Niseko Now: Wednesday 25th February 2026
- Feb 25
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 13
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 823cm
The snow yesterday didn't amount to much in terms of any new cm, though Hirafu is reporting 3cm.
It is a fine morning here with a fair amount of cloud around but blue sky and the sun shining through in places.
Fine weather is expected today and tomorrow. Fairly cold early on with temps venturing into low positive numbers during the day.
My friend has a Playstation 5 thingy and apparently is currently enjoying a game called Ghosts of Yotei. Yes, our beautiful Mt Yotei. I'm going round sometime soon to have a go. I'm going to get on a horse - which apparently is something that you can do in the game - and try and find my house. (Though it may not have been built in the Edo period. I'll check, anyway).
Just an observation, but early morning lines for the first lifts are noticeably smaller. Are we starting to see the thinning of the crowds now that we are reaching the end of February? I think we are.
All lifts are go!
Advance warning: late report tomorrow.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -6°C, no snowfall, frozen. Moiwa 800m: -6.9°C, NNW 1.9m/s, calm, no snowfall. Annupuri 1100m: -8.8°C, WNW 4.1m/s. Niseko Village 1000m: -7.7°C, WNW 1.6m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -8.8°C, N 1.5m/s. Hanazono 800m: -6.7°C, NNW 0.5m/s. Sea of Japan Benkei Cape E 3m/s. Kamui Cape WSW 4m/s, 1029hPa, 0.8m waves.
The pressure gradient is flat; both sea and mountain are calm with no snowfall. All summit gates will open. Follow the instructions of the ski patrol. Do not duck the ropes. Do not ski in strictly prohibited areas. In the south-facing prohibited zones, large-scale avalanches from deep layers or the ground surface will become increasingly likely. Gate 11 at Mizuno-no-sawa is closed due to a large-scale rockfall-induced avalanche from the right bank sidewall, which has heightened the overall avalanche risk in the valley. This year has seen significant temperature fluctuations, and the freezing of layers due to cold air inflow is more prominent than usual. If rapid melting occurs with future temperature rises, the possibility of a large-scale avalanche will increase sharply. From March 10th onward, do not ski in valleys that serve as avalanche paths, such as Kozan-no-sawa, Annupuri Osawa, and Mikaeri-no-sawa. These avalanches occur suddenly and can sweep the entire valley floor. Due to the heavy snowfall in Niseko, multiple full-depth glide avalanches with crowns exceeding 6m have occurred in the past, scouring the terrain and damaging the forest. The mountain is heavily tracked out. Beware of falls, tree collisions, and bone fractures. Watch out for cracks; they are often invisible from above. Is your beacon on? If you have one, it can save your companions’ lives. While not mandatory, carrying one is highly recommended. Have a great day.
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 2cm
Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 290cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 180cm (-5cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
4 of 4 lifts
Gondola until 7:00pm
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Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 3cm
Base: 3cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 370cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 100cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
9 of 9 lifts
Ace Gondola, Ace Family quad, King Gondola and King Holiday pair until 7:00pm
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 274cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 166cm (+1cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
8 of 8 lifts
Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair until 7:00pm
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 0cm
Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 280cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 160cm (-10cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
6 of 6 lifts
Jumbo Number 1 quad until 7:30pm
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Planned lift operations:
3 of 3 lifts
Niseko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Wednesday 25th February 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 823cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 77 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 |
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.