Niseko Now: Thursday 6th March 2014
- Mar 6, 2014
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 4cm
Snowfall at base this season 1068cm
Posted on Thursday 6th March 2014 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
As expected it is colder this morning, though perhaps not as much snow as we were expecting and hoping for... less than 5cm this morning here in the village. I was just reading the Avalanche Report below and talk of 100cm of snowdrift! We certainly had some strong winds blowing about overnight so expect conditions to be patchy this morning and keep that in mind.
Currently about -5 degrees here at base and the resorts reporting temperatures down to -12 at higher elevations.
It is not actually snowing at the moment I write this though Annupuri reporting snow and yes we do expect there to be snow showers today. There's a bit of sun shining through the clouds now though and blue sky between here and Mt Yotei.
Cold conditions and snow is still forecast right through into next week, with the chance of some quite strong winds here and there. A moderate wind this morning but for now though we appear to be opening as planned this morning. There might be a chance of changes there though...
---
9:30am update
The following lifts are currently on hold due to wind:
Niseko Grand Hirafu - top Ace 4, King 4 lifts
Niseko Village - top Wonderland chair
Niseko Annupuri - top Jumbo No4 lift
---
Niseko Avalanche Report
Niseko base 6am: -8C, 100cm of snowdrift have developed over the past 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: n/a. Annupuri 1000m: N12m/s, -11C, notable development of snowdrifts. Hirafu 1000m: -11C. Peak 1308m: N19.7m/s, -14.9C. Coastal data: cape Benkei NE14m/s, cape Kamui NE4m/s, 1.4m waves, 1009hPa.
A strong northerly wind has persisted for 15hours and made snowdrifts develop drastically. The wind is calm at the moment, but is forecasted to pick up again shortly. The avalanche risk is extreme. Peak gates will be closed. Please follow the ski patrol’s instructions and do not duck ropes to access the out of bounds areas. Avalanche accidents are most likely to occur in slopes with drastically developed snowdrifts due to strong winds. According to snowfall and wind transition, the wind-loaded snow in SW and SE aspects is heavy and very unstable especially in steep slopes. Beware. Better not stimulate cornices and knolls (rollovers). Be prudent today, conditions are definitely sketchy.
---
Official snow depth numbers and lift news at time of writing:
Grand Hirafu / Hanazono:
Top - 390cm
Base - 180cm
Niseko Village:
Top - 360cm
Base - 210cm
Annupuri:
Top - 380cm
Base - 200cm
Niseko Now 2013-2014 season |
Data as of Thursday 6th March 2014 Total snowfall at base so far 1068cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 84 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 31cm reported on 4 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.