Niseko Now: Friday 14th January 2022
- Jan 14, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 7, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 22cm
Snowfall at base this season 580cm
Posted on Friday 14th January 2022 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko.
And this morning I have just measured a new 22cm of snowfall. As I look out visibility seems fairly decent but higher up it's still going to be limited.
It's still snowing and it's still windy and unfortunately those top lifts are still resting. The Gondolas at Village and Annupuri also at a standstill, but other lifts appear to be open as planned for now.
By tomorrow things should have calmed down considerably and that is going to be fun!
If you are here, do take care out there.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base: -5℃, 25cm snowfall, snowdrift development, blizzard conditions. Moiwa 800m: -6℃, NW18m/s, 30cm snowfall, cornice and snowdrift development, poor visibility. Annupuri 1150m: -7℃, W20m/s, 30cm snowfall, cornice and snowdrift development, poor visibility. Hirafu Ridgeline: -7℃, SW20m/s, snowdrift development, blizzard conditions, poor visibility. Coastal data Benkei cape: NNW16m/s, Kamui cape: NNW12m/s, 996hPa, 3.7m waves. Check https://note.com/niseko_nadare/for mountain data.
Major snowdrift development at all elevations. During and just after blizzards is prime time for bad accidents. Be careful of avalanches on steep slopes and cliffs even if you are on the course. Best not to go out of bounds today. Gate opening yet to be decided. Ski resort decisions are based on user safety. Please respect and follow Niseko Rules. All surrounding mountains are in the same condition with high avalanche danger. Always be cautious.
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Planned ski area operations: Friday 14th January 2022
The below snow depth and snowfall data is manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day (nature might intervene).
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 345cm (+15cm)
- Base: 165cm (+15cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 25cm
- Base: 25cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Ace Family quad
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Hirafu Gondola
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
- Swinging Monkey
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 260cm (-)
- Base: 200cm (+5cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 12cm
- Base: 15cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 250cm (no change)
- Base: 165cm (no change)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 0cm
- Base: 0cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- All lifts operating
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open for night skiing until 7:30pm]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 260cm no change
- Base: 160cm no change
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 10cm
- Observation: This data does not appear to be updated every day
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Niseko Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Banzai Chair
- Wonderland Chair
Niseko Now 2021-2022 season |
Data as of Friday 14th January 2022 Total snowfall at base so far 580cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 43 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (23rd December) November 2021 snowfall 85cm reported on 6 days December 2021 snowfall 307cm reported on 23 days January 2022 snowfall 188cm reported on 14 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.