Niseko Now: Saturday 21st March 2026
- Mar 21
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 5cm
Snowfall at base this season 873cm
Good morning from Niseko.
We have some more fresh snow, and it is quite cold.
After this overnight snow and some strong blowy winds, it's great to see a fresh layer out there with ski areas reporting up 10-15cm on the mountain. Sounds good, and it is certainly a very nice bonus for the weekend.
It felt really windy when I was outside a while ago, and the wind blowing the snow around means it's a bit hard to pin down a number this morning. I have 5cm at my trusted spot.
It's still windy but at least visibility is pretty good with some blue sky and sun.
At the start of the day, at least top lifts are on hold. The Hirafu gondolas and Hanazono gondola appears to be opening and operating at reduced speed. Village and Annupuri gondolas are on hold.
Take care out there.
(Even Niseko Village is reporting some fresh snow this morning, 4-5cm, taking their season total reported snowfall up to about 50cm or maybe 40cm!!! I wish I had kept a tally!)
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base 6am: -5℃, stormy, snowdrift development. Moiwa 800m: -7.2℃, NNW17.6m/s, major cornice and snowdrift development. Annupuri 1100m: -10.3℃, W9.6m/s. Village 1000m: -8.6℃, NNW8.7m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -9.8℃, N10.7m/s. Hanazono 800m: -6.4℃, NNE8.3m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape NNW15m/s, Kamui Cape NW13m/s, 1012hPa, wave n/a.
At around midnight the wind direction changed, with continuing heavy blizzard conditions above 800m. There is also significant ongoing cornice and snowdrift development. From observations and data, the avalanche risk today is VERY HIGH. All gates will be closed. Caution is also needed on all the surrounding mountains as well. Accidents tend to occur during bad weather. The risk will continue until the snowdrifts stabilize. It is best to avoid leeward valleys today, and wait until the wind drops to at least 10 m/s or less. Blizzards create heavy snow that is prone to avalanches. Are you familiar with weak line breaks? I strongly recommend carrying a beacon. It can give you the ability to save your teammates.
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 10cm
Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 295cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 185cm (+15cm 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: 10cm
Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 360cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 95cm (+5cm 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: 265cm (+4cm change since yesterday)
Base: 146cm (+5cm 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: 10cm
Base: 10cm
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 Saturday 21st March 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 873cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 90 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 50cm reported on 13 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.