Niseko Now: Wednesday 9th February 2022
- Feb 9, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 7, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 16cm
Snowfall at base this season 867cm
Posted on Wednesday 9th February 2022 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here
I know you come to these reports wanting to hear about fresh snow (and toast, of course), and this morning I have 16cm of it to report to you. I was out for a few hours yesterday afternoon when some very big flakes were falling from the skies. Very nice.
There is even now some very (very) light snow falling in places, but it's a mostly a clearer kind of morning with blue skies among the remaining clouds. It's nice and sunny looking over towards Mt Yotei too. It should be another very good morning, and if the forecasts are correct we should be enjoying a fair bit of sunshine over the next couple of days. Yey.
All lifts should be opening as planned this morning.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base: -7℃, light wind, 30cm snowfall in 24h, 5cm in 12h. Moiwa800m: -8℃, W10m/s, 15cm snowfall, snowdrift development. Annupuri1150m: -8℃, W10m/s, 15cm snowfall, snowdrift development 60cm. Hirafu1250m: -14℃, NW10-15m/s, 10cm snowfall, snowdrift development with wind blown snow. Benkei cape: NNW12m/s, Kamui cape: WNW9m/s, 1021hPa, 0.9m waves.
Strong wind is blowing at times as we are on the edge of a high pressure system, snowdrifts are slowly developing above 800m elevation. The overall avalanche risk is low based on the observation and weather data. All gates will open. Please follow the ski patrol’s instructions and be prepared when you go out of bounds. Wearing a helmet and a beacon is not mandatory but we strongly advise you to do so. The cracks near gate 6 in Moiwa are developing. Be careful as it is not visible from above. A patrol had a scary moment while working yesterday. These cracks are formed as the snowpack is releasing its own tension. It does not mean it will immediately cause large-scale glide avalanches but this year may be different. It’s better to stay away from them. Do not enter strictly off limits areas such as Haru no Taki. The slabs in those south-facing slopes develop due to solar radiation, not due to the wind. The avalanche accident in 1998 occurred under similar circumstances. This information is issued for the people using chairlifts to ski the out of bounds areas. Beware of cracks and hidden tree-bombs and other obstacles. Have a nice day.
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Planned ski area operations: Wednesday 9th February 2022
The below snow depth and snowfall data is manually checked each morning from official sources.
Lift information is the planned operations for the day (nature might intervene).
Niseko Grand Hirafu
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 410cm (no change)
- Base: 245cm (+15cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 25cm
- Base: 25cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Ace Family quad
- Ace Number 2 Center Four quad [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Hirafu Gondola
- King Number 3 quad
- King Number 4
- Swinging Monkey
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 360cm (-5cm)
- Base: 290cm (+7cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 25cm
- Base: 30cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Hanazono Number 1
- Hanazono Number 2 quad
- Hanazono Number 3 quad
- Hanazono Symphony Gondola [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
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Niseko Annupuri
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 290cm (no change)
- Base: 220cm (+10cm)
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 15cm
- Base: 15cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Annupuri Gondola
- Dream Number 1 quad
- Jumbo Number 1 quad [* open for night skiing until 7:30pm]
- Jumbo Number 2 pair
- Jumbo Number 4 pair
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Niseko Village
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
- Peak: 290cm
- Base: 230cm
Planned lift operations (subject to weather conditions):
- Niseko Gondola
- Village Express
- Community Chair [* open for night skiing until 7:00pm]
- Banzai Chair
- Wonderland Chair
Niseko Now 2021-2022 season |
Data as of Wednesday 9th February 2022 Total snowfall at base so far 867cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 68 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (23rd December) November 2021 snowfall 85cm reported on 6 days December 2021 snowfall 307cm reported on 23 days January 2022 snowfall 325cm reported on 30 days February 2022 snowfall 150cm reported on 9 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.