Niseko Now: Monday 7th January 2019
- Jan 7, 2019
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 11cm
Snowfall at base this season 487cm
Posted on Monday 7th January 2019 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
After the New Year period we are officially back to normal weekdays now though that doesn't seem to affect us much here in Niseko - we're busy all the way through.
We had snow falling through most of the day yesterday and overnight, and I have just over 11cm of fresh snowfall to report this morning. I was kind of expecting more. But it's really nice dry-light quality, and as always there will surely be more of it on the mountain so conditions should be very good this morning.
More snow expected over the coming few days and cloud is covering the mountain at the start of the day with light snow falling in places, but as you can see from the third image below looking over towards Mt Yotei there is some blue sky to be seen behind the clouds. Let's see how the day progresses...
Today is the first day of the 'premium' service at Niseko Grand Hirafu where they open the Center Four quad lift from 8:00am until 8:20am. That service now runs daily until 31st January and costs 500 yen if you are interested. (Annupuri will have their early morning gondola thingy happening again on 12th, 13th, 14th January). More details below.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain Base 6.00am: -7°, 15cm new snow in the last 12 hrs, light winds. Moiwa 800m: -11.4°, W10m/s, snow drift and cornice development, 20cm new snow in the last 12 hrs. Mikaeri Forest road now open. Annupuri 1120m: snow depth 175cm, W10m/s, 20cm new snow. . Niseko Village Mizuno no Sawa : NW9.8m/s, 11 cm new snow in last 12hrs, snowpack 129cm. Hirafu Peak 1250m: -14°, NW10m/s, 20cm new snow, snowdrift development. Coastal data: Benkei Cape: NNE9m/s. Kamui Cape: N7m/s, 1017hPa, wave 2.0m. Kutchan Weather Station: -10.8°, snow depth 128cm.
A light snow wind continues and good snow has settled on the mountain. Below the tree line the avalanche risk is low. However Kozan no sawa sidewall around 1200m there is risk of a 50cm fracture from January 5 layer. Do not wait in the valley bottoms. Avalanche risk is dependant on elevation, be careful on higher elevation leeward and steep slopes. Higashi One 1200m, there are 5m deep cracks which are continuing to spread. In white out conditions they are hard to see. They may also trigger a full depth avalanche. From this years snowfall transition there are heavy snowdrifts forming in unexpected locations which are cracking easily.
Do not expect Niseko snow to be all time good, all the time. The reason for past avalanche accidents has always been clear in the snowpack analysis. Snow changes all the time. Do not overestimate your abilities, make cautious decisions. Snow in the trees is good.
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Ski resort operation information: Monday 7th January 2019
The below information is manually checked each morning and believed to be correct at time of report. Subject to change!
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 285cm
- Base: 145cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts apart are normally operating
- The Ace Family quad (until 8:30pm), Ace Center 4 quad (8:20pm), Hirafu Gondola (until 8:10pm) and Holiday Number 1 pair (until 8:30pm) lifts are normally open during the evening
- The Center Four lift will be open from 8:00am until 8:20am until 31st January 2019. (500 yen charge).
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 200cm
- Base: 160cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All Hanazono lifts are normally operating
- The Hanazono lifts are normally open until 3:50pm (Number 3 until 3:30pm)
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Courses:
- All official courses are now available
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 240cm
- Base: 130cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All Annupuri lifts are normally operating
- The Jumbo 1 lift is normally open until 8:30pm during the evening
- Annupuri First run from 7:20am until 8:20am on 12th, 13th, 14th January. (1,500 yen charge).
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by resort):
- Peak: 240cm
- Base: 130cm
Ski lifts operating:
- All lifts apart from the Country Road Chair are normally operating
- The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair lifts are normally open until 8:00pm during the evening
Niseko Now 2018-2019 season |
Data as of Monday 7th January 2019 Total snowfall at base so far 487cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 41 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (29th December) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 333cm reported on 26 days January 2019 snowfall 70cm 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.