Niseko Now: Tuesday 3rd March 2026
- Mar 3
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 824cm
Good morning from Niseko.
It is rather windy out there. On days like this, the Niseko Village webcam (showing the top of the gondola station) looks like it's enduring an ongoing strong earthquake. Scary to just watch those wobbly images! I have to post early today but as of 8am top lifts are confirmed as not opening on time. Pesky wind may well affect other lifts during the day.
There is a lot of cloud around but some blue sky in places, too, but the sun is struggling to break through. Actually, it's probably just chilling. But you perhaps know what I mean.
The below report mentioned poor visibility, but as of now visibility is fairly decent in lower areas anyway.
So, some fresh snow tomorrow and over the weekend? Forecasts tempt us with this good sounding prospect. I'll get appropriately excite when I see it!
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -3°C, no snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -6.2°C, NNE 6.8m/s, no snowfall. Annupuri 1100m: -8.4°C, NNE 8.4m/s (18m/s gusts at 2:00 AM). Niseko Village 1000m: -7.3°C, NNE 18.0m/s. Hirafu Hanazono: -7.9°C, N 14.0m/s. Hanazono 800m: -5.5°C, N 7.1m/s. Sea of Japan Benkei Cape ENE 10m/s. Kamui Cape ENE 3m/s, 1028hPa, wave height unknown,
Strong northerly winds from a continental high-pressure system are blowing above 1000m, along with dense fog and poor visibility. Most summit gates will be kept closed to prevent accidents for resort users. Follow the instructions of the ski patrol. Conditions out-of-bounds remain poor today until the snow softens. Groomed runs are firm this morning. Beware of out-of-control collisions and slip drops. The risk of full-depth avalanches is increasing as we approach Spring. Unlike surface avalanches, full-depth avalanches are said to be predictable by cracks, but they can also occur the moment a crack forms. The massive avalanches in Osawa and Backbowl, which have occurred three times in the last 50 years, took place during the freeze from night to dawn. These avalanches, originating from just below the ridgeline at 1100m, possess immense destructive power— taking down forests, scouring the terrain, and traveling long distances down to 500m elevation. We apologize for repeating this every time, but it is best not to ski in the gully bottoms. Avalanches are natural phenomena; no accidents can occur if nobody is in its path.
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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: 267cm (-3cm change since yesterday)
Base: 165cm (-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: 0cm
Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 345cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 90cm (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
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 245cm (-1cm change since yesterday)
Base: 150cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
8 of 8 lifts
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: 0cm
Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 270cm (-10cm change since yesterday)
Base: 150cm (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 March 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 824cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 78 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 1cm reported on 1 day |
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.