Niseko Now: Wednesday 7th February 2018
- Feb 7, 2018
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 1cm
Snowfall at base this season 916cm
Posted on Wednesday 7th February 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
The Avalanche report below is reporting 10cm of fresh snowfall, but I can only report 1cm. (Actually I measured 8mm, but adding in that sprinkling from the other day makes me feel good about declaring 1cm).
Very (very) light snow has been falling as I put this report together, but you almost have to look hard to see it. So unless it changes it isn't the kind of snowfall that results in much.
I really don't have much else to say this morning. So, until tomorrow...
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -8℃, 10cm snowfall with snowdrifts. Moiwa800m: -12℃, NNE5m/s, 17m/s at night making snowdrifts grow large. Annupuri1150m: -15℃, NE15m/s, 10cm snowfall with cornice and snowdrifts developing. Hirafu1250m: light dusts, strong wind at night. Coastal data: Benkei cape ESE6m/s, Kamui cape NNE2m/s, 1008hPa, 1.6m waves.
Strong NE wind overnight with scarce snowfall, however made the cornices and snowdrifts grow drastically. The wind is calming down now. Peak gates are scheduled to open, please follow the patrol’s instructions.
Snowdrifts have developed in leeward slopes due to the strong NE wind. This new deposit can easily slide from Feb 6th layer and the avalanche risk is high. Hardpack wind-affected snow slabs in high elevation slopes, such as the Backbowl’s sidewalls, could easily slide with riding stimulation. A falling cornice triggered an avalanche near Annupuri Gate 2 this morning and buried a snow cat. The crown measured 60cm.
Many of the past avalanche accidents in Niseko occurred just after strong winds and been caused by sliding slabs that developed under windy conditions. Leeward slopes with heavy load of dense wind-affected snow are very likely to slide. Do not stimulate cornices and snowdrifts and stay away from valley bottoms. The snow in the trees is in pretty good shape. Beware of falling into cracks and sudden weather changes. Have a nice day.
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Wednesday 7th February 2018
Resort specific information (operations subject to change):
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts (apart from King Number 2) should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 410cm
- Base: 190cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 360cm
- Base: 230cm
Niseko Village
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts (apart from the Country Road Chair lift) should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 360cm
- Base: 240cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Wednesday 7th February 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 916cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 67 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 17cm reported on 3 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.