Niseko Now: Saturday 9th December 2017
- Dec 9, 2017
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 7cm
Snowfall at base this season 275cm
Posted on Saturday 9th December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Hirafu base.
It's really very cold this morning. This is a good thing of course, just need to be sure to be layered up enough and prepared.
The 7cm of fresh snow to report at base (and more on the slopes) should be a nice top-up this morning too. The snow has been a bit on and off since I have been up this morning. Pre-toast, it was snowing pretty good out there for a bit, then it eased off. There has even been a little bit of sun peeking through the mostly cloudy skies. And as I prepare to post this report, it's snowing again.
More folk are starting to turn up but things are still relatively quiet and so the snow isn't getting tracked out. It should be a good day for everyone lucky enough to be here.
I'm liking the look of the forecast as well with lots of snow on there. We may get some milder conditions tomorrow but it'll be back to cold quickly enough as we enter the new week and back to regular snow.
Night skiing 'nighta' starts up for the season from tonight. Remember, there's nighta at Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri areas, but not at the Hanazono area. At Hirafu they plan to have the Ace Family quad lift and the Ace Number 2 Center four lift operating from tonight; and then add the Holiday Number 1 pair lift and Gondola into the mix from next Saturday. I have made a note of which lifts are scheduled to operate for nighta on the lists below.
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So here we are on 9th December with most of the pieces of the puzzle in place and up and running. We're now anxiously waiting for the top lifts and gates to also open. And for Niseko to start getting (very) busy!
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base -10℃, 10cm snowfall, calm. Moiwa800m: -12℃, 5cm snow, minimal snowdrift development and calm. Annupuri1000m: -14℃, light breeze, 5cm snowfall. Hirafu1000m: -12℃, light snowfall. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW10m/s, Kamui cape NW6m/s, 1010hPa, 0.9m waves.
The isobars are spread out and the weather is calm. No notable snowdrift development can be observed. 40-50cm of fresh snow is sitting on top of Dec 3rd layer. The snowpack reached 150cm in deepest area. A few layers can be observed, however snowpack is mostly stable and the avalanche hazard is relatively low.
The snow is good and fast. Moiwa gate 6 opens today. The snowpack is still shallow in places and terrain features are still distinguished, but fun to ride. Watch out for hidden branches and unburied streams. Water is ice cold.
Have you turned your beacon on? Although carrying one is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended to do so. It may save your and other’s lives, if you’re familiar how to use it.
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Saturday 9th December 2017
What's planned to be open today in Niseko (subject to change):
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Lifts operating:
- Ace Number 3 Pair lift
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift (nighta)
- Ace Family quad lift (nighta)
- King Number 3 quad lift
- Hirafu Gondola
- Holiday Number 1 pair lift
- Swinging Monkey
* All courses are open apart from Large and Dynamic. Konayuki and Miharashi now open.
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts operating:
- Hanazono Number 1 quad lift
- Hanazono Number 2 quad lift
- Hanazono Number 3 quad lift
* All lifts are operating
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts operating:
- Annupuri Gondola
- Jumbo Number 1 quad lift (nighta)
- Jumbo Number 2 quad lift
- Dream Number 1 quad lift
* Utopia, Shirakaba, Silver, Paradise, Family, Dynamic and Junior courses are open.
Niseko Village
Lifts operating:
- Niseko Gondola
- Banzai Chair
- Community Chair (nighta)
- Upper Village Gondola (nighta)
- Village Express (nighta)
* Top of Gondola to base is skiable.
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Official resort snow depths on Saturday 9th December 2017:
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 210cm
Base - 80cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Top - 135cm
Base - 80cm
Niseko Village
Top - 145cm
Base - 80cm
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Floodlit 'nighta' skiing schedule:
From today!
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Saturday 9th December 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 275cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 20 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 29cm (20th November) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 87cm reported on 9 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.