety situation, making the decisions about gate openings, and him and his colleagues out there taking the time to communicate with folk venturing out of the gates. Otsukaresama deshita to all involved.
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Resort specific news as of 8:30am - subject to change during the day
Niseko Grand Hirafu:
Looks set to open as planned this morning.
Niseko Hanazono:
Looks set to open as planned this morning.
Niseko Village:
Looks set to open as planned this morning.
'Early Morning Gondola' on Saturday (7th) and Sunday (8th) for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am.
Niseko Annupuri:
Looks set to open as planned this morning.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -6C, light snowfall in the past 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: NNW10m/s, 5cm snowfall with 40cm snowdrift development. Annupuri 1150m: N10m/s, -12C, large development of snowdrifts. Hirafu ridge: strong northerly wind, -13C, light development of snowdrifts. Coastal data: Benkei cape NE10m/s, Kamui cape E4m/s, 1022hPa, 1.3m waves.
Intermittent northerly gusts continue above 800m. Cornices and snowdrifts are growing large in western areas above 800m. According to observation and snowfall transition, the snowpack is stabilizing, however avalanches are still likely to occur in heavy snowdrift loaded slopes such as 900m Osawa cornice slopes, Kozan no sawa (Backbowl). DO NOT traverse under cornices, it will trigger a slide. Hard-slabs slides triggered by collapsing crust layer are also to be expected in Higashi-One cornice slopes. A thin slide can easily carry a person all the way down to the bottom of the valley. Peak gates 2 & 3 are scheduled to open. Listen to the ski patrol’s instruction before stepping out of the gates. Avalanches are natural occurrences, they only become an accident when a human being is involved in it. Better not underestimate the consequences, always think safety first. Niseko respects the freedom to ride the out of bounds area, however is also deeply concerned about all users’ safety. The snow in the tree is mostly reset and in good condition. Have a nice day.
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Official resort snow depths:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 370cm
Base - 125cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 280cm
Base - 180cm
Niseko Annupuri:
Top - 280cm
Base - 170cm
Niseko Now 2014-2015 season |
Data as of Wednesday 4th February 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 849cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 57 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm reported on 23 days February 2015 snowfall 43cm reported on 4 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.