Niseko Now: Thursday 8th December 2016
- Dec 8, 2016
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 10cm
Snowfall at base this season 137cm
Posted on Thursday 8th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
I have 10cm of fresh snowfall to report to you on this Thursday morning here at Hirafu base. It's good quality snow as well, nice and light. Oh yes.
It is another cold morning, -6C as I write this and expected to remain well under zero through the day, and hopefully snowfall will continue through the day today - at least on and off, hopefully more on than off. Right at this moment as I look out of the window it is snowing very nicely.
It looks like it will probably get a bit warmer tomorrow, but with snowfall forecast over the coming days and through the weekend, we should be seeing more lifts and courses opening up soon. Indeed, some of the courses that were open but then closed have re-opened at Niseko Grand Hirafu. You can see what is planned to be open in the information posted below. It's sometimes a fast-moving situation and hard to keep track of, so please do check with the resorts for their very latest if required.
We will need more open as more highly expectant and excited folk are continuing to arrive in Niseko. As we get closer to Christmas, those numbers are only going to increase. I even saw Santa last night - in a bar in Kutchan! - so he's obviously up for some early season turns too.
Always a good sign that the season has started, the Niseko Avalanche Reports are up and running and once again a very big thank you to the good folk who put them together each day...
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
The atmospheric pressure gradient is lenient and the weather is relatively calm. Mild wind and -7℃ at base level with 15cm of fresh snowfall in the past 12 hours. Kamui cape weather WSW11m/s, 1014hPa, 1.6m waves.
The snowdrifts that developed above 800m have stabilized and the general avalanche risk is low.
This information is issued in order to prevent accidents in the out of bounds areas.
Avalanches occur when the conditions aligns and does not depend on the amount of snow. They are natural occurrences that only become an accident if somebody is caught in it.
Leeward slopes during storms are the most dangerous as they are where unstable snowdrifts mostly develops. Highly wind affected snow is heavy and loose and most likely to slide.
Niseko area respect the freedom to ski out of bounds, however is also deeply concerned about all visitors’ safety. Avalanches are not the only hazard in Winter Mountains. Be aware of the risks you’re taking and it is your responsibility to be well prepared for anything that could happen.
Today’s snow is light and lighter snow is usually stable. Have a nice day.
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Resort specific opening news at time of writing (subject to change during the day):
All four resort areas appear to be able to open as planned at the start of the day.
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Lifts planned to be operating:
- Ace Family pair
- Ace Number 2 Center Four
- Ace Number 3 pair
- Hirafu Gondola
- King Number 3 quad
- Swinging Monkey
Courses planned to be open:
- Family course
- Alpen course (experts only)
- Green
- Beginners access course
- Shirakaba course
- Center course
- Boyo (lower part only)
- Kokutai (experts only)
- Holiday
- Jumbo course
- Parallel course
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts planned to be operating:
- Hanazono 1 quad
- Hanazono 2 quad
- Hanazono 3 quad
Courses planned to be open:
- Silver Dream (experts only)
- Stairway to Heaven (experts only)
- Setsuzoku
- Crystal Garden
- Renraku
- Yotei Sunset (experts only)
Niseko Village
Lifts planned to be operating:
- Community Chair
- Upper Village Gondola
- Village Express
Niseko Annupuri
Lifts planned to be operating:
- Jumbo Number 1 pair
- Jumbo Number 3 pair
- Annupuri Gondola
Courses planned to be operating:
- Utopia
- Shirakaba
- Paradise
- Junior
You can now ski down to base at Niseko Annupuri.
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Official resort snow depths as of Thursday 8th December 2016:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 135cm
Base - 45cm
Niseko Village
Top - 45cm
Base - 30cm
Niseko Annupuri
Top - 45cm
Base - 30cm
Niseko Now 2016-2017 season |
Data as of Thursday 8th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 137cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 19 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (25th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 27cm reported on 5 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.