Niseko Now: Thursday 3rd February 2022
- Feb 3, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 7, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 22cm
Snowfall at base this season 767cm
Posted on Thursday 3rd February 2022 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
It's snowing very nicely this morning and has been coming down at quite the rate. I was just outside and measured 22cm, but as you can see, both Hirafu and Hanazono are reporting up to 35cm. Nice. Visibility at the start of the day is pretty limited at Hirafu, better over at Hanazono. And to top all that off, consistent snowfall is still forecast through into next week.
If you want clear blue skies, Niseko is not your place right now!
Should be good out there, but for those of you lucky enough to be here and enjoy it, do take special care.
Not exactly sure why but at the start of the day the Niseko Gondola (at Niseko Village) and their top lift are not moving. Other top lifts seem to be opening as planned.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base: -7℃, 20cm snowfall with wind. Moiwa 800m: -9℃, W10m/s, 30cm snowfall with moderate snowdrift development. Annupuri 1150m: -12℃, W15m/s, 30cm snowfall, snowdrift and cornice development. Hirafu 1250m: -13℃, 30cm snowfall, snowdrift development. Coastal data: NWW14m/s, Kamui cape: W9m/s, 1011hPa, 1.1m waves.
Snowfall picked up around 5am and dumped 10cm in an hour. Wind is blowing pretty strong up high, making cornices and snowdrifts develop. There is no drastic development of slabs, however the snowdrifts above 1000m are unstable as they grow and the avalanche risk will remain high throughout the day. The recent snowfall resembles the rain in the tropical monsoon. Gates opening is yet to be determined. Follow the patrol’s instructions. This information is issued for accidents prevention in the resort's out of bounds area, and is not intended for winter mountaineering. There is no information, or even rules in true wild mountains. In Niseko, where unspecified large numbers of experienced and inexperienced visitors come, there is a need for some information and some kind of rules in order to minimize accidents. Please respect the Niseko Rules if you’re using the chairlifts to ski out of bounds. The snow is good but visibility is bad, Beware of cracks and maybe a good idea to bring a spare set of goggles.
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Planned ski area operations: Thursday 3rd February 2022
The below snow depth and snowfall data is manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day (nature might intervene).
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 390cm (+5cm)
- Base: 220cm (+5cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 35cm
- Base: 35cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Ace Family quad
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Hirafu Gondola
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
- Swinging Monkey
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 340cm (+28cm since Tuesday)
- Base: 260cm (+23cm since Tuesday)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 35cm
- Base: 32cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 260cm (no change)
- Base: 195cm (+5cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 20cm
- Base: 20cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open for night skiing until 7:30pm]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 290cm
- Base: 200cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Niseko Gondola
- Community Chair [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Banzai Chair
- Wonderland Chair
Niseko Now 2021-2022 season |
Data as of Thursday 3rd February 2022 Total snowfall at base so far 767cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 62 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (23rd December) November 2021 snowfall 85cm reported on 6 days December 2021 snowfall 307cm reported on 23 days January 2022 snowfall 325cm reported on 30 days February 2022 snowfall 50cm reported on 3 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.