Niseko Now: Sunday 5th February 2023
- Feb 5, 2023
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 10cm
Snowfall at base this season 752cm
Posted on Sunday 5th February 2023 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Light snow in places early morning after more cm incoming overnight. (Outside my place it is not snowing and actually quite bright). A look at the webcams from around the area shows that visibility is generally decent at the start of the day, maybe a bit more limited at higher elevations.
It seems like a relatively calm morning out there.
The 73rd Sapporo Snow Festival opened yesterday in... you guessed it, Sapporo! This year there are two venues at Otori and Susukino (no events at the Tsudome venue this time). It is open to the public for the first time in a few years, which is good to see. And it is always interesting.
There are still going to be some limited restrictions - it seems like organisers are limiting numbers of people in some places, not allowing food and drink booths, and asking for masks to be worn. I suppose at the very least they will help keep faces warm on very cold Sapporo nights!
The Sapporo Snow Festival will be open until 11th February.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base -8C, 5cm new snow, calm. Moiwa 800m: -9.7C, WSW6.9m/s, 10cm new snow, calm. Annupuri 1100m: -12.4C, WNW8.6m/s, 15cm new snow, good visibility. Mizuno no Sawa: -11.1C, no significant fractures from avalanche control. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -11.9C, ENE2.7m/s, 20cm new snow, light winds. Hanazono#3: -8.6C, N6.2m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape: NW15m/s, Kamui Cape: W11m/s, 1019hPa, 1.1m waves.
From observation, data, patrol and grooming operator reports the overall avalanche danger is low. Peak gates are expected to be open. Do not duck ropes to go out of bounds. In the strictly off limits area Haru no Taki, sun effected slabs have formed on 1.5m snowdrifts around knolls. There is a danger of these fracturing and causing a large scale surface avalanche. Also beware backcountry touring on the North side of Iwaonupuri, the Jan 23rd low pressure layer is relatively weak under the subsequent heavy windblown snowdrift formation.
There are many types of avalanches, from glaciers to roof tops. Weak layers are not the only cause of avalanches. Glacier avalanches are caused by the collapse of the glacier tongue and roof top avalanches happen because the roof surface is slippery. When an accident investigation yields a weak layer as the cause of an accident, it's no consolation - you will be dead. The causal relationship between snowdrifts and avalanches is not fully understood, therefore there can be no guarantee of safety on the mountain. It is always better to be cautious in bad weather. Iconic Niseko delivers epic conditions again. No avalanche report will be issued tomorrow.
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Ski area information for Sunday 5th February 2023
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day, weather permitting.
Official snow depth numbers in brackets show the change since previous report.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 0cm (?)
- Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 360cm (-10cm since yesterday)
- Base: 160cm (-10cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Ace Family quad [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four) [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 3 pair
- Ace Number 4 pair
- Hirafu Gondola
- Holiday Number 1 pair
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
- Swinging Monkey
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 17cm
- Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 300cm (+4cm since yesterday)
- Base: 245cm (+3cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 240cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 170cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open until 7:30pm for night skiing]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 3 pair [* normally open on weekends and holidays]
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 215cm (+5cm since yesterday)
- Base: 190cm (+5cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Niseko Gondola
- Upper Village Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Banzai Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Wonderland Chair
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- Number 1 pair lift
- Number 2 pair lift
- Quad lift
Niseko Now 2022-2023 season |
Data as of Sunday 5th February 2023 Total snowfall at base so far 752cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 64 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (27th and 28th January) November 2022 snowfall 17cm reported on 5 days December 2022 snowfall 336cm reported on 27 days January 2023 snowfall 332cm reported on 27 days February 2023 snowfall 67cm reported on 5 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.