Niseko Now: Thursday 5th February 2026
- Feb 5
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 718cm
Good morning from Niseko.
There is no fresh snow to report and we have a bright and sunny kind of morning with some cloud.
Mt Yotei is looking fine over there to the east, with a kind of hazy/thin cloud kind of feel going on. I can't find the right words.
It has been calm this morning, but some stronger winds are expected later and also tomorrow... along with a drop in temps again and some fresh snow.
We should be having at least several days of that, hopefully without too much wind.
I should be back to posting at my normal time tomorrow.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base -6°C, no snowfall, calm, frozen surface. Moiwa 800m -7°C, no data, no snowfall, calm. Annupuri 1100m -9.4°C, WNW 5.1m/s. Village 1000m -7.7°C, NNW 4.3m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m -8.9°C, N 4.7m/s, no snowfall, calm. Hanazono 800m -6.2°C, NNW 2.3m/s. Sea of Japan Benkei Cape N 5m/s. Kamui Cape NNW 4m/s, 1017hPa, wave height 1.1m.
The pressure gradient is weak ahead of the low-pressure system; both the sea and the mountain weather is calm. No snowfall. Based on morning observations and data evaluation, the avalanche risk is low. Do not enter strictly prohibited areas such as Ambetsu, Haru-no-taki, and Yunosawa in search of snow. If you see someone doing so, please warn them of the risks they’re taking and explain the Niseko Rules. As the low-pressure system approaches, south winds will strengthen from the afternoon, turning into a westerly blizzard by midnight. Wind-carried snowdrift slabs will develop, and the avalanche risk will rise drastically. The predicted trigger layer is the low-pressure snowfall layer from Feb 3-4. The rapid development of wind-packed slabs causes fractures along lines of weakness within the snowpack due to their own increasing weight. Pay close attention to the snowfall transition. Do not over-rely on pit checks. Stay away from leeward gullies, as well as slopes of slabs of wind-affected snowdrifts for some time from tomorrow. The mountain is tracked out from yesterday, but the groomers are in excellent condition. Beware of out-of-control collisions. Do not duck the ropes. Is your beacon on?
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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: 280cm (-15cm change since yesterday)
Base: 198cm (-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: 350cm (-20cm change since yesterday)
Base: 140cm (-10cm 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: 265cm (-21cm change since yesterday)
Base: 190cm (no 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: 0cm
Base: 0cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 290cm (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 Thursday 5th February 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 718cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 62 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 49cm reported on 4 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.