Niseko Now: Thursday 19th March 2026
- Mar 19
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 866cm
Greetings from Niseko.
As I looked around during my early morning walk earlier on, it felt quite windy and everywhere was looking silvery-grey, kind of hazy.
Conditions are... well, they're not brilliant of course, but I think we're (or should I say, I'm) at the stage in the season where it's more comfortable accepting that. Any fresh snow is a bonus now and if some forecasts are to be believe we still might actually get some before Saturday. And then early next week. Interesting.
Tomorrow is Vernal Equinox Day and a national holiday in Japan. Yey!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -1°C, frozen. Moiwa 800m: -1.9°C, ESE 2.6m/s. Annupuri 1100m: -4.3°C, SE 1.7m/s. Niseko Village 1000m: -2.9°C, SSW 3.6m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -3.5°C, N 10.9m/s. Hanazono 800m: -0.5°C, NNE 9.3m/s. Sea of Japan Benkei Cape: S 9m/s. Kamui Cape: ENE 3m/s, 1008hPa, wave height unknown.
A low-pressure system is moving north along the Pacific side, making the atmosphere unstable. Cold air continues to flow in above 700m, but winds remain light except at the Hirafu summit. The mountain is frozen down to the base. Gate openings are TBD depending on lift operations; please respect the judgment of the ski patrol. In the heavy-snow region of Niseko, springtime brings a high risk of large-scale full-depth avalanches sliding off the ground in areas like Kozan-no-sawa (Backbowl), Annupuri Osawa, Moiwa Bowl, and Mikaeri Bowl. Slides on the West Ridge sometimes reach the prefectural road. While we allow out-of-bounds skiing under the Niseko Rules, we close the gates on days deemed too dangerous. This decision is not arbitrary; it is based on a comprehensive assessment at 5:00 AM using field observations, site-specific data, and the professional judgment of the ski patrol. We are often asked what we would do if an accident occurred while the gates were open; in that case, we can only offer our sincerest apologies. While there may be better methods, Niseko has successfully prevented winter accidents using this approach. We have heard that Mr. Matsumoto of the Hokkaido Police, who has long been dedicated to search and rescue in the Furano mountains, is transferring to Mori Town in southern Hokkaido. We wish to express our deep respect and gratitude for his many years of hard work.
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 0cm
Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 285cm (-5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 167cm (-3cm change since yesterday)
Planned night lift operations:
Gondola until 7:00pm
Planned last day of the season:
Sunday 12th April
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Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 5cm
Base: 5cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 355cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 90cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned night lift operations:
Ace Gondola, Ace Family quad, King Gondola and King Holiday pair until 7:00pm
Planned last day of the season:
Wednesday 6th May
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 255cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 145cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned night lift operations:
Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair until 7:00pm
Planned last day of the season:
Sunday 12th April
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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: 270cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 130cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned night lift operations:
Jumbo Number 1 quad until 7:30pm
Planned last day of the season:
Wednesday 6th May
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Niseko Moiwa has a planned closing date of Sunday 5th April.
Asahigaoka ski area (near Kutchan Station) closed on 8th March.
Niseko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Thursday 19th March 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 866cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 88 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 154cm reported on 19 days March 2026 snowfall 43cm 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.