Niseko Now: Monday 5th January 2026
- Jan 5
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 13cm
Snowfall at base this season 290cm
Good morning from Niseko.
A mix of cloud and some blue sky early this cold morning. In placed the sun is shining through.
Oh yes, and some fresh snow too. Another 13cm is my measurement, bringing the total for January up to 72cm already.
For the record, Hanazono is showing an impressive 30cm of snowfall at base and 23cm up top. I don't know if those numbers are perhaps mixed up, as there's usually more lower down than higher up and 30cm seems a lot. But that's what they have published anyway. The Avalanche Report reports 20cm from Moiwa base and up to 40cm in some places. Nice.
So numbers wise it is a rather mixed bag, but at least they are all in double digits!
It is not snowing now, but more is due consistently over coming days. Sounds good to me.
Anyway, all scheduled lifts are opening as planned early on and it should be a good morning.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base: -10℃, light wind, 20cm snowfall, good visibility. Moiwa 800m: -13.1℃, NW10.7m/s, snowdrifts development. Annupuri 1100m: -15.9℃, WNW12.8m/s, snowdrifts developments. Village 1000m: -14.5℃, WNW5.8m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -15.2℃, N6.1m/s, light snowfall. Hanazono 800m: -11.1℃, NNW5.7m/s. Sea of Japan Benkei cape: NNw16m/s, Kamui cape: W12m/s, 1008hPa, 2.2m.
Snowfall amounts vary by location, but up to 40cm of new snow has fallen on the western areas above 800m. Snowdrift slabs have reached 150cm on leeward knolls, and stability tests show they fracture easily. Based on data evaluation, the avalanche risk is HIGH in the following areas: Kozan-no-sawa, Osawa cornice face, Higashi-one (East Ridge), Yunosawa, the Haru-no-taki strictly prohibited area, and Mizuno-no-sawa. In these areas, there is a danger of medium-sized soft-slab surface avalanches (up to 50cm thick). These slides can exceed speeds of 80km/h, making escape nearly impossible. Do not stimulate knolls or the upper sections of cornice slopes around the 1000m elevation.
Avalanches are often triggered by careless actions, such as traversing steep slopes. There are people in the valleys below; ski and ride with extreme caution. The opening of each gate is yet to be determined—follow the judgment of the ski patrol. This is a ski resort, and all users are obligated to follow its regulations.
Annupuri Gate 7 (Ee-sawa) will open today. Do not duck the ropes to enter the gully mid-way down. If one person ducks a rope, many others follow, significantly increasing the risk of an accident. You must only exit to the backcountry through the designated gates.
The snow in the trees is excellent. Watch out for tree wells and collisions. It’s a good day out there. Is your beacon turned on?
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 23cm
Base: 30cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 183cm (+8cm change since yesterday)
Base: 120cm (+15cm 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: 15cm
Base: 15cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 235cm (-5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 80cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
8 of 9 lifts (not Ace 4)
Ace Gondola, Ace Family quad, King Gondola and King Holiday pair until 7:00pm
Planned open courses:
Courses not open are Large, Konayuki and Miharashi
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 160cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 80cm (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: 10cm
Base: 10cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 160cm (+10cm change since yesterday)
Base: 130cm (+10cm 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 Monday 5th January 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 290cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 35 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (on 12th December and 2nd January) November 2025 snowfall 29cm reported on 7 days December 2025 snowfall 189cm reported on 23 days January 2026 snowfall 72cm reported on 5 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.