Niseko Now: Monday 9th March 2026
- Mar 9
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 5cm
Snowfall at base this season 856cm
Good morning.
It is snowing this morning and it looks like we can expect 5-10cm of fresh snowy goodness out on the runs. Quite cold, limited visibility.
It almost feels like winter again. :)
Let's have more!
Thankfully all of the lifts are operating as normal this morning.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Mountain base: -5°C, light wind, 10cm new snow. Moiwa 800m: -7.5°C, E 0.7m/s, development of snowdrifts has ceased, 10cm new snow. Annupuri 1100m: -9.7°C, SW 1.2m/s. Niseko Village 1000m: -8.2°C, S 0.8m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -9.2°C, N 2.0m/s. Hanazono 800m: -6.5°C, N 2.1m/s. Sea of Japan Benkei Cape: NW 9m/s. Cape Kamui: WSW 7m/s, pressure 1018hPa, wave height unknown.
The pressure gradient is wide, the weather is calm both at sea and in the mountains and cold air is flowing in. Based on observations, data evaluation, and patrol reports, the general risk of avalanches outside the ski resort boundaries has decreased; however, the danger of full-depth (glide) avalanches remains high. Full-depth avalanches are triggered not only by the melting of thick snowdrifts deposited on the leeward side of ridges but also by contraction caused by the inflow of cold air. All peak gates will remain closed to prioritize out-of-bounds inspections. There are many types of avalanches. The wet surface avalanche that occurred on the 5th, the dry shallow surface avalanche expected today, full-depth glide avalanches, and glacier avalanches all differ in their formation, speed, and scale. When conditions align, avalanches occur, and if people are present, it becomes an accident.
Currently, the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) is researching avalanche trigger mechanisms using an approach different from the traditional “weak layer theory.” We respect the researchers who stay overnight in the mountains during blizzards to continue their experiments. This research has been ongoing for nearly ten years, and Niseko continues to cooperate with these efforts. We hope for research results that will contribute to accident prevention.
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 7cm
Base: 5cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 300cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 180cm (+3cm 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: 5cm
Base: 5cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 375cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 105cm (-5cm 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: 255cm (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: 5cm
Base: 5cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 330cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 150cm (+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 9th March 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 856cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 84 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 33cm reported on 7 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.