Furano Now: Tuesday 6th May 2025
- May 6, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 10
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 513cm
Posted on Tuesday 6th May 2025 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here.
Today marks the last day of operations at the Furano Ski Resort. A good crowd showed up, with about 60 cars in the parking lot. Of course, that translates into exactly ZERO people in the lift line. I rode up the Ropeway with only 2 people at 9:30 AM, and down with 3 folks headed out to Asahidake for some more fun.
The official snow base dropped an amazing 25% from yesterday, from 20 cm down to 15 cm, so it’s clearly time to wrap it up.
In spring, I’m always struck by the thought that it’s the perfect time for someone to learn how to ski. The snow is forgiving, it’s much warmer, and no crowds at all. Keep that in mind for your friends who ask you to teach then to ski/snowboard. Spring is where it’s at!
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Season Wrap Up
And so concludes the 2024-25 ski season in Furano. It was long, it was pretty good, but it wasn’t glorious. Like my compadre in Niseko, I’m mostly about the Powder. Regular snow is nice and all, and I know we need it to build up the base etc., but mucho Powder is where it’s at for me. If it’s not the Ultimate, it’s certainly on the Path to Enlightenment, or the Meaning of Life. We all know the official answer is “42”, but if you stop to think about it, wouldn’t 42” of fresh Hokkaido powder be one of the best days of your life? Coincidence? Perhaps not. I’ve had those days, and they’re impossible to forget.
Our season total in Furano was just over 5 meters at the base, down about 40% from our average of 8 meters. The Law of Averages being what it is, that means next season should be better. But it wasn’t just the total, it was the manner of delivery. From Jan 1 onward, there were only TWO days that were at least 15 cm, and NONE at 20 cm or more. Sorry, that doesn’t do it for me. Downright depressing actually. Hakuba got slammed this year, which to me means, it’s our turn next year. Fortunately, as always, the normal skiing was great. Furano snow is super dry, and it stayed nice and cold this year, so conditions were excellent for those on a standard ski vacation.
This season, I noticed a clear uptick in the number of “serious” powder skiers coming from outside Japan. I think the combination of the weak yen and “the word” getting out there inspired many to take their Bucket List trip to Hokkaido. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn’t cooperate, but I talked with several visitors who were unfazed and considered this their “Recon” trip in preparation for coming back next year. Like surfing, it’s all about the Quest, and occasionally, everything lines up right. Hokkaido gets more than its fair share.
Have a good summer. Stay in shape. Keep dreaming. Above all, Think Snow.
Furano Now 2024-2025 season |
Data as of Tuesday 6th May 2025 Total snowfall at base 513cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 76 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (1st December) November 2024 snowfall 37cm reported on 6 days December 2024 snowfall 173cm reported on 21 days January 2025 snowfall 138cm reported on 19 days February 2025 snowfall 116cm reported on 18 days March 2025 snowfall 46cm reported on 11 days April 2025 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day May 2025 snowfall 0cm |
All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. 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.