Niseko Now: Tuesday 18th February 2025
- Feb 18, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 9, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 12cm
Snowfall at base this season 661cm
Posted on Tuesday 18th February 2025 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko.
I have 12cm of snowfall to report this morning and as I write this it is coming down very nicely. The snow is set to continue for a few days and continuous resets sound good. Let's hope we get lots!
It feels quite cold outside too and wind does not seem to be affecting lifts as they are all opening as scheduled at the start of the day.
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It's time to recap a few things. The below is not copy/paste (I wrote it yesterday), but regular readers will have heard it all before --- so you can skip it without missing anything!
However, with new people always finding these reports, asking various questions or sometimes clearly misunderstanding what this report/site is all about, it seems timely to point out some important things again.
These reports are 100% independent.
They are not sponsored.
There is zero advertising.
They are free to use. (You have probably noticed that one).
They are here to provide an ongoing daily commentary of the season. As observed by me.
Any opinions in these reports are entirely my own. You may disagree with some things I say and perhaps even my observed snowfall data. (We may both be 'correct').
Over (many) years, I have gained SnowJapan's trust and have free reign to report how I see fit.
I get excited when conditions justify it; less so when they don't.
I avoid the overuse of superlatives, and I absolutely avoid marketing-like phrases and throwaway one-liners.
I am not here to try to convince you to come to Niseko or to sell you a holiday (or, indeed, anything else).
I am also not here to be your concierge or cheerleader for your holiday. By that, I mean I am not here to tell you what you might want to hear, say things are better than they are, or say things to make you feel good.
I am here to tell you (*the reader) how things are (*in my eyes), even if it might not always be as gnarly as you would like.
I never look at (and so am not influenced by) any other 'snow reports' that might exist, whether in Japanese or English. The only information I refer to daily is various weather forecasts (local, national, international), the Avalanche Report and the official websites of the ski areas.
But I am always entirely honest and take that - and the general responsibility of publishing these reports - very seriously.
That aligns with the general core concept of SnowJapan.com and what it stands for.
Of course, being human, mistakes can be made, but I'm always happy to admit to any and try to fix any I am aware of.
Reports like this will never be 'perfect', but... gambarimasu!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa Mountain base -3℃, 15cm new snow, strong wind and snow at midnight, snowdrift development, good visibility. Moiwa 800m: -8.5℃, NNW1.6m/s, Strong N wind and snow at midnight, cornice and snowdrift development, 15cm new snow. Mikaeri 750m: -8℃, NNW2.2m/s, snow depth increasing, good visibility. Annupuri 1100m: -11.0℃, NNW4.4m/s,midnight to 4am N winds>20m/s, cornice and snowdrift development. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -9.9℃, N5.9m/s, N30m/s at 1am. Coastal data: Benkei Cape N14m/s, Kamui Cape E3m/s, 1005hPa, wave 1.6m.
A northerly wind and snow strengthened at midnight, bringing rapid hard and heavy cornice and snowdrift development from crushed crystals in areas across the mountain. The wind weakened after 4am and 15cm of crystalline snowfall fell to dawn. From dawn tests wind-driven slabs will stabilize over time. Expect slabs above 1000m break due to rider stimulation. Similarly, a collapsing cornice may trigger an avalanche. Even if the gates open, keep out of the bottom of the valleys in Kozan-no-sawa(backbowl) and Osawa. Avalanches are natural phenomena, if no one is in its path, no accident will occur. In Niseko, a heavy snow area, cracks start to appear at this time of year in various areas around the mountain. The cracks are difficult to see from above. Be careful not to fall in one. Do not blindly cross cornice slopes in Osawa or Kozan-no-sawa. Traversing can trigger an avalanche. Do not forget there will likely be people below in the valley. Gate opening yet to be decided. Please follow the patrol's decisions. More people mean more accidents. It tests your wisdom to prevent accidents. Overconfidence causes accidents. The snow is not bad. Be prepared before going out of bounds. Be careful of a sudden change in weather. Never enter strictly off limits areas Haru no Taki or Yu no Sawa. Have a nice day.
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Individual ski area information for Tuesday 18th February 2025
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 20cm
Base: 16cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 312cm (+12cm change since yesterday)
Base: 245cm (+10cm change since yesterday)
Lifts:
The gondola is scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 5cm (seems odd)
Base: 5cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 360cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 160cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Lifts:
The Ace Gondola, Ace Family quad, King Gondola and King Holiday pair lifts are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 240cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 190cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair lifts are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 250cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 170cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
The Jumbo Number 1 quad lift is scheduled to be open until 7:30pm
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Night skiing
Floodlit night skiing is planned daily until Wednesday 23rd March 2025
Niseko Now 2024-2025 season |
Data as of Tuesday 18th February 2025 Total snowfall at base so far 661cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 72 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (6th February) November 2024 snowfall 38cm reported on 8 days December 2024 snowfall 311cm reported on 28 days January 2025 snowfall 161cm reported on 19 days February 2025 snowfall 151cm reported on 17 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.