Niseko Now: Monday 5th January 2015
- Jan 5, 2015
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 3cm
Snowfall at base this season 617cm
Posted on Monday 5th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
No snow overnight but a few cm since the report I posted yesterday, so I'll dutifully log those cm in!
It's a cloudy-overcast kind of morning here in Niseko with some forecasts giving us a chance of seeing the sun and clearer skies later in the day.
While it's a fairly cold start to the day it should be warming up slightly today and tomorrow before temperatures going back down again later Tuesday. Snowfall is due back over Niseko later on tomorrow as well and we should be seeing daily refreshes through until the end of the week at least.
Now that the New Year holidays are over for most people we can maybe get into a more normal routine --- not that it makes that much of a difference here with all of the peak months very popular and busy.
Final snowfall in Kutchan statistic for last month to compare with the last few seasons:
December 2014 - 387cm
December 2013 - 258cm
December 2012 - 306cm
December 2011 - 349cm
December 2010 - 201cm
Last season January saw 317cm of snowfall in Kutchan, so there's the target!
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Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day
Niseko Grand Hirafu:
Looks set to be open as planned. 'Early Morning' lift available from 10th January to 1st February (for 500 yen, you can ride Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am).
Niseko Hanazono:
Looks set to be open as planned. Sorry in my report yesterday I put the Hirafu lift news in this bit under Hanazono by mistake.
Niseko Village:
Looks set to be open as planned.
Niseko Annupuri:
Looks set to be open as planned. 'Annupuri First Run' available on 11th and 12th January (for 1000 yen, you can ride the Gondola from 7:20-8:20am).
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base: -4C, no snowfall. Moiwa 800m: NW10m/s, no snowfall. Annupuri 1150m: NW5m/s, -9C, light snowfall with small development of snowdrifts. Hirafu 1000m: -9C, no snowfall. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW10m/s, Kamui cape NW4m/s, 1015hPa, 0.4m waves.
A high-pressure system is flowing in and the ocean and the mountains are in a calm condition. A moderate wind is still blowing at the peak, however the general avalanche risk is relatively low. Peak gates will open as soon as they’re ready. Seek some advice from the ski patrol before stepping out of the gates. Many people went out of bounds yesterday, and 2 cases of accidents have been reported. One fractured leg and one lost his way. Better not overestimate your skill and knowledge; always think safety first and enjoy within your limits. Following unknown people’s tracks will not necessarily take you safely back on track. You may end up astray in the middle of nowhere. There are no buses coming back from Goshiki Onsen.
We make this information in hope to avoid people from encountering accidents. Having everybody respect the Rules is the only way to protect the freedom of out of bounds riding in Niseko. Strictly off-limits areas are restricted for good reasons, do not duck ropes to seek fresh tracks in there. The groomers are in a fantastic conditions today. Beware of crashes.
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Official snow depth numbers and any notes at time of writing:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 310cm
Base - 165cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 220cm
Base - 150cm
Niseko Annupuri:
Top - 220cm
Base - 160cm
Niseko Now 2014-2015 season |
Data as of Monday 5th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 617cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 35 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 68cm 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.