Niseko Now: Saturday 25th February 2023
- Feb 25, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 8, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 14cm
Snowfall at base this season 943cm
Posted on Saturday 25th February 2023 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
So after that lovely sunshine yesterday morning, we are back to fresh snow this morning. Double hurray! Ski areas are reporting 10-15cm early morning and it is snowing now. As I write this at 8:20am, it's moderate snowfall at Hanazono and light snow at Niseko Village. We should be getting more during the day today and tomorrow too. Visibility is looking variable as well, depending on where you are around the mountain.
It seems like many regions of Japan are going to get sunny skies early in the coming week, and we are due for some of that too.
All ski areas opening as normal this morning.
I hope you have a good weekend.
Quick off topic note: some of you have sent in some 'end of season' thank you messages to SnowJapan. I thank you very much for those messages, it is always nice to hear from folks. But remember, I've got another 2+ months to go as I continue right on through until the last ski lift stops in early May. Hopefully lots of you will stick around until then!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -3C, 15cm new snow, light winds. Moiwa 800m: -6.8C, WNW2.2m/s, light wind, 20cm new snow. Annupuri 1100m: -9.5C, NNW3.5m/s, 20cm new snow. Mizuno no Sawa: -8.1C, NNE2.3m/s. Hirafu Hanazono: -8.8C, NNE5.6m/s, 25cm new snow. Hanazono#3: -8.9C, NNE3.6m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape N9m/s, Kamui Cape NNE6m/s, 1017hPa,1.4m waves.
From midnight to dawn snow clouds dropped 15-20 cm of snow on the coast side of the mountains due to the warmer sea temperatures in the Sea of Japan south of Rumoi and a cold airstream above 1000m mixing. Light winds caused only minor slabs development however snow is expected to continue intermittently today. From observation and data the general avalanche risk is low. All gates are expected to open. Please listen to the patrols advice and prepare before going out of bounds. Do not use poor visibility as an excuse to enter strictly off limits areas. Surveillance is being increased and if you are caught you will be banned from using the ski areas. Do not ride under the lift lines near the Moiwa Quad Lift station, it is prohibited by National Cableway Laws. The snow conditions are good, but visibility is poor. Beware falling into cracks. There is no safety in this sport. Always be vigilant. Accidents can be prevented by being careful. Don't stay in the bottom of gullies. Avalanche comes from above. Is the beacon on? Have a nice day.
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Ski area information for Saturday 25th February 2023
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day, weather permitting.
Official snow depth numbers in brackets show the change since previous report.
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: 400cm (+5cm since yesterday)
- Base: 170cm (-10cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Ace Family quad [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 2 quad (Center Four) [* open until for 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Ace Number 3 pair
- Ace Number 4 pair
- Hirafu Gondola
- Holiday Number 1 pair
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
- Swinging Monkey
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 10cm
- Base: 15cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 335cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 270cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 15cm
- Base: 15cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 270cm (+10cm since yesterday)
- Base: 200cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open until 7:30pm for night skiing]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 3 pair [* normally open on weekends and holidays]
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 245cm (no change since yesterday)
- Base: 225cm (+5cm since yesterday)
Lifts:
- Niseko Gondola
- Upper Village Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Banzai Chair [* open until 7:00pm for night skiing]
- Wonderland Chair
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Lifts:
- Number 1 pair lift
- Number 2 pair lift
- Quad lift
Niseko Now 2022-2023 season |
Data as of Saturday 25th February 2023 Total snowfall at base so far 943cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 82 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (27th & 28th January, 6th February) November 2022 snowfall 17cm reported on 5 days December 2022 snowfall 336cm reported on 27 days January 2023 snowfall 332cm reported on 27 days February 2023 snowfall 258cm reported on 23 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.