Niseko Now: Friday 9th February 2018
- Feb 9, 2018
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 11cm
Snowfall at base this season 934cm
Posted on Friday 9th February 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
This morning I have measured 11cm of fresh snowfall to report to you, and some delicious looking flakes of snow are falling outside of my window as I type this out. With 20cm being reported higher up, it should be a decent refresh out there this morning.
It's not going to be as cold today and warmer still tomorrow when temperatures during the day are likely to warm up into positive number territory. Hopefully come Sunday we'll be back into minus numbers and we'll be getting back into quality dry snowfall.
Sunday 11th February is 'National Foundation Day' in Japan. Apparently...
'National Foundation Day (建国記念の日 Kenkoku Kinen no Hi) is celebrated annually on February 11, celebrating the foundation of Japan and the accession of its first emperor, Emperor Jimmu on 11 February 660 BC'
So now you know. Due to it being on a Sunday, Monday is a national holiday in Japan meaning that many workers have a long weekend to look forward to.
And of course, the Chinese New Year is also very nearly with us and so there will be many visitors coming to celebrate their holidays in Niseko. As you do.
So it is going to be a very busy few weeks.
Thankfully, the forecast is currently showing regular snowfall well into next week. (A dry patch would... not be good). Keep it coming!
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Niseko Avalanche Report:
Niseko base 6am: -8℃, 5cm snowfall and snowdrifts development. Moiwa800m: -9℃, NW8.5m/s, large development of cornices and snowdrifts. Annupuri1150m: -14℃, strong NW wind, developing cornices and snowdrifts. 330cm snowpack at 1000m. Hirafu 1250m: -11℃, light wind at night, 20cm snowfall. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW13m/s, Kamui cape WSW12m/s, 1018hPa, 1.9m waves.
50cm cornice development in the past 12hours has been observed around 800m. The wind has been blowing around 12m/s (with gusts), the snowdrifts under 1000m elevation is stabilizing. The leeward slopes above 1000m, such as Backbowl’s western slopes, are still unstable; 50cm thick (Feb 8th snowdrifts) and/or 80cm thick (Feb 5th low pressure snowfall) are to be expected. Beware.
All gates are expected to open. Do not unnecessarily stimulate cornices and knolls. Be conscious of glide avalanches from opening cracks.
The treeruns has a good amount of wind-affected dense snow and is great for riding. Always use gates to go out of bounds. There is always a certain amount of risk in the winter mountains. Always be prudent. Beware of sudden weather change.
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Friday 9th February 2018
Resort specific information (operations subject to change):
Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts (apart from King Number 2) should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 430cm
- Base: 210cm
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 360cm
- Base: 230cm
Niseko Village
Lifts scheduled to be operating:
- All lifts (apart from the Country Road Chair lift) should be operating
Official snow depth:
- Top: 360cm
- Base: 230cm
Niseko Now 2017-2018 season |
Data as of Friday 9th February 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 934cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 69 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 35cm 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.