Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 775cm Posted on Friday 23rd January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It's another wild ride today. One of those days when it's going to be a difficult to give a measure on snow - I'm going with a few cm though for now. Luckily (for those purposes) not much yet. Naughty strong northerly winds on mountain are enjoying blowing things around and disrupting top lifts - along with all of the lifts at Annupuri - at the beginning of the day unfortunately. With strong winds expected to continue for the day and very possibly get worse, we can expect more disruptions I'm afraid. For resort status as of the start of the day, check below - I do updated that every day in case you didn't know. So it's either take a break from the skiing and boarding and take a dip in an onsen, or brave the conditions and make the most of the very possibly less crowded slopes (I suppose that will depend on how many people decide to take a rest, and how many lifts remain open). Snow is expected to continue into tomorrow but hopefully wind will ease off at least somewhat. Sunday is currently looking set to be much calmer and we might get some clearer skies as well. Snow back with us from around Tuesday. Have a good day, if you do venture out... be safe. Of course. --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Top King Number 3, Ace Number 4, King Number 4 and Swinging Monkey lifts on hold early on due to the weather conditions. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Hanazono Number 3 lift on hold due to weather. Niseko Village: Niseko Gondola and top Wonderland chair on hold at the start of the day due to weather conditions. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: All lifts on hold at the beginning of the day at Annupuri. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -3C, north-easterly storm for the last 12 hours has made snowdrifts develop in leeward area. Moiwa 800m: NE20m/s, -5C, large development of snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m NE20m/s with drastic development of snowdrifts. Hirafu peak ridge NE25m/s, -7C. Coastal data: Benkei cape NE13m/s, Kamui cape ESE4m/s, 1007hPa, 1.8m waves. A strong NE storm is persisting, making snowdrifts drastically develop on top of Jan 22nd layer. The avalanche risk is extremely high today. Highly wind-affected dense snow is also present in the treeruns. All gates above 800m will be closed today. Today is not a day to go out of bounds. Similar hazardous conditions in Nito, Chise, Shiribetsu and other surrounding areas. Carefully plan your tour route. The wind will calm down tomorrow, better not push it too far today. Many accidents occur during a storm. Have a nice day. Travel insurances may not cover accidents in out of bounds areas, it is strongly suggested to have an insurance that covers mountaineering accidents. Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Friday 23rd January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 775cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 48 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 226cm reported on 18 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 12cm Snowfall at base this season 743cm Posted on Monday 19th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from my base here in Hirafu and there's another 10-15cm of fresh snow this morning an up to 20cm being reported higher up. Earlier on when I got up it was just overcast and cloudy, later on snowing quite heavily for a short while, but currently it is snowing lightly. There's even a hint of light blue sky behind thin clouds over there by Hanazono and a brief bit of sunshine here and there. Forecast is for moderate snowfall later on today, later this afternoon or tonight and then into tomorrow. For the moment it's fairly calm but stronger winds may also prevail later. It does look like all of the gates are going to be open this morning. Yey! Take care and have fun. --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -7C, mild wind, 15cm snowfall in 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: -7C, light breeze, 20cm snowfall with development of snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: S5m/s, 20cm snowfall. Hirafu peak ridge: -13C, mild wind, 20cm snowfall. Benkei cape S4m/s, Kamui cape NNW2m/s, 1009hPa, 0.5m waves. The atmospheric pressure gradient is small. The ocean and the mountains are in calm conditions. 15-30cm of light crystal snow has fallen in the last 12 hours. The snowdrifts that developed in the last couple of days have mostly stabilized and the general avalanche risk is relatively low. All gates are scheduled to open from the morning. Bear in mind that the stabilization of the slabs in 1100m areas is delayed due to lower temperature. Human triggered avalanche are still likely to occur in cornice/knoll/gully terrain of steep faces. Be aware that the out of bounds area is not a resort no more. Consequences can be serious, better not make light of the risk you’re taking. Ride carefully, don’t loose your skis. The snow in the trees has been mostly reset and in good condition. Don’t duck ropes to step out of bounds. Do you know there are official Rules for out of bounds riding in Niseko? --- Official snow depth numbers and any notes at time of writing: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 355cm Base - 155cm Niseko Village: Top - 270cm Base - 170cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 240cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Monday 19th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 743cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 45 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 194cm reported on 15 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 790cm Posted on Sunday 25th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello and good morning from Niseko. It's a busy Sunday morning out there already, but weather-wise a calm start to the day. Up above it's a mix of cloud and blue sky, and I can see the sun too just now but it's playing a bit of hide and seek behind the clouds. Just a bit of new snowfall to add this morning, around 5cm with up to 15cm on mountain being reported. Don't know about you, but I'm all for a bumper 40-50cm of beautiful dry light new snowfall kind of day. Next one of those please... this week would be great! Onegai shimasu. All resorts and lifts are open as planned and it looks like all the gates should be open this morning as well. Let's Sunday! On a more serious note, please be sure to check out the Avalanche report this morning (below)... found a few things mentioned in there interesting. --- One change to the report that I want to make a note of. Until now, for the 'official snow depth' number on the report, we have been making a note of the 'lower' number from Hirafu (I mean the 'Current snow' number that you can see towards the top right of this page). It's not actually really that important as within every single report that I put up here I do make a clear note of all of the upper/lower snow depth numbers for each resort area, but we do think that it is probably better to change it to the upper number. The upper number is also the number that is shown on the resort pages of our site, so it will now tie in with that. So from today that is what we'll be using - the official 'upper' snow depth number at Niseko Grand Hirafu. A few people mentioned this to us in comments sent in during the Prize Draw (thank you), so I hope this will meet with general approval. Sorry for the mid-season change. * Sadly the jump from 145cm to 360cm does not mean that we have suddenly got 215cm of fresh snowfall overnight. I might even dust off the word 'epic' (with a capital 'E') if that happened! --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -5C, light dusts in the last 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: mild wind and 10cm of new snow. Annupuri 1150m: mild wind, 15cm of snowfall. 1000m snowpack 250cm. Hirafu ridge: mild wind, light snowfall, -11C. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW6m/s, Kamui cape WNW3m/s, 1026hPa, 0.6m waves. A calm morning as a high-pressure system is dominating the area. The snowdrifts are stable and the avalanche risk is low. Beware of collapsing cornices. All gates will open from the morning. The snow is in pretty good shape. Intruders to Haru-no-Taki off-limits area never seem to decrease. Everyone should realize that the freedom to ride out of bounds in Niseko is protected in exchange of having those strictly off-limits areas closed at all time. The gate system would fail if people cannot respect the Rules and end up in closure of all gates and restriction of all out of bounds riding. Whoever violating the off-limits areas will be banned from using all resort facilities. Haru-no-Taki may eventually open in the future, but we strongly demand everybody to respect the Rules until then. This area is a ski resort and the Rules exist to protect the freedom of out of bounds riding and the minimum safety of all resort users. Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Sunday 25th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 790cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 50 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 241cm reported on 20 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 785cm Posted on Saturday 24th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here So, something of a limited day yesterday. As of mid afternoon the other two lifts at Hanazono closed up for the day, with Annupuri looking like it was closed all day. The Hirafu Gondola closed mid morning and a few lifts were moving at reduced speed. Proceedings were generally limited to lower and central areas. I didn't get out myself, opting instead for a visit to Otaru to the north of the Niseko region. Recommended. Anyway, on to today and the start of another weekend. They come round quick don't they. There's a lot of people around early on this morning, as you might expect. Wind of course affected a lot of things yesterday, including the snow so it's another day when putting one number on it is difficult. Lots of drifts around this morning but I'm going to log 10-15cm as the new snowfall for the day in my report but expect double that in higher areas. Conditions are somewhat calmer this morning. Snow is falling as I am writing this and it's expected to ease off sometime later on today, maybe tonight and tomorrow is forecast to bring us some sun action. We're expecting a relatively mild few days with temperatures even threatening to bust through into low positive numbers. Beyond tomorrow, snow clouds due to move over the region again from Tuesday onwards. In the meantime have a fun and safe weekend. --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Niseko Gondola and top Wonderland chair on hold at the start of the day due to weather conditions. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -3C, 10cm of crystal snow in 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: WNW5m/s, 20cm snowfall, 50cm snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: N10m/s, -8C, development of dense snowdrifts. Hirafu 1150m: N15m/s, -12C, development of snowdrifts. Coastal data: Benkei cape NNW14m/s, Kamui cape ENE3m/s, 1019hPa, 1.9m waves. The slabs under 800m altitude are stabilizing and a 10cm layer of new, less wind-affected snow is blanketing on top. The soft-slab formed until the night are likely to fail at 45cm depth and would slide easily with riding stimulation in steep slopes. The stabilization of the slabs above 1200m is delayed and the avalanche risk in Osawa cornice slopes, Backbowl and Higashi-One cornice slopes remains high. The peak gates’ opening is still undecided. Please respect the ski patrol’s decision. Better not stimulate knolls and snowdrifts. Avalanche hazard is also very high in gullies above 1200m in Mt. Yotei. Better stick on ridges and treeruns. There is no 100% safety in the mountains. Always remain prudent. The snow in the trees is in excellent shape. --- Official snow depth numbers and any notes at time of writing: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 350cm Base - 145cm Niseko Village: Top - 270cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 250cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Saturday 24th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 785cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 49 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 236cm reported on 19 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 3cm Snowfall at base this season 793cm Posted on Wednesday 28th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello and good morning... it's a better morning than yesterday, which wasn't very nice at all. It is most certainly much colder, with a return to winter like temperatures overnight and early on. We have some new snowfall as well, though not as much as we would like. Resorts reporting up to 15cm of fresh snow, just a few cm or so down here at base. But, snow is forecast for the day today so fingers crossed for a decent amount. All of the four resort areas look to open up as planned this morning, the only thing I notice early on is Annupuri Gondola operating at reduced speed. Stronger winds on the forecast for later in the day, so that situation could well change. Tomorrow cloudy skies are forecast, before a return to snow from later Friday. Once that gets going it should be snowing through into early next week at least so looking very positive still for a proper decent refresh over the weekend. --- Let's update ourselves on some numbers for a bit of excite fun. In January last season I observed 461cm of snowfall; this month so far my observations in the same place are on 244cm. Hmmm. The Japan Meteorological Agency snowfall January readings for Kutchan Town: January 2011: 420cm January 2012: 290cm January 2013: 268cm January 2014: 317cm January 2015: 214cm (up until now) So come on, let's fill out those numbers out for January! --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Annupuri Gondola running at reduced speed. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -9C, 5cm of new snow in 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: W10m/s, -12C, 10cm of new snow with some 40cm snowdrifts. Annupuri snowpack 255cm. Hirafu 1000m: mild wind, -12C, light snowfall. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW19m/s, Kamui cape WSW11m/s, 1011hPa, 2.6m waves. The winter-pressure pattern dropped some new snowfall starting at 1am. Some snowdrifts started to develop. Yesterday’s low-pressure snowfall is re-crystalizing due to cold temperatures. 40cm thick slides are to be expected in some areas around 700m. New snowfall is still insufficient and old tracks catches the skis/board. Visibility is also pretty bad up high. Beware not to loose control and hit trees. Gates 2 & 3 will be closed. Others are scheduled to open, however situation may change, please respect the ski patrol’s instructions. Be aware that the area outside the gate is not within the resort before you step out of the gates. Niseko respects people’s freedom to ski out of bounds areas, however is also deeply concerned about everyone’s safety. Be safe and have nice day. The conditions will turn better tomorrow. --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 360cm Base - 130cm Niseko Village: Top - 270cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 265cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Wednesday 28th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 793cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 51 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 21 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 803cm Posted on Thursday 29th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Morning friends, and it's snowing outside this cold morning. There's around 10cm outside my place here, with 15cm of fresh being reported from upper resort areas. Nice and cold, the snow should be of the fine kind. As the Avalanche report says this morning, the snowfall has 'moderately reset' the mountain, which is of course great - but I think it's fair to say that most of us want more. Snowfall today will probably ease this morning (though as I type this report it's coming down quite nicely actually), leaving us with mostly cloudy conditions for later today and tomorrow with perhaps some sunshine at times. To be followed by decent snowfall going into Saturday which is still forecast to continue into early next week. It's looking promising. All the resorts plan to be open as normal this morning and peak gates are scheduled to be open. Have a good Friday. --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -9C, 15cm of crystal snowfall in 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: NW8m/s, 20cm snowfall, small development of snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: N8m/s, -13C, 20cm snowfall. Hirafu 1000m: N5m/s, -13C, 10cm snowfall. Coastal data: Benkei cape NNW14m/s, Kamui cape WSW8m/s, 1022hPa, 1.7m waves. The isobars are spaced out and the weather is calm. Light snowfall has moderately reset the mountain. Good & fast snow can be found. Peak gates are scheduled to open, listen to the ski patrol’s advice before stepping out of the gates. January 27th low-pressure snowfall layer has become a notable weak layer in the snowpack. Avalanches of up to 40cm thickness are to be expected in leeward snowdrift loaded slopes around 1000m. The general risk is low, however unexpected incidents can happen in the mountain. Be prudent and be safe. 99% of the people seem to respect the Niseko Rules, but it is very disappointing to see a handful of disrespectful people that seems to deliberately disregard the Rules and enter Haru no Taki and/or Yu no Sawa off-limits areas. Beware of cracks, falls and hitting trees. Have a nice day. Using a leash is recommended to people using delicate lightweight bindings. --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 370cm Base - 140cm Niseko Village: Top - 280cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 265cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Thursday 29th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 803cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 52 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 254cm reported on 22 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 3cm Snowfall at base this season 806cm Posted on Friday 30th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It's a cloudy morning here in Niseko, as the forecast told us to expect really. A small amount of snow during the day yesterday and there's a chance of light snow during the day today but it won't be anything major at all. Limited visibility up on the mountain is preventing top lifts from opening first thing this morning, hopefully that situation might change during the morning with gates looking like they are expected to be open today. That snowfall that we have all been eyeing up the last few days is still due to be with us from tomorrow. I so much want to get back to writing reports of large volumes of fresh snow. (Though I could do without strong winds!) Whatever, such conditions do seem likely over the weekend so be ready. --- Resort specific news as of 8:30am - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Top King Number 4 and Ace Number 4 lifts on hold due to poor visibility. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Top Wonderland lift on hold due to poor weather conditions. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Top Jumbo Number 4 lift on hold due to poor visibility. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -5C, 5cm new crystal snow in the last 12hrs, calm. Moiwa 800m: -7C, wind SW 5m/s, trace of new snow. Annupuri 1150m: -7C, wind SW8m/s, trace of new snow, poor visibility at times. Hirafu Peak Ridge light winds, -10C, trace of new snow, minor snowdrift development. Cape Benkei: SW5m/s, Cape Kamui: S6m/s, wave 0..8m, pressure 1020hPa. The pressure gradient is low and the mountain conditions are calm. From observation 10cm of new light crystal snow above 600m, snow pack is stable and the general avalanche risk is low. Yesterdays tracks still remain but the snow is good. Peak gates are expected to be open. Please respect the patrols advice when using the gates. Always be aware and take care on open steep slopes and cornice slopes around 1000m. When you cause an avalanche people below will be in danger. There has been increase in lost people out of bounds. The gates are there for everyone to use, but if you blindly follow someone else's tracks you may not come back. Niseko respects peoples right to ride out of bounds and also tries to maintain a certain level of safety, however the mountain has many dangers still. Take care , have a safe day. --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 370cm Base - 140cm Niseko Village: Top - 280cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 270cm Base - 160cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Friday 30th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 806cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 53 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm reported on 23 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 992cm Posted on Friday 27th February 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello and good morning from Hirafu. Just another small amount of fresh snow this morning, around 5cm outside my place. It feels a bit warmer too and the snow quality is reflected by that - bit wet. Looking at the report below there's a fairly decent amount to be found higher up so head up there for the goods. Stronger winds likely later in the day and temperatures drop. It looks like even at 8:45am as I am about to post this, the top lifts at Annupuri, Village and Grand Hirafu are stopped because of the wind. Anyway, hopefully I will have more snow to report tomorrow morning for you. --- If you take a look down this page at that pretty little table of statistics, you'll see that this season so far we are on 992cm of observed snowfall, compared with 1037cm last season at the end of February. --- Resort specific news as of 8:45am - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Top King Number 4 and Ace Number 4 lifts on hold. Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to be open as planned. Niseko Village: Top Wonderland lift on hold. Niseko Annupuri: Top Jumbo Number 4 lift on hold. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: +1C, 20cm of wet snow in last 12 hrs. Moiwa 800m: SW10m/s, 30-40cm of new snow and snowdrift development, -4C. Annupuri 1150m: SW15m/s, 20cm new snowfall, snowdrift development, -7C. Hirafu 1000m: SW15m/s, blizzard conditions, snowdrift development -6C. Annupuri peak 1150m: wind SW speed not avail, -6.0℃. Cape Benkei: SW3m/s, Cape Kamui: SSW12m/s, pressure 997hPa, wave 0.7m. Low pressure system has brought warm air into the region with heavy falls of wet snow. From observation, snowdrifts above 1000m are unstable, Osawa, Kozan no sawa, Mikaeri Bowl, below Higashi one(east ridge), will easily fracture at Feb 26th layer, 40-50cm depth. These slabs are heavy and dangerous. All peak gates will closed this morning. Please respect and follow the patrol`s decisions. Cracks are hidden by new snow and cant be seen from above, take care not to fall in head first. Snow in the forest is heavy and hard to push through. The local business group that was reported recently causing trouble on Niseko and nearby mountains has approached the local council to try and justify their behavior. These people do not even try to understand why there are Niseko Rules, and how they came to be put in place. They show there nativity by thinking they can complain to local government and every thing will be OK. The reason this trouble has started is because this business has the wrong view about what freedom means, overestimates their own experience and knowledge, and do not take any cultural differences into account. The Avalanche Institute is an independent organization who together with the ski area management and local government try to minimize accidents. If someone interferes with our ability to do this, we will react strongly. --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 415cm Base - 150cm Niseko Village: Top - 300cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 370cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Friday 27th February 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 992cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 70 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th & 26th December and 11th February) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm reported on 23 days February 2015 snowfall 186cm 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 1002cm Posted on Saturday 28th February 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Hirafu and some more snow to report on this last morning of February. Another 10cm here in the base area once again, and hearing 20cm or so higher up from the resort. It's kind of similar amounts as we have seen over the last 4 or 5 days in fact, so a steady refresh each day and bringing us up to 196cm observed at base for February. It also means that we break through the 10m mark for the season as a whole. I'll take a look at more statistics sometime in the next few days. This morning the sun is out. Lots of blue sky, a few clouds and some bright sunshine. A moderate wind but it doesn't seem to be affecting lift operations this morning, at the time of writing and checking information anyway. (Phew!) A generally fine day expected today with a return of snowfall sometime late on tomorrow. I've got a few people to meet out on the mountain so I'm off to put the boots on. Have a very fine, safe and fun day wherever you are. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -3C, 20cm of new snow. Moiwa 800m: NE10m/s, 20cm of new snow, major snowdrift development. Annupuri 1000m: snowpack 315cm, NNW15m/s, snowdrift development. Hirafu 1000m: Strong winds, -7C, snowdrift development on leeward slopes. Annupuri peak 1308m: wind NNW18.1m/s, -9.1C. Cape Benkei: NNE16m/s, Cape Kamui: ENE6m/s, pressure 1018hPa, wave 2.7m. Blizzard conditions late last night to dawn caused rapid snowdrift development on steep south facing slopes (under knolls). From 5am observation, expect slabs to fracture at 50-60cm, avalanche risk is High. Slabs are fracturing at Feb27th low pressure layer. Peak gate openings are yet to be decided. Please respect patrol's decisions. Annupuri Osawa, Kozan no sawa should not be ridden today. Do not traverse from gates 1 and 8 to Osawa cornice slope. Do not duck ropes. Also be aware there is avalanche risk low on the mountain at Annupuri Ski area in the gully under gondola. Most avalanche accidents happen right after a storm. A simple pit check alone is an unreliable way to assess risk. The wind blown snow propagates impact regardless of a weak layer. Avoid riding in valley bottoms- where the avalanche will run. The snow is good and deep in the forest. Be aware of hidden cracks. Is your beacon on? Have a good day. --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 400cm Base - 140cm Niseko Village: Top - 300cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 370cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Saturday 28th February 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 1002cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 71 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th & 26th December and 11th February) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm reported on 23 days February 2015 snowfall 196cm reported on 18 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 987cm Posted on Thursday 26th February 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Morning and there's fine clear blue skies above Niseko this morning. But we also have another 10cm or so of snow again this morning, delivered from yesterday afternoon and overnight. It is good and cold this morning too so I would expect conditions to be pretty good - not the deepest of layers, so I'd go early to get it while it's there. I expect to be bringing news of more snow in my report tomorrow too, with a snowy day ahead of us Friday. Just hoping that wind doesn't become a nuisance again... All resort areas plan to be open as normal this morning, as do the gates. So have a good one! --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -6C, 10cm of new snowfall in last 12 hrs. Moiwa 800m: W5m/s, 15cm new snowfall and minor snowdrift development overnight. Annupuri 1000m: snowpack 305cm. Hirafu 1000m: light winds, 15cm new snow, -7C. Annupuri peak 1308m: wind NW 5m/s, -10.9C. Cape Benkei: NW4m/s, Cape Kamui: WSW5m/s, pressure 1021hPa, wave 0.8m. The sea and mountains are calm under influence of a high pressure system. The mountain has a shallow blanket of fresh snow and there has been some minor snow drift development. From observation the general avalanche risk is low and the snow is good in the forest. All gates are expected to be open. The Mizuno no sawa educational program is now closed for the season. In Haru no Taki, Mizu no sawa, Yu no sawa the cracks are becoming more obvious and the risk of full depth avalanche is increasing. These steep south facing gullies should not be ridden. From this years snowfall transition a large scale avalanche from around 1100m in Osawa and Kozan no sawa is predicted. This avalanche will run a long way, traveling at about 80kph, picking up trees and rocks as it goes. Avoid riding in the valley bottom. Avalanches only become an accident if people are involved. Niseko Rules have been put in place for the safety of all guests and to protect your right to ride out of bounds. Please respect and follow the rules, and understand the difficult job the ski patrol have to do. Have a good day. Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Thursday 26th February 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 987cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 69 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th & 26th December and 11th February) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm reported on 23 days February 2015 snowfall 181cm 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 10cm Snowfall at base this season 977cm Posted on Wednesday 25th February 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning Niseko Now readers, and there's another 10cm of snow to report this morning and it looks decent quality too. Probably to do with the fact that it's colder this morning and I could really notice that when I went out for my early morning walk. I must go up and try it, you know.. just to check! It's not snowing right now, rather it's a somewhat surprisingly fine morning. Lots of blue sky, just a bit of white cloud, just a light wind... and the sun shining down on us. Should be some fine views to be had this morning. Still forecasts tell us that we might just get a bit of snow today, sun expected tomorrow before snow arrives just in time for the weekend - decent snowfall forecast for Friday. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -6C, 15cm of new snowfall in last 12 hrs, calm. Moiwa 800m: NW10m/s, 20cm new snowfall and snowdrift development. Annupuri 1000m: snowpack 300cm. Hirafu 1000m: light winds, 15cm new snow, -10C. Annupuri peak 1308m: wind NW speed not avail, -10.6C. Cape Benkei: WSW4m/s, Cape Kamui: NNE4m/s, pressure 1016hPa, wave 2.0m. Strong westerly wind continued at higher elevations until dawn. Leeward slope knolls show 50cm of new snowdrifts which appeared stable at 5am observation. As wind drops the snow will turn to light crystals. The snow in the forest is good but you will still hit the bottom. Yesterdays low pressure snow was slow because it contained dirt from the continent and the dirt will remain in the Feb 24 layer. All gates are expected to be open. Please listen to the patrols advice before going out of bounds. From the snowfall transition don’t stimulate steep slopes of knolls today. The avalanche risk continues to be high. Large scale avalanches will run down the valley bottoms, always avoid riding in the bottom of gullies and valleys. We are always repeating this – please respect and follow the Niseko Rules. The snow is better than it has been for a long time. Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Wednesday 25th February 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 977cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 68 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th & 26th December and 11th February) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm reported on 23 days February 2015 snowfall 171cm reported on 15 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 1002cm Posted on Sunday 1st March 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Morning from the Niseko area and welcome to March! No fresh snow to report this morning and clouds over the region. It's a rather grey morning actually after the fine and clearer start to the day yesterday. I managed to join the crowds and find myself some nice pockets of snow. There's a light to moderate southerly wind in places, but not enough to be affecting the lifts at the start of the day. We should be enjoying some more fresh snow as well soon, with it perhaps starting to fall before the lifts close for the day today and to continue at least through tomorrow. Fingers crossed for some decent numbers and it keeping on the colder side of what is forecast. --- OK so as promised time to take a look at some numbers just for some fun. Here's the snowfall observed by myself here by the base area in Hirafu... February 2014: 178cm February 2015: 196cm So a bit more snow last month than the same month last season. The last 5 days of the month really helped us out there! Last season up until end of February 2014: 1037cm This season up until end of February 2015: 1002cm We're just a bit behind the overall haul for the season so far as of the end of February, but managed to hit 10m of observed snowfall. The big difference this season is December and January kind of 'swapping positions' - with lots more snowfall in December this season than last, but quite a bit less in January this season than last. It kind of adds up to there being quite a bit less 'fresh' in the first two months of 2015 than we had last season. Looking at the other Now reports makes for interesting reading too, with a similar kind of story in quite a few areas. Now on to the Japan Meteorological Agency statistics, coming to you from the Kutchan town area a bit lower down. February 2014: 130cm February 2015: 167cm So those numbers also reflecting slightly more this February than last. --- How about March? Last season I observed 113cm. Let's double that this season, ok Snow Gods?! Remember there's always going to be more up on the mountain than down at base, and probably 1.5 times more is not too off the mark in general. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -5C, no new snow. Moiwa 800m: light winds, no new snow, -7C. Annupuri 1000m: snowpack 315cm. Hirafu 1000m: SW5m/s, -7C, no new snow. Annupuri peak 1308m: wind SW 10.8m/s, -10.0C. Cape Benkei: SSW3m/s, Cape Kamui: S8m/s, pressure 1020hPa, wave 0.7m. The pressure gradient is shallow and the sea and mountains are calm. Snow is stable and general avalanche risk is low. All peak gates are expected to be open. Do not play around cornices, they might suddenly collapse. Making a kicker out in the forest is fun, but think about if there is an injury, how will you get out? Will rescuers be able to get to you and help? Avalanches are not the only danger in the mountains. This information is issued for the prevention of all accidents. Do not try and sneak past the patrol to duck ropes. If you want to go out of bounds you must use the gates. Have a good day. --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 400cm Base - 140cm Niseko Village: Top - 300cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 370cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Sunday 1st March 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 1002cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 71 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th & 26th December and 11th February) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm reported on 23 days February 2015 snowfall 196cm reported on 18 days March 2015 snowfall 0cm 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