Niseko Now: Wednesday 6th February 2019
- Feb 6, 2019
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 18cm
Snowfall at base this season 764cm
Posted on Wednesday 6th February 2019 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Spring? Nope, not up here! It's still mid-winter here and it looks set to continue. Temperatures remain down cold and after some good snowfall from the afternoon yesterday there's almost 20cm of fine quality fresh light snowfall to add to my reports.
All lifts appear to be preparing for a busy day. Gambatte! And, Otsukaresama, etc.
The forecast is looking good for regular snowfall along with wintery cold conditions over the coming week. All is good.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Mountain base 6am: -7℃, 15cm snowfall in 12 hours, calm weather overnight. Moiwa800m: -8.6℃, N0.7m/s, 20cm snowfall in 12hours, no snowdrift development. Mikaeri Junction: calm, -9℃, small snowdrift development. Annupuri 1120m: 220cm snow depth. Hirafu peak: -13℃, 20cm snowfall, snowdrifts developments and calm. Misuno no sawa: -9.99℃, calm, 165cm snow depth at mountain base, 6cm snowfall in 12 hours. Suttsu weather station: -3.4℃, calm wind, 47cm snow depth, Kutchan -7.1℃, calm wind, 163cm snow depth. Coastal data Benkei cape ENE4m/s, Kamui cape NNE2m/s, 1012hPa, 1.2m waves.
The atmospheric pressure gradient is flat and the weather is calm in the mountain and on the ocean. The snowfall settled down around noon yesterday, but another set came in and dropped 15cm of fresh snow in 3h. There were no wind influence during that snowfall and the new snow is not forming notable slabs. The overall avalanche risk is low. All peak gates are scheduled to open from the morning. Please follow the patrol’s instructions. Do not cut across slopes under cornices and knolls. Traversing over and over on the same slope could stimulate deeper weak layers and trigger a slide. Special caution is required in O-sawa (Annupuri bowl) and Kozan no sawa (Back bowl).
We would like to repeatedly remind that it is strongly advised not to ride the bottom of the valleys. Hazards of slides striking from higher slopes are ever-present. Do not party ride in suspicious terrains. One slide could take in the whole group. The snow condition is excellent today. Ducking ropes is strictly prohibited in Niseko. Please show respect to the local customs. They may be different from your country, but as the proverb says, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."
We appreciate your understanding.
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Ski resort operation information: Wednesday 6th February 2019
Subject to change due to weather conditions
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 350cm
- Base: 140cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts opening as normal at the start of the day (Ace Number 1 pair and King Number 2 quad lifts rested)
- The Ace Family quad (until 8:30pm), Ace Center 4 quad (8:20pm), Hirafu Gondola (until 8:10pm) and Holiday Number 1 pair (until 8:30pm) lifts are normally open during the evening
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 240cm
- Base: 202cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts opening as normal at the start of the day
- The Hanazono lifts are normally open until 3:50pm (Number 3 until 3:30pm)
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 300cm
- Base: 150cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts opening as normal at the start of the day
- The Jumbo 1 lift is normally open until 8:30pm during the evening
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 300cm
- Base: 160cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts opening as normal at the start of the day (Country Road lift rested)
- The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair lifts are normally open until 8:00pm during the evening
Niseko Now 2018-2019 season |
Data as of Wednesday 6th February 2019 Total snowfall at base so far 764cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 65 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (29th December) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 333cm reported on 26 days January 2019 snowfall 285cm reported on 25 days February 2019 snowfall 62cm reported on 6 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.