Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 989cm Posted on Wednesday 4th May 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko. We weren't expecting particularly nice weather today and that's what we have got at the start of the day. It's cloudy, foggy up high and wet. As I write this, it looks like Grand Hirafu is not opening up at all (yet) and the top lift at Annupuri is not operating either... due to strong winds. Rain looks like it might continue at least on and off today and perhaps into tomorrow. Let's hope it will clear up for tomorrow which is of course the last day of the season for the ski lifts. Tomorrow will be my last daily weather report of the season along with a bit of a season review. --- Resort specific lift opening news at time of posting: Niseko Grand Hirafu Unfortunately, all 3 lifts on hold at the start of the day. Niseko Annupuri The top Jumbo 4 lift is on hold at the start of the day due to strong winds. --- Official resort snow depths as of Tuesday 3rd May 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu Top - 220cm Base - 0cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 200cm Base - 10cm --- Resort operations - subject to change due to snow and weather conditions Niseko Grand Hirafu resort area lift operations: Ace Number 2 Center Four Quad (* this lift now used to get to and from the open courses - you can no longer ride back to base) Ace Number 3 Pair Ace Number 4 Pair The resort is 'upgrading' the King Number 3 triple lift in time for next season. As part of that work the Hirafu Gondola, King Number 3 and 4 lifts have all now closed for this season. Niseko Grand Hirafu plans to remain open until Thursday 5th May. Courses open - Large, Center, Shirakaba (Spring Park) Niseko Annupuri plans to be open until Thursday 5th May with the Gondola, Jumbo 1 and Jumbo 4 lifts operating. Niseko Village plans to be open for Golden Week until Thursday 5th May. The Gondola can be used as a way of getting to Niseko Grand Hirafu and for sightseeing. None of the courses at Niseko Village are open. Niseko Hanazono has now closed for the season. Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Wednesday 4th May 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 989cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 86 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 109cm reported on 14 days April 2016 snowfall 6cm reported on 3 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 989cm Posted on Thursday 5th May 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Today is the last day of the official ski and snowboard season here in Niseko, and the day starts off cloudy and quite windy up top once again with the chance of a few spots of rain at times this morning. There will be some people hiking up beyond today to access the remaining snow – as of today, Niseko Grand Hirafu is still officially reporting of over 2m of snow on the upper areas of the resort – but after today the ski resorts will be officially closed for the season. It was an interesting and rather unusual winter season in Japan. As you may well know if you read the other daily reports here on SnowJapan (highly recommended), it was generally a very mild winter. Lots of regions that usually get dumped on with ridiculous amounts of snow were at times looking to the skies and struggling for regular fresh snow. Very odd for sure, and the season definitely was not the norm. Many older locals have been heard saying they had never experienced a season with so little snow. Hopefully 2015-2016 will turn out to be a ‘one-off’ in that respect and next season things will be more like normal everywhere in Japan. I think it’s important to be aware that this last season should not just be taken on face value... there’s much more going on behind the headlines. Happily for us in Hokkaido and here in Niseko, aside from the long time that it seemed to take for the season to get going properly at the start of the season, we enjoyed mostly consistent snowfall and very decent amounts of it as well. And while we didn’t get quite as much snowfall as we have had in the previous seasons in total, I still observed just under 10m of snowfall here in at the base Hirafu village area. So not bad at all, and certainly not when you see how other regions of Japan fared... Let’s take a look back at the Niseko season and the numbers. As always, a bit of a ‘disclaimer’. My observed snowfall numbers are observed by myself each morning – and from the same open spot here fairly close to Hirafu base. As you would expect, there’ll often be more snow on the upper areas of the mountain – and people generally say that there’ll be around 50% more. The quoted Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) numbers are the official numbers that they record from Kutchan town at a point a bit lower down than here in Hirafu. All of the archived Niseko Now daily reports are always available to read on SnowJapan, so if you want to get a complete detailed picture of the season - and indeed previous seasons - then please do go back and have a good read! You can find all of the archives at the bottom of this page. Note that in the first few days of each month I have taken a quick look back at the numbers from month that had just finished. The first day of the season – and by that I mean when the first ski lift started moving here in Niseko - was Tuesday 1st December 2015. The numbers in brackets below are the accumulative numbers over the season. November My observed numbers: November 2015: 61cm (plus 3cm in October 2015) November 2014: 30cm November 2013: 123cm JMA Kutchan numbers: November 2015: 35cm November 2014: 41cm November 2013: 99cm December My observed numbers: December 2015: 244cm (308cm) December 2014: 519cm (549cm) December 2013: 275m (398cm) JMA Kutchan numbers: December 2015: 195cm (230cm) December 2014: 387cm (428cm) December 2013: 258cm (357cm) January My observed numbers: January 2016: 303cm (611cm) January 2015: 257cm (806cm) January 2014: 461cm (859cm) JMA numbers: January 2016: 258cm (488cm) January 2015: 230cm (658cm) January 2014: 317cm (674cm) February My observed numbers: February 2016: 266cm (877cm) February 2015: 196cm (1002cm) February 2014: 178cm (1037cm) JMA Kutchan numbers: February 2016: 210cm (698cm) February 2015: 167cm (825cm) February 2014: 130cm (804cm) March My observed numbers: March 2016: 109cm (986cm) March 2015: 139cm (1141cm) March 2014: 113cm (1150cm) JMA Kutchan numbers: March 2016: 125cm (823cm) March 2015: 141cm (966cm) March 2014: 118cm (922cm) April My observed numbers: April 2016: 6cm (992cm) April 2015: 3cm (1144cm) April 2014: 13cm (1163cm) JMA Kutchan numbers: April 2016: 18cm (841cm) April 2015: 3cm (969cm) April 2014: 24m (946cm) So, in the end I observed 992cm of snowfall here in Hirafu village over the whole season. That compares with about 11.5m at the same point over the previous two seasons but the shortfall is mostly explained by - and blamed on - the month of December 2015. Here’s to a much quicker start and snowier December 2016. >>> Once again we have had a very busy season here in Niseko. I even heard a bit of Japanese being spoken on some days! I’m just joshing! ...but yes, Niseko has a very international feel about it indeed. Some people really love that about the place - some people less so. Take your pick! With more people turning up to Niseko each year and it continuing to become ever more well known, the slopes can get very crowded at peak times. The rush to the powder on a fresh powder morning is something to behold... have a lie-in on some days and you’ll be out of luck. As I commented in some of my reports, sometimes people are waiting for lifts to start moving more than 30 minutes before they actually open. You’d be hard pushed to find that happening in (m)any other Japanese ski resorts! But that’s what happens when a place becomes extremely popular. And of course there are many reasons why Niseko is so popular. Marketing can only go so far and there’s got to be something of substance behind it all – and when it’s on full power, the snow conditions in Niseko can be truly incredible. Oh yes! Those of you who follow my reports will know how strong winds annoy me and again this season there have been too many days when top lifts have been stopped due to windy conditions. Can’t we do something about that please!? I do feel for people who visit and find lifts not moving for multiple days. >>> So there you have it. That was the 2015-2016 season. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope that if you managed to visit, you did too. Thank you very much for reading my Niseko Now reports here on SnowJapan. I hope that you enjoyed following them and found them to be useful and interesting. It’s clear that there are a lot of people reading the reports from all around the world every day. The numbers of page views every day are quite shocking… in a good way! But I try not to think about any of that when I’m writing the reports. I just want to give everyone a totally honest and clear account of the Niseko season – from the first day until the last day - and I hope I succeed in doing that. I will of course be back here once again next season doing just that. I also want to take this opportunity to say that I really do appreciate all of the comments and suggestions that people send in about the reports and the site in general, as do the guys running the site. If you want to get in touch and/or just want to send in some comments, please use the Contact form on SnowJapan. If it's Niseko Now related, it'll get to me! (But please note that it's not a form to ask us specific questions regarding trips to Niseko). Anyway it is now time for me to enjoy a bit of a rest and do some re-charging after a long winter. If you are planning on visiting the area during the ‘green season’, please note that the weather forecasts on the resort pages of SnowJapan are updated throughout the year. Here is the page for Niseko Grand Hirafu, check the 'Weather Info' tab at the top: Niseko Grand Hirafu resort info >>> I will be back posting new Niseko Now reports here on SnowJapan in the autumn when the 2016-2017 season is fast approaching. The ski resorts will once again be aiming to open in the later part of November 2016. Until then, thank you very much and goodbye. Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Thursday 5th May 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 989cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 86 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 109cm reported on 14 days April 2016 snowfall 6cm reported on 3 days May 2016 snowfall 0cm Previous report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 31cm Snowfall at base this season 532cm Posted on Sunday 17th January 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here I'm sitting here writing this with a big grin on my face. After some heavy snowfall through the day yesterday, how does 31cm of snow since my last report sound? As you can see the Avalanche Report bringing in numbers of 40cm and above. That's what we have got as it just keeps on piling up. I expect conditions will be... rather good this morning. Perhaps less snow today and tomorrow (though it has started off snowing at the moment), and maybe we will get a bit of that sun we were promised (actually the sun does seem to be peaking through clouds in some places)... and then back to heavier snow and stormy conditions Tuesday and Wednesday. It is looking likely that lots of Japan will be getting snow and stormy conditions around then so I hope my friends down there get large amounts as well. With the snow we have been getting the last few weeks, it's hard to imagine that lots of ski resorts to the south of us are still struggling with snow. I don't actually know what else to say this morning! I hope you can get out to enjoy it. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -8℃, 40cm of crystal snowfall, calm. Moiwa 800m: -11℃, mild wind, 40cm of fresh and no snowdrift development. Mikaeri 740m: -10.8℃, SW0.9m/s. Annupuri 1150m: -12℃, N5m/s, 45cm snowfall. Hirafu 1000m: -13℃, 40cm new snow, no snowdrift development. Benkei cape: N5m/s, Kamui cape: WNW6m/s, 1019hPa, 1.4m waves. Niseko area is under a high-pressure area and the isobars are spaced out. Good amount of crystal snowflakes have dumped under the calm weather condition. The overall avalanche hazard level is low, peak gates will open from the morning. Please follow the patrol’s instructions and step out from the gates. The snow is deep, beware of falling upside-down and being suffocated. Never step in Haru No Taki strictly off-limits areas. Today’s new snowpack may form a large connected slab under the sun and risks of surface slab avalanche of 60cm thickness, triggered by ski stimulation would raise after 9am. A fatal accident occurred in Haru No Taki area under a similar condition in 1998. The Niseko Rules exist for the sole purpose of protecting people’s freedom and safety of riding. We strongly hope that everyone acknowledge the significance of those Rules. Have a nice day. --- Official resort snow depths as of Sunday 17th January 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 340cm Base - 165cm Niseko Village Top - 250cm Base - 150cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 230cm Base - 160cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Sunday 17th January 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 532cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 37 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 31cm (17th January) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 227cm reported on 16 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 305cm Posted on Thursday 31st December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Yesterday was as fine as I thought it would be. I think the people who were here experiencing it will have been satisfied. Beautiful conditions both in terms of weather and snow, with hardly any wind around either. Very nice. It's a different start to the day this morning. Though it was clearer when I first got up, it's a much cloudier and overcast feel right now with light snow on and off expected this morning. Oh yes, did I mention the 5cm or so that we have got overnight? Only 5cm! We want 20cm each day, where do I complain! Still, it's a quality 5cm and there is more on the way - the forecast for the next week is still looking good for regular snowfall topups and continued cold conditions. The wind might even behave. So it should be a good week. Top Ace 4 at Hirafu is open this morning and as you can see in the Avalanche Report below some gates too. I think that from tomorrow I'll be able to start the new year not listing up the lifts that are moving, as we are pretty much there now. New Years Eve already. I hope that you have fun tonight - remember to take care (see yesterdays report). And I'll see you in the New Year. Forgive me if my report is slightly later than usual tomorrow morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -6℃, 5cm of crystal snow in 12 hours, calm. Moiwa 800m: light breeze, -10℃, 10cm snowfall without snowdrift development. Annupuri 1000m: -10℃, calm. 1150m: W15m/s, moderate wind with snowdrift and light sprinkles. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW12m/s, Kamui cape WSW13m/s, 1012hPa, 1.0m waves. Gates 4 (Fujiwara), 5 (Hanazono), 6 (Moiwa) and 10 (Ambetsu) are scheduled to open today. The lower sections are still bushy, better not venture too far. Follow the ski patrol’s instructions. There’s been tracks in yet to be open Annupuri Osawa area yesterday. Violators will be refused to further use ski resort facilities. The Niseko Rules has been established in order to prevent accidents in the out of bounds area, however has also largely contributed in the Niseko snow-tourism’s promotion. We strongly demand all accommodations, guides and all snow related business in Niseko to acknowledge the Niseko Rules properly. The overall avalanche risk is relatively low today except in south-facing steep slopes, however strictly off-limits areas are closed at anytime, don’t duck ropes. --- Planned resort operations (subject to change due to weather conditions during the day) Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts planned to be running: - All lifts except Ace Number 4 and King Number 2 - Night lifts: Ace Family Pair, Ace Number 2 Quad, Hirafu Gondola, Holiday Number 1 Courses planned to be open: - All open apart from Onsenzawa Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts planned to be running: - All lifts - No night skiing in the Hanazono area Courses planned to be open: - All courses Niseko Village Lifts planned to be operating: - All lifts planned to be operating (apart from Country Road Chair) - Night lifts: Community Chair, Banzai Chair Courses planned to be open: - All courses Niseko Annupuri Lifts planned to be operating: - All lifts planned to be operating - Night lift: Jumbo Number 1 quad Courses planned to be open: - 11 out of the 13 courses are now open - Champion - Utopia - Shirakaba - Paradise - Junior - Family - Dynamic - Silver - Merchen - S-Ji - Challenge --- Official resort snow depths as of Thursday 31st December 2015: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 260cm Base - 115cm Niseko Village: Top - 185cm Base - 100cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 120cm Base - 100cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Thursday 31st December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 305cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 21 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (26th and 28th December) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 10cm Snowfall at base this season 180cm Posted on Saturday 19th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Another 10cm of fresh snow to report this morning which is good - conditions are certainly improving and we'd like to see more! Something else this morning. Yes, just when we were hoping that more terrain might be able to open for the weekend, strong winds on the mountain are affecting operations early on. As far as I can tell here's what is being affected at the time of writing: Niseko Grand Hirafu: Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four, Ace Number 3 pair, King Number 3 triple, Swinging Monkey lifts on hold at time of writing due to strong winds Niseko Hanazono: Number 3 lift on hold at time of writing due to strong winds Niseko Village: Gondola on hold at time of writing due to strong winds Niseko Annupuri: All lifts on hold at time of writing due to strong winds So it's all a bit limited at the moment this morning I'm afraid. Never mind, the bigger picture is positive with the fresh snowfall and it's good and cold. Hopefully we might get a bit more today though I wouldn't expect too much - the forecast is for clearing conditions later on, but there's even hints of blue sky and sun in places now so perhaps the clearing is starting already. Fingers crossed that the wind will calm down too. Then we are likely due some sunshine tomorrow and back to the fresh snowfall around Monday. Looking ahead to Christmas it would seem there's snow on the way around that period too. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -5℃, 15cm of new snow in 12hours with moderate development of snowdrifts. 600m elevation: W15m/s, 15cm of new snow with notable development of snowdrifts. 1000m elevation: NW15m/s. Coastal data: Benkei cape NNW19m/s, Kamui cape NW11m/s, 1021hPa, 3.4m waves. Cornices and snowdrifts are slowly developing under the winter weather pattern and are forming soft slabs of unstable snow in cliffs and steep slopes, likely to slide from Dec 18th layer. 50cm surface slab avalanches are likely to occur in 800m upper SE aspects and knolls. Better stay away from those aspects until the wind calms down and the snowpack stabilize. Avalanche accidents are most likely to occur in developing sniwdrifts. Out of bounds areas are still closed due to lack of snow. Please remain patient and respect the Niseko Rules. This information is released for the safety of all resort users. The snow is good but visibility gets bad sometimes. --- Planned resort operations (subject to change due to weather conditions during the day) The lifts market with an asterix (*) below are planned to be open for night skiing Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts planned to be running: - Ace Family pair* - Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four (for transport) - Ace Number 3 pair - Hirafu Gondola (for transport) - King Number 3 triple - Holiday Number 1 pair - Swinging Monkey Courses planned to be open: - Family - Beginners access - Center - Shirakaba - Green - Kokutai (upper part) - Alpen - Sennoki - Kogen - Boyo - Holiday - Rinkan (part) - Jumbo Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts planned to be running: - Hanazono Number 1 quad - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Courses planned to be open: - Connecting - Parallel - Silver Dream - Stairway to Heaven - Setsuzoku course - Crystal Garden - Yotei Sunset (ungroomed) Niseko Village Lifts planned to be operating: - Niseko Gondola - Community Chair* - Banzai Chair* Niseko Annupuri Lifts planned to be operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 quad* - Jumbo Number 2 pair - Jumbo Number 3 pair Courses planned to be open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Paradise - Junior - Family - Dynamic - Silver --- Official resort snow depths as of 19th December 2015: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 175cm Base - 60cm Niseko Village: Top - 80cm Base - 50cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 70cm Base - 60cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Saturday 19th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 180cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 13 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (30th November) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 119cm reported on 9 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 18cm Snowfall at base this season 152cm Posted on Thursday 17th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Now this is much better! This morning I have a nice 18cm of fresh snowfall to report from here around my base in Hirafu and no doubt there will be more of it up there on them there mountains. My friend up there just gave me a call and put it at 25+cm. Snow is forecast for the day today, but what's this... sun?! Yes, there's a fair bit of blue sky to be seen and the sun shining down on us as I write this report. Hmmm. Hopefully it's a break in the snow clouds rather than a clearing up situation. I believe the forecast! Which tells us to expect snow clouds to be over the region over the next few days. It doesn't feel windy here now but hear that there's stronger winds at higher altitudes. There are no significant changes in lift operations this morning as far as I can tell. But it is definitely a big improvement on yesterday in terms of snow. Still, we need lots and lots more... --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -2℃, light breeze and 20cm of crystal snow. NE8m/s wind, 20cm snowfall at 600m altitude. Coastal data: Benkei cape NNE11m/s, Kamui cape N11m/s, 1003hPa, 3.6m waves. NNW10-15m/s at 1000m elevation. Cornices and snowdrifts have drastically developed under the strong 20+m/s wind overnight and are unstable in leeward south facing slopes above 800m. Surface slab slides of 30-40cm thickness from Dec 12th layer are very likely to occur in those slopes. Snow is still shallow, beware of hidden stumps and bamboo grass when skiing off-piste. Gates are still closed, please respect the Niseko Rules. --- Resort specific news as of 8:20am - subject to change during the day The lifts market with an asterix (*) below are planned to be open for night skiing Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts planned to be running: - Ace Family pair* - Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four (for transport) - Ace Number 3 pair - Hirafu Gondola (for transport) - King Number 3 triple (on hold due to strong winds and fog) - Holiday Number 1 pair - Swinging Monkey Courses planned to be open: - Family - Beginners access - Center - Shirakaba - Kogen - Boyo - Holiday - Rinkan (lower part) - Jumbo - Connecting Course Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts planned to be running: - Hanazono Number 1 quad - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Courses planned to be open: - Parallel - Silver Dream - Stairway to Heaven - Setsuzoku course - Crystal Garden - Yotei Sunset (ungroomed) Niseko Village Lifts planned to be operating: - Niseko Gondola - Community Chair* - Banzai Chair* Niseko Annupuri Lifts planned to be operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 quad* - Jumbo Number 2 pair - Jumbo Number 3 pair Courses planned to be open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Paradise - Junior - Family - Silver --- Official resort snow depths as of 17th December 2015: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 145cm Base - 45cm Niseko Village: Top - 65cm Base - 30cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 60cm Base - 40cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Thursday 17th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 152cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 11 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (30th November) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 91cm reported on 7 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 134cm Posted on Saturday 12th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hopefully we can move on quite quickly from the really poor weather conditions the last few days. It would seem that rain has done damage and snow conditions have suffered - some runs that have been open are now closed again. Do check the updated information below. And I of course advise checking with the resorts if you are here as decisions may be made during the day as well. I can't wait for 'everywhere' to be open. And not just because it will make checking information every morning much easier either... it will mean full access to lots of fluffy powder (hopefully) on the mountain. We should really be there already. Anyway, back to this morning! Snow conditions may be far from perfect but the weather is thankfully much improved this morning. It is colder for a start and it is not raining (hurray!). It's actually a very fine morning with lots of clear blue sky and the sun shining down on us. It should be a fine day today; and we can probably expect similar conditions as well during the day tomorrow... perhaps Monday too. Time to enjoy practicing on some well-groomed courses in the fine weather I think. But what about fresh snow, you ask. Well, look to perhaps Tuesday and then Wednesday onwards for some of that. And hopefully lots of that! I will of course keep you up to date with that each morning. 'Nighta' (night skiing) starts from this evening at the Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri resort areas. Note that there is no nighta at the Niseko Hanazono area. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base: -1℃, no snowfall and calm morning. Coastal data: Benkei cape NNE7m/s, Kamui cape calm, 1020hPa, 1.8m waves. Northerly 10m/s wind at 1000m altitude. Thaw is continuing. 40cm snowpack at 600m. Some dirt patches are starting to appear in the courses. The surface is frozen this morning due to radiation cooling in a mild wintry pressure pattern. The groomers are in a good condition for technique practicing. The ungroomed snow around the courses is crusty (Dec 12th layer) and tricky to ski. Do not duck ropes to access the out of bounds areas. Avalanche occurrence does not depend on the amount of snow. The Niseko Rules exist in order to prevent out of bounds accidents and are mandatory rules that all resort users must obey. A free debate is scheduled at the Niseko Avalanche Forum today (held at Niseko Townspeople Hall), anyone is welcome to participate. Have a nice weekend. --- Resort specific news as of 8:40am - subject to change during the day The lifts market with an asterix (*) below are planned to be open for night skiing Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts planned to be running: - Ace Family pair* - Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four (for transport) - Ace Number 3 pair - Hirafu Gondola (for transport) - King Number 3 triple - Swinging Monkey Courses planned to be open: - Family - Beginners access - Center - Shirakaba - Kogen - Boyo - Holiday - Rinkan (lower part) - Jumbo - Connecting Course Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts planned to be running: - Hanazono Number 1 quad (for transport) - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Courses planned to be open: - Parallel - Silver Dream - Stairway to Heaven - Setsuzoku course - Crystal Garden - Yotei Sunset (ungroomed) Niseko Village Lifts planned to be operating: - Niseko Gondola - Community Chair* - Banzai Chair* Niseko Annupuri Lifts planned to be operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 quad* - Jumbo Number 2 pair - Jumbo Number 3 pair Courses planned to be open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Paradise - Junior - Family - Silver --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 145cm Base - 35cm Niseko Village: Top - 60cm Base - 20cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 60cm Base - 30cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Saturday 12th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 134cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 10 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (30th November) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 73cm reported on 6 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 7cm Snowfall at base this season 134cm Posted on Tuesday 8th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello everyone and this morning there is less cloud than there has been the last few snowy days - better visibility and more views to enjoy. There has been another 7cm of snowfall since my last report here at base and no doubt more on the mountain. We are expecting today to be fine weather-wise. The clouds should clear somewhat, the sun might well make an appearance (perhaps an extended appearance) and wind shouldn't be an issue. A very fine morning to enjoy some riding. Milder temperatures are forecast for the rest of this week and it would seem we are going to have to make do with the snow that we have as there's not much promise of snow on the forecast through until at least the end of the weekend. Today more of the courses at the resorts are open. It's not easy keeping track of exactly what is open early season! I've tried to keep a track on that information below - and will be very happy when it's an 'all open' situation. Note that the skiable connection between the Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri resorts is not yet open. --- Resort specific news as of 8:30am - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts planned to be running: - Ace Family pair - Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four - Ace Number 3 pair - Hirafu Gondola (for transport) - King Number 3 triple - Swinging Monkey Courses planned to be open: - Family Course - Kogen Course - Boyo Course - Alpen Course - Beginners access - Center Course - Shirakaba Course - Green Course - Rinkan Course (lower part) - Jumbo Course - Kokutai Course - Holiday Course - Connecting Course Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts planned to be running: - Hanazono Number 1 quad (for transport) - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Courses planned to be open: - Parallel Course - Silver Dream (upper part) - Stairway to Heaven - Setsuzoku course - Legend of Shinya - Crystal Garden - Yotei Sunset (ungroomed) Niseko Village Lifts planned to be operating: - Niseko Gondola - Community Chair - Banzai Chair Niseko Annupuri Lifts planned to be operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 quad - Jumbo Number 2 pair - Jumbo Number 3 pair Courses planned to be open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Paradise - Junior - Family - Dynamic --- 'Nighta' should be starting on Saturday 12th December 2015. Nighta is available at Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri (none in the Niseko Hanazono area) --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 160cm Base - 70cm Niseko Village: Top - 80cm Base - 40cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 70cm Base - 70cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Tuesday 8th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 134cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 10 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (30th November) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 73cm reported on 6 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 15cm Snowfall at base this season 127cm Posted on Monday 7th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here The snowfall has been continuing here in Niseko with another 15cm of snow on the ground by my base in Hirafu. Good to see it gradually increasing these last few days. Light snow falling early on this morning but it is probably going to be clearing up today. There's some break in the clouds now even and some sunshine making it through in places. Expect more of that. Winds affected the operations of the Hanazono lift yesterday from the early afternoon - I just made it before that happened. That shouldn't be happening today. There were some fine conditions to be found yesterday and I would expect this morning to be very good too. It looks like we have some more terrain planned to be open from this morning at Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Hanazono, updated below. Calmer conditions are expected over the next few days at least. Not only in terms of wind but clearer skies as well. There's not much in terms of potential snowfall on the weekly forecast as it stands now, rather quite a lot of sun and slightly warmer temperatures... of course hopefully it won't warm up too much. --- Resort specific news as of 8:30am - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts planned to be running: - Ace Family Pair - Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four (for transport) - Ace Number 3 - Hirafu Gondola (for transport) - King Number 3 triple - Swinging Monkey - Hanazono Number 1 quad - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Courses planned to be open: - Family Course - Alpen Course - Beginners access - Center Course - Shirakaba Course - Green Course - Rinkan Course (lower part) - Jumbo Course - Kokutai Course Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts planned to be running: - Hanazono Number 1 quad (for transport) - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Courses planned to be open: - Parallel Course - Silver Dream (upper part) - Stairway to Heaven - Setsuzoku course - Legend of Shinya - Crystal Garden - Yotei Sunset - Yotei Sunset (ungroomed) Niseko Village Lifts planned to be operating: - Niseko Gondola - Community Chair - Banzai Chair Courses planned to be open: - Dabesa Course - Junkyard - Banzai Course - Next Stage - Final Fling - Shaky Knees Niseko Annupuri Lifts planned to be operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 quad - Jumbo Number 2 pair - Jumbo Number 3 pair Courses planned to be open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Paradise - Junior - Family --- 'Nighta' should be starting on Saturday 12th December 2015. Nighta is available at Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri (none in the Niseko Hanazono area) --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 160cm Base - 70cm Niseko Village: Top - 80cm Base - 40cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 70cm Base - 50cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Monday 7th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 127cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 9 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (30th November) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 66cm reported on 5 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 18cm Snowfall at base this season 112cm Posted on Sunday 6th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning to you from the Niseko area where I have another 18cm of snow to report since yesterday morning. Snow was falling for pretty much the whole day yesterday and has continuing overnight. It's cold and the snow looks and feels very nice... and I have no doubt it feels pretty good if you're sliding down a slope on it too this morning. A friend just gave me a call from the mountain and he's getting very excited about '30cm of fresh powder' up there. That sounds good to me. So more snow expected today before probably easing off tomorrow. After that, we're due for a run of days of clearer skies according to the forecast so hopefully it just won't warm up so conditions keep us through that. This morning the Niseko Gondola at the Niseko Village resort is moving and there is more of Niseko Grand Hirafu open as well. I have updated the resort-specific information below so do take a look at that. (Once every area is open I won't be listing them all - rather noting any exceptions to what is open). Note that there is not yet a skiable connection between Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri - use the shuttle bus to get between them if needed. Until tomorrow morning! --- Resort specific news as of 8:30am - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts planned to be running: - Ace Family Pair - Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four - Ace Number 3 - Hirafu Gondola (for transport) - King Number 3 triple - Swinging Monkey - Hanazono Number 1 quad (for transport) - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Courses planned to be open: - Family Course - Alpen Course - Beginners access - Center Course - Shirakaba Course - Green Course - Jumbo Course - Kokutai Course - Parallel Course - Silver Dream (upper part) - Yotei Sunset (ungroomed) Niseko Village Lifts planned to be operating: - Niseko Gondola - Community Chair - Banzai Chair Courses planned to be open: - Dabesa Course - Junkyard - Banzai Course - Next Stage - Final Fling - Shaky Knees Niseko Annupuri Lifts planned to be operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 quad - Jumbo Number 2 pair - Jumbo Number 3 pair Courses planned to be open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Paradise - Junior - Family --- 'Nighta' should be starting on Saturday 12th December 2015 --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 145cm Base - 60cm Niseko Village: Top - 70cm Base - 40cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 50cm Base - 30cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Sunday 6th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 112cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 8 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (30th November) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 51cm reported on 4 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 14cm Snowfall at base this season 94cm Posted on Saturday 5th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here 14cm of fresh snow to report to you this morning from my base area here in Hirafu and it feels like a cold wintery morning out there. I was hoping for more - the news last night was warning us of up to 80cm of snowfall in parts of Hokkaido by the end of today. I do like those warnings, especially when they are right - and perhaps with more snow falling today we'll get bigger numbers. Anyway, it was very windy overnight and still is and this wind means that the snow has been blowing about and been 're-distributed', so in places there's more than that. Certainly expect more accumulated on the mountain. Niseko Grand Hirafu have adjusted their snow depths this morning to 125cm up top and 50cm at base. From today more of the mountain is going to be open. It is the first day of the season for the Hanazono area, and more lifts and runs at Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Annupuri are going to be open this morning. I have added details, as much as I can get them at the time of writing this report, in the details below. Hopefully wind won't mess around with those plans. We still have snow forecast for today, tomorrow and hopefully into Monday too. --- Resort specific news as of 8:30am - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts planned to be running: - Ace Family Pair - Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four - Ace Number 3 - Hirafu Gondola (for transport) - King Number 3 triple - Swinging Monkey - Hanazono Number 1 quad (for transport) - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Courses planned to be open: - Family Course - Beginners access - Center Course - Jumbo Course - Parallel Course - Silver Dream (upper part) - Yotei Sunset (ungroomed) Niseko Village Lifts planned to be operating: - Community Chair - Banzai Chair Courses planned to be open: - Banzai Course - Next Stage - Final Fling - Shaky Knees Niseko Annupuri Lifts planned to be operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 quad - Jumbo Number 2 pair - Jumbo Number 3 pair Courses planned to be open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Paradise - Junior - Family --- 'Nighta' should be starting on Saturday 12th December 2015 --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 125cm Base - 50cm Niseko Village: Top - 50cm Base - 30cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 50cm Base - 30cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Saturday 5th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 94cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 7 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (30th November) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 33cm reported on 3 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 80cm Posted on Friday 4th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning, and it is definitely a better start to the day today with 5cm of fresh snow to report here at base and snow clouds still with us. Yesterday was best left forgotten. Annupuri soon after 9am did get their Jumbo Quad Number 1 lift operating and Niseko Grand Hirafu gave up on the day early afternoon with rain still falling and strong winds still blowing everything about. All very wet and not at all appealing. Anyway back to today and yes it is colder and snowy. Continued snowfall is expected today, heavier from later on, and also over the weekend into early next week - this is what we have been waiting for and we can of course expect resorts to get lifts and courses open as quickly as possible. It is still rather windy, but apparently not enough it would seem to stop all three of the part open resorts from starting the planned lift operations as noted below. Lots of snow tonight please! --- Resort specific news as of 8:30am - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Lifts planned to be running - Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four (transport), Ace Number 3 Course planned to be open - Center Course Niseko Village: Lifts planned to be operating - Community Chair and Banzai Chair Courses planned to be open - Banzai, Next Stage, Final Fling, Shaky Knees Niseko Annupuri: Lifts planned to be operating - Annupuri Gondola (transport) and Jumbo Number 3 lift Courses planned to be open - Utopia, Shirakaba, Paradise and Junior courses open Niseko HANAZONO Resort: The Hanazono area plans to open from Saturday 5th December --- 'Nighta' should be starting on Saturday 12th December 2015 --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 95cm Base - 30cm Niseko Village: Top - 30cm Base - 10cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 50cm Base - 30cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Friday 4th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 80cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 6 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (30th November) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 19cm reported on 2 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com