Niseko Now: Thursday 27th February 2025
- Feb 27, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 9, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 1cm
Snowfall at base this season 706cm
Posted on Thursday 27th February 2025 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
Good morning from Niseko.
This morning we have mostly cloudy skies with some snow falling - but some blue sky and the sun peeking through in places too.
Hirafu is reporting 10cm of fresh snowfall at base this morning which seems... interesting. Hey, perhaps it's right, which would be nice. However, the few cm that Hanazono and Annupuri are reporting is more in line with what I am seeing (my own observation is just over 1cm).
It has been windy and it still quite windy this morning, unfortunately. At the start of the day, the gondola and top lift at Annupuri are not opening as planned; others seem to be down to open as scheduled.
We can probably expect sunshine tomorrow along with rather mild (warm for us) conditions, into positive numbers. Thankfully, it should be cooling down again beyond that and into next week, when it is more likely to bring some fresh snow again.
Blimey, tomorrow is the last day of February.
Apology: I failed to update the Annupuri snowfall numbers in my report yesterday. (I'm not used to them being there, so just looked over them). That has been fixed this morning. Sorry!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base -6℃, 3cm snowfall, good visibility. Moiwa 800m: -8.2℃, NNW12.2m/s, corncies and snowdrifts developing. Mikaeri 750m: -7℃, WNW4.7m/s, light snowfall, wind drifts and ripples, good visibility. Annupuri 1100m: -10.7℃, WNW11.4m/s, 20m/s at 6am, cornices developments. Hirafu Hanazono: -10.3℃, NNE3.5m/s (N25m/s at midnight and gradually dropped down). Coastal data: Benkei cape NNW19m/s, Kamui cape W11m/s, 1015hPa, 1.8m waves.
Strong westerly winds persist above 750m and the cornices are growing. The snowfall might be small, but the wind drifts have mostly reset the tracks above 700m elevation. Windload slab in leeward slopes reached up to 100cm at 800m elevation. These fully wind-carried snow slabs looked like marble. They did largely fracture when impact-testing with the snowcat early morning, but are also consolidating as we speak. If the wind calms down, the windload slabs will stabilize, however the avalanche risk will remain high during the morning. In these conditions, avalanches can be triggered widely and instantly, whether a weak layer can be observed or not. It is highly recommended to be extra prudent today, and not carelessly drop into knolls and 35° slopes. Avalanche occur during and just after storms. Gates opening is not decided. Please respect the ski patrol’s decision. One track under the rope will induce others to follow and increase the chances of accidents. Avalanches are natural phenomena and are only an issue when a person is involved in it. Please respect the Niseko Rules.
The snow is a little dense and heavy but not bad at all. Have a nice day.
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Individual ski area information for Thursday 27th February 2025
The below snow depth and snowfall numbers are manually checked each morning from official sources.
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 1cm
Base: 2cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 305cm (-2cm change since yesterday)
Base: 235cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
The gondola is scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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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: 360cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 155cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Lifts:
The Ace Gondola, Ace Family quad, King Gondola and King Holiday pair lifts are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 240cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 200cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
The Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair lifts are scheduled to be open until 7:00pm
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 5cm
Base: 2cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 270cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 180cm (no change since yesterday)
Lifts:
The Jumbo Number 1 quad lift is scheduled to be open until 7:30pm
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Night skiing
Floodlit night skiing is planned daily until Wednesday 23rd March 2025
Niseko Now 2024-2025 season |
Data as of Thursday 27th February 2025 Total snowfall at base so far 706cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 79 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (6th February) November 2024 snowfall 38cm reported on 8 days December 2024 snowfall 311cm reported on 28 days January 2025 snowfall 161cm reported on 19 days February 2025 snowfall 196cm reported on 24 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.