Niseko Now: Friday 20th March 2026
- Mar 20
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 2cm
Snowfall at base this season 868cm
Good morning from Niseko.
Bonus!
We have had a bonus delivery of fresh snow, yey!
I notice the Avalanche Report mentioning about 10cm at 700m. Not as much as that down lower, but at least I can add a bit to my report this morning. It is a very good morning to investigate, and investigate I will.
The sun is out and it has been quite chilly this morning. It's looking kind of hazy over towards the lovely Mt Yotei (for now, at least).
I wonder if we might get some more snow by tomorrow... exciting. :)
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base 6am: -3℃, 5cm new snow, calm. Moiwa 800m: -5.6℃, WNW5.0m/s, cornice development. Annupuri 1100m: -8.3℃, WNW3.9m/s, cornice and snowdrift development. Village 1000m: -6.9℃, NNW2.0m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -7.9℃, N4.1m/s. Hanazono 800m: -4.7℃, NNE2.4m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape NNW8m/s, Kamui Cape WNW4m/s, 1013hPa, wave n/a.
Yesterday afternoon’s snowfall was moderately heavy, about 10cm at 700m. Then strong winds overnight then developed shallow drifts. Since it’s fresh snow, all gates are expected to open. However, the weather will rapidly deteriorate in the afternoon and the gates will close early to prevent accidents. Please follow patrol instructions. The risk of full-depth avalanches remains high. Do not stop in the valley bottom. I recently received a doctoral thesis focusing on the Niseko Rules. The paper mainly compares Europe and Japan, and is based on interviews with stakeholders as well as surveys of users. However, I am concerned that in many respects the background behind how these rules were created has been misunderstood, and above all, oversimplified. Once something is written, it can take on a life of its own. The opinions of researchers—and their influence—are significant, especially when amplified by the media. This thesis seems to lack an understanding that the Niseko Rules were born out of necessity, and that they were designed to balance two opposing goals: respecting freedom on the slopes while also preventing accidents. I believe it is important to approach an understanding of people from a broader perspective.
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 2cm
Base: 1cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 290cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 170cm (+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: 0cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 0cm (no change since yesterday)
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 355cm
Base: 90cm
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: 261cm (+6cm change since yesterday)
Base: 141cm (-4cm 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 Friday 20th March 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 868cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 89 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 45cm reported on 12 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.