Niseko Now: Monday 23rd March 2026
- Mar 23
- 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.
It's a bit of a grey morning here and feeling rather mild.
Evening 'nighta' is now over for the season and we enter 'the last bit'.
A few lifts are now closed (Ace 3 and 4 at Hirafu and Morino chair at Village), but does not affect available terrain.
Can the two ski areas (that usually remain open until then) remain open until 6th May as planned? Well, Hirafu is still showing 350cm up top (though 90cm at base), so that is actually pretty impressive. Unless it warms up like crazy, I'd say probably yes. But we'll just have to wait and see and find out.
------------------------------------
Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: +1℃, frozen. Moiwa 800m: -0.6℃, SSE2.9m/s. Annupuri 1100m: -3.9℃, SW3.4m/s. Niseko Village 1000m: -2.6℃, SSW4.5m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -2.8℃, N1.0m/s. Hanazono 800: 0.1℃, NNE6.7m/s. Sea of Japan Benkei cape: South 4m/s, Kamui cape: SW16m/s, 1014hPa, wave height unknown.
The wind is strong at Kamui cape and around 1200m elevation. No snowfall has been observed. All gates are scheduled to open. Please follow the ski patrol’s instructions. The out of bounds areas are outside the ski resort boundaries. Beware of the following points: Stay away from the gully bottoms to prevent being caught in glide avalanches, do not stimulate the cornices, traversing under cornices could trigger an avalanche. Cracks are difficult to see from above, if you fall head first on a snowboard you may not be able to self rescue. Never go out of bounds alone. Carry a beacon (transceiver), you may be able to save somebody’s life. The creeks are starting to open and the meltwater is freezing cold. Carry a short rope in case of a fall. The mountain is transitioning to Spring, however it can return to Winter anytime. Have a great day.
------------------------------------
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: 287cm (-8cm change since yesterday)
Base: 170cm (-10cm change since yesterday)
Planned last day of the season:
Sunday 12th April
------------------
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: 350cm (-5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 90cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned last day of the season:
Wednesday 6th May
------------------
Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 253cm (-4cm change since yesterday)
Base: 144cm (-4cm change since yesterday)
Planned last day of the season:
Sunday 12th April
------------------
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 last day of the season:
Wednesday 6th May
------------------------------------
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 Monday 23rd 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.