Niseko Now: Sunday 6th March 2022
- Mar 6, 2022
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 11cm
Snowfall at base this season 1083cm
Posted on Sunday 6th March 2022 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
It might have been windy but I do have some fresh snow to report since yesterday morning. 11cm of it. It's another relatively mild morning but thankfully the wind is not quite as pesky and we should be able to enjoy the whole mountain.
Actually let me leave that in there and update you in real time.... top lifts at Hirafu and Village not opening as planned at 8:30am. Doh! Looks like it might just be a maintenance kind of delay thingy.
Anyway, it's time for some Sunday morning toast. I hope you have a nice day.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base: -5℃, 15cm new snow, calm. Moiwa 800m: -6℃, WSW2.1m/s, 15cm new snow, major snowdrift development. Annupuri 1150m: -9.5℃, WNW2.4m/s, 15cm new snow, snowdrift development. Hirafu 1000m: -9.1℃, SSW3.2m/s, snowdrift development. Hirafu 1250m: -10℃, snow data n/a, snowdrift development. Coastal data- Benkei cape: SW4m/s, Kamui cape: S9m/s, hPa n/a , wave 1.5m.
The wind has dropped and it's calm in the middle of a wide low pressure trough. The trees below 900m are covered in rime from yesterday's low pressure snowfall. Above 800m, slab avalanches are likely to occur on steep slopes, gullies and creek sidewalls this morning due to the snowdrifts accumulated during the 18hr southerly blizzard yesterday. From observation, the snow is starting to stabilize and all gates are expected to open. Please listen to the patrols instructions and prepare before exiting the gates. The low pressure snowfall is made up of non uniform crystals and follows a different process of snowdrift development and stabilization than the more usual uniform snow slabs formed in a winter type pressure distribution. However if development is rapid both will break under external stimuli. To judge the danger it is better to pay attention to how the snow has fallen rather than the amount fallen. If the atmospheric pressure gradient increases again the avalanche risk will also increase. Today's snow is better than expected. Be careful in poor visibility and of a sudden change in weather. The snow is different everyday. Have a good day.
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Planned ski area operations: Sunday 6th March 2022
The below snow depth and snowfall data is manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day (nature might intervene).
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 435cm (+20cm)
- Base: 220cm (+5cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 15cm
- Base: 15cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Ace Family quad
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Hirafu Gondola
- Holiday Number 1 pair
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
- Swinging Monkey
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 360cm (+10cm)
- Base: 270cm (+10cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 5cm
- Base: 10cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 360cm (no change)
- Base: 250cm (no change)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 15cm
- Base: 15cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open for night skiing until 7:30pm]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 3 pair
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 300cm
- Base: 230cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Niseko Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Banzai Chair
- Wonderland Chair
Niseko Now 2021-2022 season |
Data as of Sunday 6th March 2022 Total snowfall at base so far 1083cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 88 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (23rd December and 22nd February) November 2021 snowfall 85cm reported on 6 days December 2021 snowfall 307cm reported on 23 days January 2022 snowfall 325cm reported on 30 days February 2022 snowfall 337cm reported on 25 days March 2022 snowfall 29cm 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.