Niseko Now: Monday 8th January 2018
- Jan 8, 2018
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 3cm
Snowfall at base this season 637cm
Posted on Monday 8th January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
I have just a 3cm of fresh snowfall to report to you since my report yesterday.
It looks like most - all? - regions of Japan are going to experience something of a warm up today, tonight and into tomorrow.
Temperatures are going to rise and... we might get rained on tonight. Nooooooo!
The good news is that snow is due back tomorrow and possibly heavy snow on Wednesday. Yes!
We shall see. The hope is for rain to be limited and be snow quickly.
For now, Hirafu are reporting sleet at base and snow higher up and Annupuri are reporting snow. It won't be the light and fluffy kind though. It will be interesting to see what we get over the next 24 hours
I will of course let you know how things are going this time tomorrow.
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6.00am: -2°, trace new snow. Moiwa 800m : -3.4°, W3.8, trace new snow, minor snowdrift development. Annupuri 1150m: -5°, trace new snow, minor snowdrift development. Hirafu 1250m: -6°, trace new snow. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:WNW11m/s. Kamui Cape: WSW12m/s, 1014hPa, wave 1.4m.
Currently we are under influence of low pressure system, the pressure gradient is shallow and weather is calm. Expect the temperature to rise as the low pressure system approaches from the Japan Sea. At 800m, 30cm of snowdrift growth on leeward slopes was observed at the 4am survey. In some areas yesterdays tracks are also covered. From tests there is no obvious weak layer and with other data general avalanche risk is low. Peak gates are expected to be open.
Although it didn't snow much, the resorts groomers are in fantastic condition. Off the runs is tracked out from yesterday still, be careful going fast and hitting trees. Also careful falling into holes. Yesterday at Waterfall Gate 9 someone had to be rescued.
Do not ever enter Strictly Off Limits areas Haru no Taki and YunoSawa. If one person ignores the rules and enters others will follow their tracks leading to increased chances of an accident. Under Niseko Rules it is prohibited to ride in these areas. In Niseko we respect your right to ride safely out off bounds. Make sure if you are going out of bounds you do so through a gate. Beware of a sudden weather change. Have a good day.
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Monday 8th January 2018
Resort specific information (operations subject to change):
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts are operating
- 'Early Morning' services from 8:00am until 8:20am (Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift). Until 28th January. 500 yen special ticket required.
Official snow depth:
- Top: 350cm
- Base: 170cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts are operating
- 'First Run Early Morning' services from 7:20am until 8:20am (Annupuri Gondola). Until today. 1,000 yen special ticket required.
Official snow depth:
- Top: 270cm
- Base: 150cm
Niseko Village
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts except Country Road Chair are operating
- 'Early Gondola' service from 7:30am until 8:30am (Niseko Gondola). January 8th, 13th-14th, 20th-21st, 27th-28th; February 3rd-4th. 1,400 yen special ticket required.
Official snow depth:
- Top: 260cm
- Base: 160cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Monday 8th January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 637cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 44 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (21st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 43cm reported on 6 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.