Niseko Now: Wednesday 31st December 2025
- Dec 31, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 13
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 6cm
Snowfall at base this season 218cm
Hello to you all on this New Year's Eve morning.
I have 6cm of snowfall to report since yesterday. Welcome, of course, though not as much as we would have liked. That brings the total snowfall for my December reports up to 189cm. Today I'm going to put together my monthly recap and I will post that tomorrow morning.
Night skiing at Annupuri is planned until 11:00pm tonight. (Now that is proper 'night skiing'!). I can't find any info regarding any other possible night skiing extensions at the other ski areas. Floodlit skiing aside, there will surely be lots of New Year Eve events going on tonight, no doubt including fireworks.
It's fun to see the Country Road Chair at Niseko Village moving. It's a bit of a lazy one, that lift!
Anyway, that's it from me for this year.
Have a safe NYE and see you in 2026!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base -7℃, light wind, slight snowfall and good visibility. Moiwa 800: -11.6℃, WNW6.4m/s, snowdrift developments with light snowfall. Mikaeri 800m: -10℃, WNW4.1m/s, slight snowfall, good visibility. Annupuri 1100m: -14.3℃, WNW5.7m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -13.6℃, ESE2.3m/s, good vis, light snowfall. Hanazono 800m: -8.9℃, NE2.0m/s. Sea of Japan Benkei cape NW14m/s, Kamui cape WNW10m/s, 1012hPa, 2.4m waves.
We are currently under a winter pressure pattern. Sea swells are around 3m, and westerly winds are blowing at approximately 10m/s above 1000m elevation. While the snow clouds are thin and snowfall is light, wind slabs are slowly developing and consolidating. Cornices can fracture instantly, but based on our observations and data evaluation, the overall avalanche risk remains low. The groomed runs are in fair condition, but the snow cover is thin. Please watch out for bumps and uneven terrain. The resort is crowded, be careful to remain under control. Do not duck the ropes for the small amount of fresh snow at the side of the course; you may get stuck in the brush and be unable to return. While we aimed to open out-of-bounds skiing by the end of the year, current conditions make this difficult. The lack of snow makes rescue operations extremely difficult. We ask for your understanding and cooperation with the Niseko Rules.
This information is issued to prevent accidents for all resort users. Niseko respects the freedom of out-of-bounds skiing and manages the Niseko Rules accordingly. Please understand and respect these rules. The snow will come eventually. Have a Happy New Year.
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 10cm
Base: 12cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 142cm (+12cm change since yesterday)
Base: 70cm (+10cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
4 of 4 lifts
Gondola until 7:00pm
Planned open courses:
All main runs
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Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 5cm
Base: 5cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 205cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 35cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
7 of 9 lifts
Ace Gondola (until 7:00pm)
Ace Family quad (until 7:00pm)
Ace Number 3 pair
King Gondola (until 7:00pm)
King Holiday pair (until 7:00pm)
King Number 3 six
Swinging Monkey
Planned open courses:
Most runs apart from the top are now open
Courses yet to open are Furiko, Large, Konayuki, Miharashi and Dynamic
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 120cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 45cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
7 of 8 lifts
Niseko Gondola
Upper Village Gondola (until 7:00pm)
Village Express (until 7:00pm)
Community Chair
Banzai Chair (until 7:00pm)
Morino Chair
Country Road Chair
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 0cm (sometimes they don't seem to update this)
Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 120cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 60cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
5 of 6 lifts
Annupuri gondola
Dream Number 1 quad
Jumbo Number 1 quad (until 7:30pm; 11pm tonight only)
Jumbo Number 2 pair
Jumbo Number 3 pair
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Planned lift operations:
3 of 3 lifts
Niseko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Wednesday 31st December 2025 Total snowfall at base so far 218cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 30 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (on 12th December) November 2025 snowfall 29cm reported on 7 days December 2025 snowfall 189cm 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.