Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 210cm Posted on Thursday 13th December 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here This morning I have 3cm of fresh snowfall to report to you. Don't be disappointed, because it is a beautiful morning here. There are just few tiny clouds here and there but for the most part it is blue skies and sunshine. And everywhere is looking really beautiful. Winter scenery on a morning like this is just something to behold. I never get tired of it and I hope that I never will. As areas continue to open up, specific news I have for you is that the HANAZONO Park course area is now open - the course, not items - meaning that pretty much all of Hanazono is now available. All of the Green Course at Niseko Grand Hirafu is also now open. Over at Niseko Annupuri, they now have six courses available - Utopia, Silver, Shirakaba, Paradise, Family and Junior. So we're getting there! It will be interesting to see when we will be able to be officially 'all open'. ----- Niseko Avalanche Report Mountain Base 6.00am: -6°, light winds, sunny, 10cm new snow in last 12 hours. Moiwa 700m: -6°, light winds, trace new snowfall, no snowdrift development, good visibility. Coastal data: Benkei Cape: E6m/s. Kamui Cape: NE3m/s, 1018hPa, wave 1.4m. The sea and mountains are calm again today and the atmospheric pressure gradient remains shallow. The east side of the niseko mountains has received a little more snow than the west side. Below 300m at Mt Yotei base a hoar frost layer has formed. This Dec 13th layer is expected to be notable in future snowpack. On south facing steep slopes around 700m and lift lines around 600m, fractures up to 30cm from Dec 11th-12th frost layer are easily occurring. Be careful on 40deg slopes. The general avalanche risk is low. Off the groomed runs trees and bushes are still uncovered making out of bounds areas unsuitable to ride. The gates will remain closed for a while longer. The groomers are in fantastic condition. Off the groomers - not so good. Beware falling and hitting trees, you can never win. A winter weather pattern will get stronger, sending wind and more into Niseko soon. Just have to wait a bit now. --- Ski resort operation information: Thursday 13th December 2018 The below information is manually checked each morning and believed to be correct at time of report Niseko Grand Hirafu Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 145cm - Base: 60cm Ski lifts operating: - Ace Family quad (until 8:30pm) - Ace Number 2 Center Four (until 8:20pm) - Ace Number 3 pair (until 3:30pm) - Hirafu Gondola (until 4:30pm) - Holiday Number 1 Pair (until 4:30pm) - King Number 3 quad (until 3:30pm) - Swinging Monkey (until 3:00pm) Niseko HANAZONO Resort Mostly open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 110cm - Base: 82cm Ski lifts operating: - Hanazono Number 1 quad (until 3:30pm) - Hanazono Number 2 quad (until 3:30pm) - Hanazono Number 3 quad (until 3:00pm) Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Courses: - All courses apart from the below courses are now open - Path to King - Onsenzawa - Large - Konayuki - Miharashi - Dynamic ----- Niseko Annupuri Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 120cm - Base: 60cm Ski lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola (until 3:15pm) - Dream Number 1 quad (until 5:30pm) - Jumbo Number 1 quad (until 8:30pm) - Jumbo Number 3 pair (until 3:15pm) Courses: - Utopia - Silver - Shirakaba - Paradise - Family - Junior ----- Niseko Village Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 120cm - Base: 80cm Ski lifts operating: - Niseko Gondola (until 3:00pm) - Upper Village Gondola (until 8:00pm) - Village Express (until 8:00pm) - Community Chair (until 4:30pm) - Banzai Chair (until 8:00pm) ----- Night time operations are available in the Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri resort areas. There is no nighta at the Niseko HANAZONO resort area. Niseko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Thursday 13th December 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 210cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 18 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 126cm reported on 10 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 207cm Posted on Wednesday 12th December 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here There's just 5cm of fresh snow to add to the report this morning (from yesterday), and it is a rather overcast start to the day. It is not snowing now but should be later on with snow clouds above through Friday. I spent a few hours on the slopes yesterday after posting my report. Very nice snow conditions, it was a lot of fun. We are still waiting for the upper lifts and courses to open up as well as a few other areas here and there, but there's plenty open to enjoy now. With more and more expectant folk turning up daily now (including Santa), we want it all open. As there are now more courses open than closed at Niseko Grand Hirafu, I thought I'd swap the info round (below) so now the list is of courses that are not yet open. Nighta operations at Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri started from yesterday evening. For the moment I have added the planned closing times for each of the ski lifts in the information below. I thought I'd add one more thing to check every morning! ;) ----- Niseko Avalanche Report Mountain Base 6.00am: -8°, no new snow, calm. Moiwa 700m: -8°, light winds, no new snowfall, good visibility. Coastal data: Benkei Cape: S4m/s. Kamui Cape: NNW2m/s, 1021hPa, wave 0.7m. A shallow atmospheric pressure gradient is causing both sea and mountains to be calm. No new snowfall and no cornice or snowdrift development. General avalanche risk is low. The edges of the course are all cut up, take care. Today the groomers are in good shape, great for practising turns. If you cant do it on the groomers, you wont survive the backcountry. Don't duck ropes to ride out of bounds. Niseko Rules protects your safety and freedom to ride out of bounds. Please respect the Niseko Rules. Snow is coming soon, have a good day. --- Ski resort operation information: Wednesday 12th December 2018 The below information is manually checked each morning and believed to be correct at time of report Niseko Grand Hirafu Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 150cm - Base: 70cm Ski lifts operating: - Ace Family quad (until 8:30pm) - Ace Number 2 Center Four (until 8:20pm) - Ace Number 3 pair (until 3:30pm) - Hirafu Gondola (until 4:30pm) - Holiday Number 1 Pair (until 4:30pm) - King Number 3 quad (until 3:30pm) - Swinging Monkey (until 3:00pm) Niseko HANAZONO Resort Mostly open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 120cm - Base: 80cm Ski lifts operating: - Hanazono Number 1 quad (until 3:30pm) - Hanazono Number 2 quad (until 3:30pm) - Hanazono Number 3 quad (until 3:00pm) Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Courses: - All courses apart from the below courses are now open - Path to King - Onsenzawa - Large - Konayuki - Miharashi - Dynamic - Hanazono Park - Crystal Garden ----- Niseko Annupuri Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 110cm - Base: 60cm Ski lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola (until 3:15pm) - Dream Number 1 quad (until 5:30pm) - Jumbo Number 1 quad (until 8:30pm) - Jumbo Number 3 pair (until 3:15pm) ----- Niseko Village Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 120cm - Base: 80cm Ski lifts operating: - Niseko Gondola (until 3:00pm) - Upper Village Gondola (until 8:00pm) - Village Express (until 8:00pm) - Community Chair (until 4:30pm) - Banzai Chair (until 8:00pm) ----- Night time operations until 8:30pm are available in the Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri resort areas. There is no nighta at the Niseko HANAZONO resort area. Niseko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Wednesday 12th December 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 207cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 17 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 123cm 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 202cm Posted on Tuesday 11th December 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here You want another 20cm of snow? Not quite, but nearly that much once again as I have measured another 18cm of fresh snowfall to add this morning. The last few days has been very good indeed. I have now measured and recorded a total of 202cm snowfall this season so far up until today, and I see that Niseko Grand Hirafu is now reporting an official snow depth of 160cm in the peak area. Of course, we want more - it's a never-ending need! - but happily the forecast tells us that we can expect more though perhaps not so much today. Right now we have pretty much all of Niseko HANAZONO open apart from the Park, with fairly large parts of Hirafu open - other than the peak area and both sides of the middle area. You can ski down to base at both. Today sees the start of night time or 'nighta' operations in Niseko. At Niseko Grand Hirafu the Ace Family Quad and the Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four lifts will be operating until 8:30pm. The Hirafu Gondola and Holiday Number 1 lifts are planned to join in the nighta fun from Saturday 15th December. At Niseko Annupuri the Jumbo Number 1 quad lift will be operating for nighta until 8:30am. And Niseko Village also has nighta (though I can't find any particular details). Note that there is no nighta over at the Niseko HANAZONO area. I think that's about it for this morning. The reports get a bit less time-consuming once we are 'all open'. I haven't had my toast yet! ----- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -7℃, mild wind and snowing. 20cm snowfall without snowdrift development. Moiwa700m: mild wind, 30cm snowfall, light snowdrift development. Sea of Japan Benkei cape: NW13m/s, Kamui cape: W11m/s, 1027hPa, 2.2m waves. The isobars are starting to spread and the storm is finally settling down. The snowdrifts that developed until last night have stabilized and, although the cornices are still prone to impacts, the general avalanche risk is low. The snowpack is still shallow and the out of bounds area is not suitable for riding yet. The gates will be kept closed. Please refrain from crossing boundary ropes. The snow is good, but the light is weak and the surface relief is hard to see. Beware of over-speeding and obstacles lurking under the surface. Wearing a helmet and a beacon may not be mandatory, but is strongly recommended as they may save your and others lives. ----- Ski resort operation information: Tuesday 11th December 2018 The below information is manually checked each morning and believed to be correct at time of report Niseko Grand Hirafu Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 160cm - Base: 70cm Ski lifts operating: - Ace Family quad - Ace Number 2 Center Four - Ace Number 3 pair - Hirafu Gondola - Holiday Number 1 Pair - King Number 3 quad - Swinging Monkey Niseko HANAZONO Resort Mostly open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 115cm - Base: 103cm Ski lifts operating: - Hanazono Number 1 quad - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Courses open: - Family - Sen-no-ki - Alpen - Beginners Access - Green (part) - Shirakaba - Center - Kogen - Boyo Course - Dai-ni-no-kabe - Kokutai - Holiday - Rinkan - Jumbo Course - Parallel Course - Silver Dream - Stairway to Heaven - Setsuzoku - Legend of Shinya - Renkan - Yotei Sunset ----- Niseko Annupuri Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 100cm - Base: 60cm Ski lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Dream Number 1 quad - Jumbo Number 1 quad - Jumbo Number 3 pair Niseko Annupuri Courses open: - Utopia Course - Shirakaba Course - Paradise Course - Family Course - Junior Course ----- Niseko Village Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 120cm - Base: 80cm Ski lifts operating: - Niseko Gondola - Upper Village Gondola - Village Express - Community Chair - Banzai Chair ----- Night time operations until 8:30pm in the Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri areas (starting from today). There is no nighta at the Niseko HANAZONO area. Niseko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Tuesday 11th December 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 202cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 118cm reported on 8 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 19cm Snowfall at base this season 184cm Posted on Monday 10th December 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko. It is a good start to the week. Those blue skies that we had as I was writing my report yesterday didn't last long and this morning I am measuring a further 19cm of fresh snowfall on the ground to add to my reports. It's really light and dry. Very nice. Currently it is generally cloudy. Light snow has been falling this morning and perhaps it will be another day of on-off snowfall. From this morning the Holiday Number 1 pair lift should be moving from 8:30am at Niseko Grand Hirafu. Hirafu is also opening up the Dai-ni-no-kabe, Kogen, Boyo and all of the Sen-no-ki courses. So there's another chunk of that area available from this morning and you can ride back down to base. Yey. Niseko Village also now have their gondola moving. A bit of an 'doh' to report: Annupuri are apparently needing to do some kind of maintenance work on their Jumbo Number 1 quad lift this morning. So keep that in mind if you want to be over in that area. I look forward to the day when I will be able to just say... everywhere is open. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can do that. The forecast continues to look good and 'snowy' through this coming week, so I should be seeing and reporting fresh snow every day. --- More people seem to be arriving in Niseko day by day now, both people coming to slide and the people working behind the scenes. And that will continue as we approach Christmas as things get gradually more lively. Blimey, Christmas is just over two weeks away. Santa is due to be on the slopes of Niseko around Christmas - he always seems to choose Niseko (he's clever) - so I hope he gets the bulk of his work sorted before then. Time - slow down please! ----- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 5am: -9℃, light storm, 20cm of wind-affected snow. Dense snowdrifts with wind-ripples are present in Moiwa 600m elevation. Sea of Japan Benkei cape: NW14m/s (21m/s @ 3am), Kamui cape: WNW13m/s, 1023hPa, 3.0m waves. A NW20m/s storm has persisted overnight above 1000m elevation and made snowdrifts heavily develop in leeward slopes. Observations showed signs of weak bonding within these snowdrifts. The avalanche risk is high at knoll aspects and heavy-loaded slopes just below the ridges. The wind will calm down as the isobars spread out and the new slabs will eventually stabilize. The snow in the trees have a slight drag, but good. The conditions are not uniform, so please use cautions. The overall snowpack is still quite shallow. This information is released for the safety of skiers and snowboarders. Precaution is key to avoid accidents. The access gates to the out of bounds area will remain closed for a while. Do not duck ropes to step out of bounds. Have a nice day. ----- Ski resort operation information: Monday 10th December 2018 The below information is manually checked each morning and believed to be correct at time of report Niseko Grand Hirafu Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 150cm - Base: 65cm Ski lifts operating: - Ace Family quad - Ace Number 2 Center Four - Ace Number 3 pair - Hirafu Gondola - Holiday Number 1 Pair - King Number 3 quad - Swinging Monkey Niseko HANAZONO Resort Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 100cm - Base: 70cm - Data as of yesterday (not updated at time of report) Ski lifts operating: - Hanazono Number 1 quad - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Courses open: - Family Course - Sen-no-ki - Shirakaba Course - Center Course - Beginners Access - Jumbo Course - Rinkan Course - Dai-ni-no-kabe - Kogen Course - Boyo Course - Yotei Sunset - Parallel Course - Silver Dream ----- Niseko Annupuri Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 100cm - Base: 60cm Ski lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Dream Number 1 quad - Jumbo Number 1 quad (maintenance this morning - unclear if it might get moving) - Jumbo Number 3 pair Niseko Annupuri Courses open: - Utopia Course - Shirakaba Course - Paradise Course - Family Course - Junior Course ----- Niseko Village Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 100cm - Base: 60cm Ski lifts operating: - Niseko Gondola - Upper Village Gondola - Community Chair - Banzai Chair ----- Night time operations are planned to begin at the Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri resort areas from Tuesday 11th December. There is no nighta at the Niseko HANAZONO area. Niseko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Monday 10th December 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 184cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 15 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 100cm 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 20cm Snowfall at base this season 165cm Posted on Sunday 9th December 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here And a good happy Sunday morning to you all. This morning I have measured an additional 20cm of fresh snowfall here at base and it has continued to fall and it continues to be very cold. Hold on a minute though - just after 8:00am there has been blue skies opening up and the sun was even starting to shine through. But as this report nearly goes live at 8:30am the clouds are moving in again. I guess it is perhaps just a temporary break. So quickly changing conditions early on this morning - that's what you get when you are posting a 'snapshot' report! Snow is on the forecast and continues to be over the coming week so we should be enjoying regular snowfall. At the Hirafu base area, the Ace Family quad is joining in the fun along with the Family course and the lower area of the Sen-no-ki course now becoming available. There isn't quite enough base yet for the Holiday Number 1 lift to open as yet. Hopefully that will be soon. It means that there's a small area open at base along with the upper mid area of Niseko Grand Hirafu, with a chunk of 'not open yet' in the middle and top of the resort. If you venture up to that upper area that is currently open, you still need to get the Ace Number 2 and Hirafu Gondola to come down at the end of your fun. You can ski down to base at HANAZONO via the Silver Dream course. Over at Annupuri, they are going to be operating their Jumbo Number 1 quad lift from this morning. Courses available there are Utopia, Shirakaba, Paradise, Family and Junior and you can now ski back to base. Over at Niseko Village... honestly, I am not sure. They are being very shy with such information. But operating lifts remain the same. Anyway the snow should be a lot of fun today, especially early on with this period of clearer conditions. Remember it's still not mad deep, whatever slinky marketing types might tell you so care needed to things popping up out of the snow still especially in the lower areas. That's it. I'm off out there! ----- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -9℃, 20cm snowfall in 24hours, weak storm. Sea of Japan Benkei cape NW13m/s, Kamui cape W 12m/s, 1018hPa, 2.1m waves. NW15m/s at 1100m elevation, cornices and snowdrifts developing. A mild storm is persisting under the typical winter pressure distribution. The snow is so light it won’t push the bamboo-grass down. Bushes are still present all around the mountain. The snowdrift development continues above 800m and the soft-slabs formed at knolls below the ridges and the cornices are likely to slide at 60-80cm thickness. Looking at the weather transition and the current conditions, the avalanche hazard is high at the west-ridge and Backbowl’s east facing slopes. Surface slab avalanches are very likely to occur during storms. Better make conservative plans and decisions and avoid being injured at the start of the season. The snow is excellent today. Beware of frostbite and enjoy your day. ----- Ski resort operation information: Sunday 9th December 2018 The below information is manually checked each morning and believed to be correct at time of report Niseko Grand Hirafu Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 135cm - Base: 60cm Ski lifts operating: - Ace Family quad - Ace Number 2 Center Four - Ace Number 3 pair - Hirafu Gondola - King Number 3 quad - Swinging Monkey Niseko HANAZONO Resort Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 85cm - Base: 55cm - Not updated for today at time of report Ski lifts operating: - Hanazono Number 1 quad - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Courses open: - Family Course - Sen-no-ki (lower area) - Shirakaba Course - Center Course - Beginners Access - Jumbo Course - Rinkan Course - Yotei Sunset - Parallel Course - Silver Dream ----- Niseko Annupuri Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 80cm - Base: 50cm Ski lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Dream Number 1 quad - Jumbo Number 1 quad - Jumbo Number 3 pair Niseko Annupuri Courses open: - Utopia Course - Shirakaba Course - Paradise Course - Family Course - Junior Course ----- Niseko Village Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 80cm - Base: 50cm Ski lifts operating: - Upper Village Gondola - Community Chair - Banzai Chair ----- Night time operations are planned to begin at the Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri resort areas from Tuesday 11th December. There is no nighta at the Niseko HANAZONO area. Niseko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Sunday 9th December 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 165cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 14 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 81cm 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 16cm Snowfall at base this season 120cm Posted on Sunday 2nd December 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here A very happy Sunday morning to you. With some heavy snowfall in particular during the morning yesterday, I have another 16cm to add since my last report. My friend at the resort was claiming 30cm up top, and I can believe that. Nice. There is fine weather this morning. The sun is shining and while there is still some cloud around the forecasts seem to point to a fine, clear day. It's quite chilly early on but going to warm up into positive numbers again later on... and then more so tomorrow and Tuesday, perhaps getting as warm as 8-9C at base. The less exciting news is that it is going to get warmer starting from later today and that warmer spell might last a few days. Once we get past that, though, the snow should be back falling from Wednesday and the end of the week is looking very promising. Oh and welcome to the season, Shirakaba Course at Niseko Grand Hirafu and the Banzai Chair lift at Niseko Village. ----- Ski resort operation information: Sunday 2nd December 2018 Niseko Grand Hirafu Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 115cm - Base: 60cm Ski lifts operating: - Ace Number 3 pair - King Number 3 quad - Swinging Monkey - Ace Number 2 Center Four (for transport, last down at 4pm) - Hirafu Gondola (for transport, last down at 4pm) Niseko HANAZONO Resort Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 70cm - Base: 50cm Ski lifts operating: - Hanazono Number 1 quad - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Hirafu & Hanazono Courses open: - Shirakaba Course - Center Course - Rinkan Course (lower area) - Beginners Access - Jumbo Course - Yotei Sunset - Parallel Course - Silver Dream ----- Niseko Annupuri Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 70cm - Base: 40cm Ski lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 3 pair - Dream Number 1 quad ----- Niseko Village Part open Official snow depth (reported by resort): - Peak: 70cm - Base: 50cm Ski lifts operating: - Upper Village Gondola - Community Chair - Banzai Chair Niseko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Sunday 2nd December 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 120cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 10 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 84cm reported on 8 days December 2018 snowfall 36cm 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

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 1248cm Posted on Saturday 7th April 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hurray! It is snowing. And there's a bit of fresh snow on the ground. While I am not quite seeing 1cm here at base, I am going to be jolly naughty this morning - and totally reckless and rock'n'roll - by 'rounding up' and adding 1cm to the report. I do think it is justified as there have been other days when there has been a dusting not recorded and also so that in the big picture (and looking back) we will be able to see that there has been a bit of snowfall on this date. And perhaps there is even a little more up there on the mountain. I am going to go and check that out myself. Looks like the colder conditions should continue for a few more days. Generally cloudy weather is forecast today but as of 8:10am it is still snowing. Yey! Maybe we will enjoy some sunshine tomorrow. Or maybe not. Tomorrow (Sunday) is the last day of the season for the Niseko Hanazono and Niseko Village areas of the mountain. --- There is just over four weeks left to go now. There's generally less to report now of course, but I will do my best to bring you info until the end of the season. And perhaps I will respond to the unprecedented demand for all the latest toast tips and news from Niseko which I am sure you agree sounds rather excite. ;) --- Saturday 7th April 2018 Resort specific information (operations subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May Niseko HANAZONO Resort Plans to be open daily until Sunday 8th April Lifts that remain operating: - Ace Family quad - Ace Number 2 Center Four - Holiday Number 1 - Hirafu Gondola - Swinging Monkey - King Number 3 - King Number 4 - Hanazono Number 1 quad - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Official snow depth: - Top: 425cm - Base: 130cm Niseko Annupuri Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May Lifts that remain operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Dream Number 1 - Jumbo Number 1 - Jumbo Number 4 Official snow depth: - Top: 400cm - Base: 120cm Niseko Village Plans to be open daily until Sunday 8th April Lifts that remain operating: - Village Express - Niseko Gondola - Wonderland Chair Official snow depth: - Top: 380cm - Base: 120cm Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Saturday 7th April 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1248cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 97 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 299cm reported on 24 days March 2018 snowfall 49cm reported on 8 days April 2018 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day 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 2cm Snowfall at base this season 2cm Posted on Thursday 1st November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning and welcome back to Niseko Now! It has been getting colder over the last few days with the first snow to be seen up on the ski hills. And... yesterday we got our first snowfall down to the village area. Enough for me to get my observed snowfall going and get officially excited. Hurray! The sun is out this morning and it looks like it should get a little warmer over the next few days. Just over three weeks to go... --- Here are the official planned opening dates of the ski resorts: - Niseko Grand Hirafu: Friday 23rd November 2018 - Niseko Annupuri: Friday 23rd November 2018 - Niseko Village: Saturday 1st December 2018 - Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 1st December 2018 Once again I plan to be here with you every single day of the 2018-2019 ski season once it kicks off. And I will try to be here from time to time with some updates before then. Niseko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Thursday 1st November 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 2cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 2cm (1st November) November 2018 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day 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 1260cm Posted on Sunday 6th May 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko. I'll quickly move on from the cloudy, rainy conditions of yesterday. There's still a lot of cloud around this morning but it is not raining. However, we might not escape some rain later on this afternoon. It's not the most exciting way to end the season, but there you go... So here we are. It's Sunday 6th May and today is the last day of the official ski season here in the Niseko area with Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Annupuri and Niseko Village all part open for the day. It's worth pointing out that even today the official snow depth on the upper slopes of Niseko Grand Hirafu is 255cm! A look back at the 2017-2018 season As has become tradition, over the winter season I add a ‘monthly review’ post at the beginning of each month. And like last year, I will keep this final wrap up relatively short because those monthly reports pretty much cover the season as it is happening. For reference, here they are: March 2018 monthly review February 2018 monthly review January 2018 monthly review December 2017 monthly review November 2017 monthly review And of course, please do play around with the info on the Snowfall Analysis page, which you can get to using that big blue button up top. Let’s reading. As the 2017-2018 season closes, here is the snowfall that I have measured near the base of Niseko Grand Hirafu over the last six seasons over the month of April: April 2018: 13cm April 2017: 0cm April 2016: 6cm April 2015: 3cm April 2014: 13cm April 2013: 32cm It's always a bonus when we get fresh snow in the month of April. More important and excite is the grand total for the entire season. Observed snowfall at base for the 2017-2018 season (total): Cue drum roll... 17/18 season total: 1260cm 16/17 season total: 688cm 15/16 season total: 992cm 14/15 season total: 1144cm 13/14 season total: 1163cm 12/13 season total: 1493cm So, we end the 2017/2018 season with me observing about 12.5m of snowfall nearby Hirafu base. That is way more than last season of course, and more than the three seasons prior to that as well. Pretty good. Take that, most other ski resorts in the world!! ;) And for completeness, here is the data that the Japan Meteorological Agency report from their observation station in Kutchan town: April 2018: 25cm April 2017: 4cm April 2016: 18cm April 2015: 3cm April 2014: 24cm April 2013: 27cm 17/18 season total: 1038cm 16/17 season total: 835cm 15/16 season total: 841cm 14/15 season total: 969cm 13/14 season total: 946cm 12/13 season total: 1051cm --- Now that the 2017-2018 season has finished, it becomes part of history. Next up is - cue big reveal! - the 2018-2019 season. And 2018-2019 has a lot to live up to. I will be here, hoping for a top quality season. But however it pans out, I will be giving you honest reporting based on exactly what I see and hear. And I will keep any cheese on my toast! Anyway, that’s it from me for the moment. I am now going to go into hibernation mode. I will be back with you (hopefully) totally refreshed in November. I hope you enjoyed reading my reports this season. I did my best and I'm happy that I was able to post every day since the lifts started moving through until today. If you want to send me any comments you can do so here. Please note that unfortunately I will not be able to answer any questions, whether they are about Niseko or toast; but I really do appreciate reading any feedback (and I thank anyone sending comments in advance). Thank you and see you in November. Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Sunday 6th May 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1260cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 99 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 299cm reported on 24 days March 2018 snowfall 49cm reported on 8 days April 2018 snowfall 13cm reported on 3 days May 2018 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 0cm Snowfall at base this season 1260cm Posted on Saturday 5th May 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello everyone. This is kind of my last proper report of the season, coming to you from my secret underground lair. (* I like that one, thanks! Muahahah!) Tomorrow I'll post my final season wrap-up and the message SnowJapan message. So please do come back for that - it will probably appear later than usual, and will remain up until November. OK, so on to today. It's cloudy and foggy up on the hills too. Some spots of rain as well earlier on this morning and we might see some more early morning but it should ease off properly. Keeping pretty chilly too. Tomorrow also looks like it will be a mix of cloud with perhaps some rain later on. A little warmer too for the last day of the season. --- Tomorrow is the last day of ski lift operations here in Niseko. Booooo! --- Saturday 5th May 2018 Resort specific information (operations subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May Planned lift operations: - Ace Number 2 Center Four - King Number 3 - King Number 4 - Hirafu Gondola Courses that remain at least part open: - Detour for Beginners - Shirakaba - Center - Large - Rinkan - Jumbo - Dynamic Official snow depth: - Top: 260cm - Base: 0cm --- Niseko Annupuri Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May Planned lift operations: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 - Jumbo Number 4 Official snow depth: - Top: 230cm - Base: 20cm --- Niseko Village Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May Planned lift operations: - Niseko Gondola - Wonderland Chair Official snow depth: - Top: 240cm - Base: 5cm Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Saturday 5th May 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1260cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 99 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 299cm reported on 24 days March 2018 snowfall 49cm reported on 8 days April 2018 snowfall 13cm reported on 3 days May 2018 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

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 1260cm Posted on Wednesday 2nd May 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Hirafu. A cloudy morning with some foggy conditions again being reported by Hirafu on the upper slopes. And it seems that there is a good chance of some rain later today and into tomorrow. Tomorrow is of course a national holiday and the first of a cho-long weekend. There's not much else to report really. Today I will be working on my monthly round-up report. I haven't decided yet if that will appear in my last report in one of the reports before then. The suspense!! --- 5 days left of ski lift operations, including today. --- Wednesday 2nd May 2018 Resort specific information (operations subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May Planned lift operations: - Ace Number 2 Center Four - King Number 3 - King Number 4 - Hirafu Gondola Courses that remain at least part open: - Detour for Beginners - Shirakaba - Center - Large - Rinkan - Jumbo - Dynamic Official snow depth: - Top: 270cm - Base: 0cm --- Niseko Annupuri Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May Planned lift operations: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 - Jumbo Number 4 Official snow depth: - Top: 280cm - Base: 25cm --- Niseko Village Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May Planned lift operations: - Niseko Gondola - Wonderland Chair Official snow depth: - Top: 280cm - Base: 10cm Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Wednesday 2nd May 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1260cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 99 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 299cm reported on 24 days March 2018 snowfall 49cm reported on 8 days April 2018 snowfall 13cm reported on 3 days May 2018 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

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 1260cm Posted on Friday 27th April 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here I think Mt Yotei has disappeared! Or, it might just be very hazy. I'm hoping the latter! It is quite bright this morning but that haze is the headline, I would say. Hopefully it might get a bit clearer. It's not due to get that warm today, still not really getting up into double digits... tomorrow should be warmer. --- Golden Week Golden Week is a period from the end of April through early May containing a number of national holidays. Those holidays are as follows: - 29th April is 'Showa Day' (Showa-no-hi), the birthday of former Emperor Showa - 3rd May is 'Constitution Day' (Kenpo-kinenbi) - 4th May is 'Greenery Day' (Midori-no-hi) - 5th May is 'Children's Day' (Kodomo-no-hi) What this means for 2018 is that most people will enjoy two long weekends - 3 days this upcoming weekend and then 4 days off the weekend after: Long Weekend 1: Saturday 28th April - Monday 30th April Long Weekend 2: Thursday 3rd - Sunday 6th May Some people may even be lucky enough to have/take Tuesday and Thursday off next week, giving them a long 9 day holiday! The weather is often really good over the Golden Week period and of course the end of Golden Week is also the end of ski lift operations here in Niseko. --- 10 days left of ski lift operations, including today. --- Friday 27th April 2018 Resort specific information (operations subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May Planned lift operations: - Ace Number 2 Center Four (* operating daily until 6th May) - King Number 3 (* operating daily until 6th May) - King Number 4 (* operating daily until 6th May) - Hirafu Gondola (* operating only on 21st, 22nd April & 28th April - 6th May) Course info: - Most of Hirafu remains open - Lower part of Super closed - All of the Hanazono area is closed Official snow depth: - Top: 325cm - Base: 35cm --- Niseko Annupuri Plans to be open daily until Sunday 6th May Planned lift operations: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 - Jumbo Number 4 Official snow depth: - Top: 330cm - Base: 45cm --- Niseko HANAZONO Resort Now closed Niseko Village Now closed Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Friday 27th April 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1260cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 99 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (31st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 305cm reported on 26 days February 2018 snowfall 299cm reported on 24 days March 2018 snowfall 49cm reported on 8 days April 2018 snowfall 13cm 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