Niseko Now: Friday 9th December 2022
- Dec 9, 2022
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 19cm
Snowfall at base this season 149cm
Posted on Friday 9th December 2022 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko.
At this risk of boring you, another 19cm of fresh snowfall to report this morning, bringing us up to 147cm so far and most that coming over the last 9-10 days. ;)
It is snowing very lightly as I write, this with just a light wind. Visibility seems varied around the mountain as I look at the different webcam images, though it's quite bright looking outside my window.
OK, some ski area news. The Family Course at Niseko Annupuri is open from today. I am guessing that there is a good chance of more opening for the weekend, but for now the only piece of information I can confirm is that the Niseko Gondola (at Niseko Village) will be open tomorrow.
I'll let you know of other changes tomorrow morning.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -9℃, calm, 15cm snow overnight, good visibility. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW10m/s, Kamui cape WSW11m/s, 1019hPa, 1.5m waves. 15cm snow overnight at 800m with slow snowdrift development.
The winter type weather pressure system has weakened and the seas and mountains are calm. Above 1000m there is a light W10m/s wind with occasional snow. Slow cornice and snow drift development continues and overall avalanche risk is low. Gates are not installed or open yet due to insufficient snow. Do not duck the ropes. Niseko Rules were created to stem the frequent accidents that were occurring in the area. The Rules foremost purpose is to balance the safety and freedoms of resort users, not for the ski resorts to avoid responsibilities. The sun will poke through a bit today and the groomers are very good. The snow is good.
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Individual ski area information for Friday 9th December 2022
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day at the time of writing.
Official snow depth numbers in brackets show the change since previous report.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 90cm (+5cm)
- Base: 65cm (+5cm)
Lifts:
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four) (8:30am-3:10pm)
- Ace Number 3 pair (8:40am-3:30pm)
Courses:
- Center Course
- Beginners access (part open)
- Kokutai
- Green (part open)
- Alpen (part open)
- Sennoki
- Family (skiable but not serviced by ski lift)
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 30cm
- Base: 30cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 110cm (+15cm)
- Base: 90cm (+15cm)
Lifts:
- Hanazono Number 1 (8:30am-3:00pm)
- Hanazono Number 2 quad (8:30am-3:00pm)
- Hanazono Number 3 quad (8:30am-3:00pm)
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola (8:30am-4:00pm)
Courses:
- Juicy Fruit
- Yotei Sunset
- Mango Salad
- Silver Dream
- Crystal Garden
- Stairway to Heaven
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 85cm (no change)
- Base: 65cm (+5cm)
Lifts:
- Annupuri Gondola (8:30am-3:15pm)
- Dream Number 1 quad (9:00am-4:30pm)
- Jumbo Number 1 quad (8:30am-4:00pm)
Courses:
- Utopia
- Shirakaba
- Paradise
- Family
- Junior
- Beginner course by the Dream lift
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 0cm
- Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 90cm (+15cm)
- Base: 80cm (+20cm)
Lifts:
- Village Express (8:30am-4:00pm)
- Community Chair (8:30am-4:00pm)
- Banzai Chair (8:30am-4:00pm)
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- Number 1 pair lift (8:30am-3:30pm)
- Number 2 pair lift (8:30am-3:30pm)
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Night skiing
Floodlit night skiing is planned from Saturday 17th December 2022 until Sunday 19th March 2023.
Niseko Now 2022-2023 season |
Data as of Friday 9th December 2022 Total snowfall at base so far 149cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 14 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (2nd December) November 2022 snowfall 17cm reported on 5 days December 2022 snowfall 132cm 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.