Niseko Now: Thursday 12th February 2026
- Feb 12
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 6cm
Snowfall at base this season 768cm
It was snowing earlier on this morning. Then we had a few patches of clearer skies. And it's back snowing again now. Let's changeable conditions.
Summit lifts are on hold.
You may know about a ski area called Nakayamatoge. It is only a small place, on the Nakayama Pass between Sapporo and Niseko. Quite a while back it used to be open throughout the winter, but at some point started only being open in the very early season and the spring season. And since the 2023-2024 season it has only opened for the spring season. The early season thing seemed to be getting... difficult (in terms of snow).
Anyway, operation info for this season has been released - or at least noticed by me - and they plan to open from 1st April, hoping to continue until 10th May. I haven't been there for a while, but I hear it has (at least traditionally) been popular for the park.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa Base -6°C, 5cm snowfall, calm. Moiwa 800m -9.9°C, NW 9.6m/s, gusts of 22m/s at 2:00 AM. Annupuri 1100m -12.2°C, WNW 7.1m/s. Niseko Village 1000m -10.8°C, NNW 4.9m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m -11.7°C, N 2.3m/s. Hanazono 800m -4.3°C, NNW 5.0m/s. Sea of Japan Benkei Cape NNW 13m/s, 16m/s at 2:00 am. Kamui Cape NW 11m/s, 1010hPa, 2.0m waves.
Isobars are slightly narrow with light snow and winds of 10-12 m/s over the mountains and the sea. Winds decreased after reaching 22 m/s at 2:00 AM. Cornice and snowdrift development on the west side of the mountains at 800 m elevation, forming wind-packed snow slabs up to 100 cm thick on the leeward side. Observations indicate the snowpack is consolidated and stable, but be careful on cornice slopes around 1100 m and on steep, open slopes. There is a possibility of 50cm surface avalanches with skiing stimulation. All gates are expected to be open. Please follow the patrol’s instructions. There is no safety in the mountains. Safety is everyone’s responsibility. Your cooperation is important. Do not traverse under cornices, ride the fall line as much as possible, and avoid skiing simultaneously. Do not duck ropes. The snow is not bad. Is your beacon switched on? Have a good day. Tomorrow’s information will be suspended.
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 10cm
Base: 15cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 300cm (+9cm change since yesterday)
Base: 215cm (+9cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
4 of 4 lifts
Gondola until 7:00pm
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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: 380cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 160cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
9 of 9 lifts
Ace Gondola, Ace Family quad, King Gondola and King Holiday pair until 7:00pm
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 285cm (+15cm change since yesterday)
Base: 180cm (+15cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
8 of 8 lifts
Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair until 7:00pm
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 0cm
Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 280cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 200cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
6 of 6 lifts
Jumbo Number 1 quad until 7:30pm
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Planned lift operations:
3 of 3 lifts
Niseko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Thursday 12th February 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 768cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 69 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (on 12th January) November 2025 snowfall 29cm reported on 7 days December 2025 snowfall 189cm reported on 23 days January 2026 snowfall 451cm reported on 28 days February 2026 snowfall 99cm reported on 11 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.