Niseko Now: Saturday 28th March 2026
- Mar 28
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 873cm
It's a cloudy morning and looks like there's some very limited visibility on mountain early on. It actually looks like it might be snowing on one of the webcams.
I am too early to have an opening time status update on lifts this morning, but it did feel a bit windy when I was out a bit earlier.
I have touched on this before. In some ways, I am currently feeling a bit like how I felt when covid-19 was looming over the late part of the 2019-2020 season (re: heavy world events that affect us all). Being light-hearted and genki is very much how I like to be, but I am admittedly finding that to be a challenge at this moment. So, again, my apologies - I share these thoughts as I see this daily commentary as more than just me telling you about snow and sun. I'll try not to mention this again.
I do plan to continue posting my reports as usual right through until the end of the season when the lifts close.
Actually, it's a bit wild to think that there's still over a month left.
I hope you have a good weekend and do stuff you enjoy.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa Base: +2°C, no new snow. Moiwa 800m: -0.8°C, SSE0.7m/s, no snowfall. Annupuri 1100m: -2.3°C, SW1.1m/s, no snowfall, light fog. Niseko Village 1000m: -1.6°C, SW1.5m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -1.7°C,N2.3m/s. Hanazono 800m:+1.1°C, NNE6.4m/s. Coastal Data. Benkei Cape: S9m/s. Kamui Cape: ENE3m/s, 1015hPa, wave n/a.
The isobars are wide, and the sea and mountains are calm. Light rain above 700m and snowmelt will continue after 10am. Cracks are getting bigger on the Kozan no Sawa creek sidewall around 1000m and Moiwa Mikaeri at 750m. Be careful of full-depth avalanches; you won’t get caught if you stay out of the valley. In April, the risk of full-depth avalanches increases in the Kozan no Sawa and Annupuri Osawa around 1100m. Be careful. Also expect full-depth avalanches in the restricted areas of Harunotaki, Yunosawa, Anbetsu Valley and the closed Mizunosawa until the snow is gone. Never enter, in particular, do not use Yunosawa as a route back to the mountain base. If you are caught in one of these avalanches, its a death sentence. This information is issued to prevent accidents outside of the ski resort in Niseko. Even if the cause of an accident is known afterward, it is meaningless. The dead cannot be brought back. Just like fires, prevention is the best approach. I don’t like saying this everyday, but nature is a harsh mistress. Gate opening is undecided due to poor visibility at the peak. Please follow the patrols instructions. Have a good day.
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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: 275cm (-5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 160cm (-5cm change since yesterday)
Planned last day of the season:
Sunday 12th April
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Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 0cm
Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 340cm (-5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 80cm (-5cm change since yesterday)
Planned last day of the season:
Wednesday 6th May
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 240cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 133cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned last day of the season:
Sunday 12th April
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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: 270cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 100cm (-20 change since yesterday)
Planned last day of the season:
Wednesday 6th May
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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 Saturday 28th 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.