Niseko Now: Saturday 31st January 2026
- Jan 31
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 669cm
Good morning from Niseko.
Another bright morning here with quite a lot of cloud, with blue sky and some sunshine.
I am not able to report any cm of fresh snow this morning. Snow is, however, on forecasts across the coming several days.
I'm going to have some more toast and then sit down and put some thoughts together for a monthly recap. I'm looking forward to seeing how the numbers stack up. All being well, I'll post that in the report tomorrow.
------------------------------------
Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base 6am: -5℃, light wind, trace new snow. Moiwa 800m: -9.7℃, trace new snow, good visibility. Annupuri 1100m: -11.2℃, WNW4.8m/s. Village 1000m: -9.9℃, NNW3.5m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -10.5℃, WNW7.2m/s(20m/s @ 2am), trace new snow. Coastal data: Benkei Cape NW12m/s, Kamui CapeWSW10m/s, 1013hPa, wave 2.5m.
The isobars are wide, a high pressure to the west and low to the east, ocean wave heights are slightly high and light northerly winds on the mountain are bringing a little snow. Destruction tests indicate that slabs are consolidated and stable, and the overall avalanche risk is low. Peak gates are expected to be open. Please listen to patrol and prepare before going out of bounds. Do not duck ropes in search of fresh snow and never enter the strictly off limits areas Haru no Taki, Yunosawa or Anbetsu Valley. One set of tracks will lead others to follow and an accident will occur. Niseko is not indifferent to accidents off the trails. In the event of an accident, we will work with the police and fire department to carry out swift rescue operations. However, everyone needs to be aware that accidents can be fatal and the most important thing is to avoid them in the first place. Always be vigilant. Even so, there are many accidents. Once again, be aware and understand Niseko Rules. Off piste is rough. Be careful of losing control and hitting a tree. Be careful of falling into creeks. The water is cold and trees always win. Is your beacon on? Have a nice day. The snow will fall soon.
------------------------------------
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 2cm
Base: 2cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 264cm (-16cm change since yesterday)
Base: 182cm (-8cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
4 of 4 lifts
Gondola until 7:00pm
------------------
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: 345cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 135cm (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
------------------
Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 272cm (-12cm change since yesterday)
Base: 170cm (-5cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
7 of 8 lifts (not Country Road)
Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair until 7:00pm
------------------
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 5cm
Base: 5cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 275cm (+15cm change since yesterday)
Base: 210cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
6 of 6 lifts
Jumbo Number 1 quad until 7:30pm
------------------
Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Planned lift operations:
3 of 3 lifts
Niseko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Saturday 31st January 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 669cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 58 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 |
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.