Niseko Now: Tuesday 4th March 2014
- Mar 4, 2014
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 5cm
Snowfall at base this season 1052cm
Posted on Tuesday 4th March 2014 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
An early report this morning - once this is posted I'm off to Sapporo for the day.
Yesterday was actually quite a lot of fun out there. Well, at least I did and the people I was with seemed to be enjoying themselves. Not classic Niseko of course, but it was just great to get that fresh snow feel back.
This morning there's a bit more snow to report 4-5cm or so. It is cloudy with light snow falling just at the moment. We are still looking on for snowfall through the week into Saturday.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -7C, 3cm of broken particle snow overnight. Moiwa 800m: W12m/s, -11C, 3cm of fresh and development of snowdrifts. Annupuri1150m: W20m/s, -15C, snowdrift development, snowpack 315cm. Hirafu 1000m: -11C, development of snowdrifts. Peak 1308m: NW15.6m/s, -15.1℃. Coastal data: Cape Benkei NNW13m/s, Cape Kamui WNW11m/s, 2.5m waves, 1024hPa.
Although snowfall is small, the wind has been strong and snowdrifts due to moving snow has been developing drastically since yesterday. These new snowdrifts are extremely unstable and could easily cause an avalanche. Avalanche risk is high today. Peak gates will be closed, please follow the ski patrol’s instructions. Do not duck ropes. The groomers condition is in good shape, but snow in ungroomed treeruns is tricky. Ice balls, blocks, frozen tracks and cracks are hiding underneath the surface. The slopes are hard to evaluate due to flat light; stay in controlled speed. Newly formed cornices will largely collapse with a slight stimulation. Be prudent! Avalanches are not the only hazards in winter mountains. Have a nice day.
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Official snow depth numbers and lift news at time of writing:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 375cm
Base - 180cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 350cm
Base - 200cm
Annupuri:
Top - 360cm
Base - 200cm
Niseko Now 2013-2014 season |
Data as of Tuesday 4th March 2014 Total snowfall at base so far 1052cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 82 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (14th January) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 275cm reported on 22 days January 2014 snowfall 461cm reported on 29 days February 2014 snowfall 178cm reported on 20 days March 2014 snowfall 15cm 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.