Niseko Now: Thursday 5th March 2026
- Mar 5
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 14
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 12cm
Snowfall at base this season 839cm
Good news again, with another layer of fresh snow.
It might not be prime mid-winter fluffy light snow, but it's definitely snow and most welcome.
Hanazono is reporting 25cm of fresh snowfall at base, which seems... a lot. I can't help but think the person in charge there was perhaps getting a bit overly excited, especially when they also posted less snow up top. Hirafu is going with 20cm and Annupuri reports 7cm. The Avalanche Report tells us 15cm. My own measurement is 12cm.
I think it's say to say that we can probably expect up to around 20cm by the side of the groomers.
Overall, nice.
Also, with snowfall on the forecasts across the coming week, my positive feeling levels are having a bit of a 'level up'. Yey.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -1°C, 15cm wet snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -2.0°C, NNW 3.0m/s. Mikaeri 800m: -4°C NNW 0.6m/s, good visibility. Annupuri 1100m: -3.9°C, NNW 1.2m/s. Annupuri 1150m: -5°C, NNW 0.6m/s, good visibility. Niseko Village 1000m: -3.1°C, ENE 0.4m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: NNE 5.1m/s, good visibility. Hanazono 800m: -1.6°C, light wind, good visibility, 15cm snowfall. Sea of Japan Benkei Cape light wind. Kamui Cape light wind, 1018hPa, wave height unknown.
The atmospheric pressure gradient is widespread, with calm conditions over both the sea and the mountains. 15cm of wet snow fell till the morning, with continued warm air influx. Avalanches up to 30cm are possible on 40-degree slopes. Though slow-moving, danger exists if buried in valley bottoms; be cautious. Similarly, be alert for wet snow avalanches on-course side-banks of connecting routes and under lift lines. Recent warm air influx has softened snow even below 1000m elevation, increasing the risk of full-depth avalanches. Avoid staying in gully bottoms to prevent accidents. Gates 2, 3, and 5 will be open. Other gates are undecided; follow the patrol’s instructions. Hirafu continues ongoing training, including CPR, in collaboration with the local Sanroku fire department. If out-of-bounds skiing, not approved by the Forestry Agency, is permitted, enhancing patrol resources is essential. The Niseko Rules are implemented out of necessity to prevent accidents, learned from past high accident rates, and were not created for tourism promotion. Do not intentionally cut ropes or nets. Respect the Niseko Rules. The snowy forest is looking quite beautiful.
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 22cm
Base: 25cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 272cm (+2cm change since yesterday)
Base: 188cm (+18cm 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: 20cm
Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 360cm (+10cm change since yesterday)
Base: 105cm (+15cm 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 (no 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: 7cm
Base: 7cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 270cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 140cm (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 March 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 839cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 80 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 16cm 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.