Niseko Now: Tuesday 9th December 2025
- Dec 9, 2025
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 13cm
Snowfall at base this season 85cm
Good morning to you all from Niseko.
There was a powerful earthquake late last night off the eastern coast of Aomori. A reminder that these things happen without warning and are very scary. Thoughts with everyone coping with that situation this morning.
OK, on to our situation here in Niseko.
I am happy to report over 10cm of fresh snow on the ground this morning and 20cm or so being reported by ski areas from higher elevations. It is definitely colder as well.
It was actually snowing lightly when I started putting this report together, but all of a sudden much of the cloud has cleared and we have quite a lot of blue sky and sunshine now. Lovely.
Hopefully with more snow due over the coming days ski areas will be able to expand operations further. They are, I'm sure, eager to do so. (As are we all!)
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -1℃, WSW2m/s, 10cm snowfall in the last 12hrs, 20cm in 24hrs. Moiwa Mikaeri 800m: -7℃, WNW3.8m/s, bad visibility. Hanazono 800m: -6.2℃, NNW6.3m/s. Coastal weather: Benkei cape NW16m/s, Kamui cape W12m/s, 1018hPa, 2.1m waves.
Earthquake in Tohoku area at midnight: Intensity 7, Tsunami Peak 40cm. Winter-type pressure pattern.
Snowstorms with winds below 20m/s over 800m elevation. Though snowfall amounts are low, snowdrifts have developed on the leeward side of ridgelines. Snow has formed a slab layer with yesterday’s 20cm of low-pressure snowfall, making shallow surface avalanches likely on open steep slopes.
Ski slopes are covered with a thin layer of fresh snow, but skiing is unsuitable except on lower courses. Getting injured now could ruin your entire season. Monitor weather changes and beware of frostbite. Have a good day.
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 15cm
Base: 15cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 100cm (+15cm change since yesterday)
Base: 35cm (+10cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
All four lifts
Planned open courses:
Mango Salad
Silver Dream
Juicy Fruit
Parallel
Yotei Sunset
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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: 120cm (+15cm since yesterday)
Base: 40cm (+15cm since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
Ace Gondola
Ace Number 3 pair
King Gondola
King Number 3 six
Swinging Monkey
Planned open courses:
Center
Jumbo
Beginners access
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Planned lift operations:
Upper Village Gondola
Village Express
Community Chair
Banzai Chair
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 50cm (+30cm change since yesterday)
Base: 30cm (+10cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
Dream Number 1 quad
Jumbo Number 1 quad
Planned open courses:
Paradise
Junior
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Planned lift operations:
Number 1 pair
Number 2 pair
Niseko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Tuesday 9th December 2025 Total snowfall at base so far 85cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 13 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 21cm (4th December) November 2025 snowfall 29cm reported on 7 days December 2025 snowfall 56cm reported on 6 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.