Niseko Now: Tuesday 3rd February 2026
- Feb 3
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 12cm
Snowfall at base this season 714cm
We have a mixed bunch of weather going on again this morning. The mix includes light snow in places, a bit of sunshine in others with a lot of cloud around the mountain (and varying visibility depending on where you are).
There's also more fresh snow for us to enjoy, and it doesn't feel windy but it does feel cold.
All sounds good. Well, apart from the visibility thing, perhaps.
Very sad to hear about the incident mentioned in the Avalanche Report below. There seem to have been few other similar incidents from other regions over the last week or so.
Take care out there.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base -8°C, 15cm snowfall, calm. Moiwa 800m -9.6°C, no data. Annupuri 1100m -11.5°C, W 3.7m/s. Village 1000m -10.3°C, WNW 3.0m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m -10.9°C, N 3.7m/s. Hanazono 800m -8.3°C, NNW 2.8m/s. Sea of Japan: Benkei Cape NW 9m/s, Kamui Cape WSW 11m/s, pressure 1017hPa, wave height 1.1m.
Isobars are wide; conditions at sea and on the mountain are calm. Winds peaked at 4 AM at Westerly 15m/s, then trended below 10m/s. Analysis of all data indicates the overall avalanche risk is low. Gates are expected to open from the morning; follow the ski patrol instructions. The development of wind slabs is weak, but in some areas, overnight snowfall has formed soft slabs. On open steep slopes above 1000m, such as the upper Higashi-one (East Ridge), Back Bowl, and the cornice faces of Osawa, avoid riding simultaneously and do not cut under cornices or over knolls, as it could trigger an avalanche. The snow is shallower than yesterday but has reset and is not bad. Watch out for out-of-control riding and collisions with trees. Be alert for sudden weather changes.
Yesterday afternoon, one person passed away on the Moiwa Mikaeri Ridge due to a medical emergency. Moiwa Patrol, police and fire department officers performed resuscitation measures at the scene, but they could not be recovered. We express our gratitude to those who assisted in the rescue, offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends, and pray for the soul of the deceased. I continue to write this report every day to prevent accidents, but at times, it feels hollow. Never treat an accident as someone else’s problem.
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 20cm
Base: 15cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 305cm (+8cm change since yesterday)
Base: 215cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
4 of 4 lifts
Gondola until 7:00pm
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Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 25cm
Base: 25cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 385cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 165cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
9 of 9 lifts
Ace Gondola, Ace Family quad, King Gondola and King Holiday pair until 7:00pm
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 286cm (+11cm change since yesterday)
Base: 195cm (+25cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
7 of 8 lifts (not Country Road)
Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair until 7:00pm
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 10cm
Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 285cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 200cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
6 of 6 lifts
Jumbo Number 1 quad until 7:30pm
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Planned lift operations:
3 of 3 lifts
Niseko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Tuesday 3rd February 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 714cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 61 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 45cm 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.