Niseko Now: Sunday 22nd March 2026
- Mar 22
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 873cm
Good morning from Niseko.
Lots of cloud around this morning with some limited blue sky.
Not as windy this morning, thankfully, and lifts should be opening as planned this morning.
Today is the last night of evening skiing.
(See what I did there?).
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base 6am: -1℃, no new snow. Moiwa 800m: -2.8℃, WNW2.4m/s. Annupuri 1100m: -4.5℃, WSW5.2m/s. Village 1000m: -3.6℃, SW3.0m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -4.1℃, N4.2m/s. Hanazono 800m: –1.0℃, NNE2.8m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape WNW9m/s, Kamui Cape SW13m/s, 1020hPa, wave n/a.
All peak gates are expected to be open. The snow accumulation from the blizzard two days ago has consolidated and stabilized over time, reducing the risk of surface avalanches. However, cracks are present in some areas. Avoid being in the bottom of gullies and valleys to decrease the risk of getting caught in a full-depth avalanche. The BCA beacon checker at the gates only responds to beacons. Smartphones, lift tickets, credit cards, and Recco cannot be used. Cracks are hidden by fresh snow and are often not visible from above. Falling into one headfirst is dangerous. Never ski in the restricted areas designated by Niseko Rules: Harunotaki, Yunosawa and Anbetsu Valley, or the closed area Mizunosawa. In Yunosawa, a Russian boy was caught in an avalanche from the side wall at this time of year. He was not found until June. Carrying an avalanche beacon is strongly recommended in Niseko. It can save the lives of your companions. Respect the rules.
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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: 295cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 180cm (-5cm 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: 355cm (-5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 90cm (-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: 257cm (-8cm change since yesterday)
Base: 148cm (+2cm 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 Sunday 22nd 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.