Niseko Now: Saturday 6th February 2021
- Feb 6, 2021
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 12cm
Snowfall at base this season 893cm
Posted on Saturday 6th February 2021 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
It is noticeably milder this morning - still in low negative numbers, though possibly venturing just above 0C during the day. That's not stopping snow from falling though, and just as I type this out some nice big flakes are falling.
Variable visibility at the start of the day, I'd say generally ranging from limited to poor.
I am happy to report that all ski lifts appear to be opening as planned this morning; and there are more lifts open for the weekend (see updated list below).
Tomorrow should be a bit colder and then colder still from early in the week. Snow clouds should be sticking around.
I hope you have a good Saturday. Wherever you are, stay safe and have fun. Be kind to animals and eat toast.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
6:25am Benkei cape: WNW10m/s, Kamui cape WNW10m/s, 1007hPa, 1.6m waves. Hanazono 1000m: -5.8m/s, ESE2.9m/s. Hanazono 720m: -2.5℃, SE4.2m/s. Moiwa800m: -3.1℃, NNW4.3m/s. Annupuri 1100m: -5.7℃, W10.0m/s. Yu no sawa 1100m: -5.3℃, WSW7.4m/s. Mizuno no Sawa top: -4.6℃, WSW5.3m/s. Kutchan town: -0.8℃, SSW3.5m/s, 177cm snow depth. 1008.0hPa. Moiwa base: -2℃, 10-15cm snowfall in 12h, mild wind and bad visibility.
15m/s westerly wind is persisting in the area above 1100m elevation, however is light under 800m. A 10-15cm low-pressure snowfall has fallen early this morning. Snow clouds are likely to flow in throughout the day and snowfall will continue. All peak gates are scheduled to open from the morning. Listen to the ski patrol’s advice before stepping out of the gates. A hoar layer (Feb 1st) is present under the snowdrifts. The snowdrifts under 900m elevation are now stable, however the snowpack above 1000m is still unstable and avalanche hazard remains considerable. Strong stimulation could trigger a large slab avalanche from Feb 1st layer.
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Planned ski area operations: Saturday 6th February 2021
The below information is manually checked each morning from official sources.
The numbers in brackets show the change in the official snow depth numbers since the previous report.
Niseko Grand Hirafu
24 hours new snowfall (as reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 400cm (+0cm)
- Base: 230cm (+0cm)
Ski lifts operating:
- Planned: Ace Family Quad, Ace Quad Center 4, Hirafu Gondola, Holiday Number 1, King Number 3 Quad, King Number 4, Swinging Monkey
- Ace Family Quad and Ace Number 2 Center Four lifts operate for night skiing
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
24 hours new snowfall (as reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 5cm
- Base: 11cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 285cm (-10cm)
- Base: 215cm (-10cm)
Ski lifts operating:
- Planned: All lifts
- There is no night skiing at Hanazono
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Niseko Annupuri
24 hours new snowfall (as reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 260cm (+0cm)
- Base: 190cm (+0cm)
Ski lifts operating:
- Planned: All lifts
- Jumbo Number 1 quad lift operates for night skiing
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Niseko Village
24 hours new snowfall (as reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 270cm (+20cm)
- Base: 195cm (+25cm)
Ski lifts operating:
- Planned: Niseko Gondola, Community Chair, Banzai Chair and Wonderland Chair
- Community Chair and Banzai Chair lifts operate for night skiing
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Night time operations are available in the Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri areas until 7th March 2021. There is no night skiing in the Niseko HANAZONO area.
The Ace Pair Number 1, 3 and 4, King Pair Number 1 lift and King Quad Number 2 lifts are being rested for the season at Niseko Grand Hirafu. There may be other lift operation changes at the moment due to coronavirus situation. Do be sure to check for details with ski areas.
Niseko Now 2020-2021 season |
Data as of Saturday 6th February 2021 Total snowfall at base so far 893cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 64 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 34cm (31st December and 18th January) November 2020 snowfall 62cm reported on 6 days December 2020 snowfall 348cm reported on 25 days January 2021 snowfall 387cm reported on 27 days February 2021 snowfall 96cm 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.