Niseko Now: Sunday 7th February 2016
- Feb 7, 2016
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 15cm
Snowfall at base this season 700cm
Posted on Sunday 7th February 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Hello to you all, and it is another very good morning here in Niseko.
Another 15cm to add to the snowfall, bringing us to 92cm here at base since we entered February - that's almost half the total haul for the full month of February last season. Let's have a record breaking month!
Yesterday seemed to pass without any drama other than the top King Number 4 lift at Grand Hirafu being closed for an hour or so early afternoon due to some kind 'mechanical failure'. Let's hope it's all open and smooth operations today.
There's not much of a wind and so lifts are starting their journey for the day as planned, and the earlier snowfall has eased off. In fact, just as I write this the sun is shining through my window and I can see some patches of blue sky as well.. it may well just be a sneaky short blast because snow is actually still forecast for the day.
Tomorrow lots of sun is still looking very likely to be making a special appearance. Getting to the lifts for early tracks is wholeheartedly recommended (just don't be too upset if you find quite a lot of other people are thinking the same!)
I hope you have a great Sunday. I'm off out there to have some fun.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -10℃, 15cm of crushed crystal snow. Moiwa 800m: -11℃, NW10m/s, 20cm snowfall with snowdrifts. Mikaeri 740m: -12.8℃, WSW4.1m/s, 20cm snow with developing snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: -12℃, N10m/s, 15cm snowfall with snowdrifts developments. Hirafu peak ridge 4am: 16℃, light breeze and scarce snowfall. Benkei cape 5am: NNW11m/s, Kamui cape: W6m/s, 1013hPa, 1.3m waves.
A westerly wind is forecasted to pick up later in the day, and will make snowdrifts develop in leeward slopes. According to morning observations, reports from patrols and cat operators, weather data and oceanic data, the avalanche risk in area below 1000m elevation is low this morning. All gates are scheduled to open. Listen to the patrol’s instructions and be prepared before you go out of bounds.
We see some people doing pit-checks around the ski resort. Evaluating avalanche risk by observing layers is difficult in Niseko. Finding weak layers after accidents happened is too late. This information is released in hope to prevent accidents. Beware of falling into cracks, frostbites and sudden weather changes. Better not overestimate gears, skills and knowledge. Keep a scientific attitude and enjoy your day.
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Official resort snow depths as of Sunday 7th February 2016:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 365cm
Base - 170cm
Niseko Village
Top - 300cm
Base - 170cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 315cm
Base - 180cm
Niseko Now 2015-2016 season |
Data as of Sunday 7th February 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 700cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 54 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 31cm (17th January) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 92cm reported on 7 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.