Niseko Now: Thursday 23rd April 2026
- Apr 23
- 3 min read
Updated: May 2
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 878cm
A cloudy sort of morning but with some rain expected soon but not long-lasting. Forecasts seem mixed, actually.
(Is that some kind of thin snow - or rain - I can see falling on an upper Hirafu webcam? Unconfirmed).
There is no news or announcements from ski areas to report as the season winds down. If planned closing dates are able to be reached, we have just under two weeks to go.
I must say, it seems impressive - and perhaps somewhat surprising - that the snow depth numbers for both Hirafu and Annupuri are still both over 2m. On this day last year, the official snow depth at Annupuri was actually lower than today (160cm).
If you remember, last year Hirafu closed at the end of March as they wanted to start working on their six-pack!
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Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 220cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 0cm
Lifts planned to operate (subject to weather):
Ace Gondola
King Number 3 six
King Number 4 single
* You need to get the Ace Gondola back down to base
Courses open (according to official website as of yesterday):
Beginners access
Shirakaba
Large
Rinkan
Jumbo
Dynamic
* Center course is closed until 24th April
Planned last day of the season:
Wednesday 6th May
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 220cm (-10 change since yesterday)
Base: 15cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts planned to operate (subject to weather):
Annupuri Gondola
Jumbo Number 1 quad
Jumbo Number 4 pair
Planned last day of the season:
Wednesday 6th May
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Asahigaoka ski area (near Kutchan Station) closed on 8th March.
Niseko Moiwa closed on 5th April.
Niseko Village and Niseko Hanazono closed on 12th April.
Niseko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Thursday 23rd April 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 878cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 92 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 April 2026 snowfall 5cm reported on 2 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.