Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 25cm Snowfall at base this season 88cm Posted on Friday 25th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here 3PM UPDATE With a bit of blue sky above me as I write, I have some opening news for the Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Annupuri resort areas. Niseko Grand Hirafu will be opening for the season tomorrow morning. They plan to have the Ace Number 3 lift operating, from 8:30am until 3:10pm. The Ace Number 2 Center Four lift will also be operating to take excited people up to the open area... that open area being the Center Course. Special lift ticket prices of 2,000 yen for adults and 1,000 yen for children and seniors applies from tomorrow until 30th November. Niseko Annupuri will also be opening from tomorrow. They plan to have the Jumbo Number 3 lift and the Gondola operating, the latter also just operating to get people up to the open area... that open area being the Utopia Course. The first gondola will start at 8:30am. Charges are 2,100 yen for adults and seniors and 1,300 yen for elementary school age children. Yey! --- ORIGINAL MORNING REPORT (all report data remains as per the original report time) It is a very good morning to you from here in Niseko. Oh yes, there is a very nice amount of fresh snowfall to report to you in this report. 25cm of it according to my hi-tech measuring stick. These are the kind of numbers that I like, as I am sure you do too. (Actually, coming to think of it I prefer 50cm... but 25cm will certainly do!) The cold conditions are continuing and it is still snowing lightly now as I write this, but it's expected to ease off late on and be slightly warmer with less chance of snow tomorrow. We will have to see if there is enough snow for the ski lifts at Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Annupuri to start moving from tomorrow - as of yet, there is no news from either resort. No doubt there are meetings going on now discussing that very thing... --- The planned dates for the four main Niseko United ski resorts. Dates may vary depending on snowfall: Niseko Grand Hirafu: as soon as there is enough snow until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 26th November 2016 until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 3rd December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Niseko Village: Thursday 1st December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Night skiing is planned from Saturday 10th December until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Annupuri, Grand Hirafu and Village resort areas. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 25th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 88cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 11 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (25th November) November 2016 snowfall 88cm reported on 11 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 983cm Posted on Saturday 26th March 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko. There's just about enough of a dusting for me to feel justified in awarding 1cm to the reports this morning. It's nice and sunny with lots of blue sky and some interesting looking clouds around. A fine start to the morning. Looks like we should be getting quite a lot of sun over the next few days at least. Today a high of around 3-4C is forecast, and slightly warmer conditions for tomorrow with lots more sunshine. I hope there might be some Easter bunnies out on the slopes giving out chocolate eggs (though perhaps not!). I'll just be happy to see the snow bunnies! :) I just took a look back at my report from this day last year and noticed that Niseko Grand Hirafu had an official snow depth (upper) of 440cm, and today it is on 350cm. Lower level official numbers were pretty much the same. Interesting. It will be interesting to see how it all lasts this season. --- Today sees that new Hokkaido Shinkansen train line open. Hurray! Not that I'm going to be using it... --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -1℃, no snowfall. Moiwa 838m: -4.1℃, E5m/s, Annupuri 1000m snowpack 310cm. Hirafu peak ridge: -7℃, some sprinkles without snowdrift. Benkei cape: N6m/s, Kamui cape: no wind, 1018hPa, 0.9m waves. The wind and snowfall is minimal under the moving high-pressure system. Surface slab avalanche hazard is low, however shallow but wide area slides are to be expected in steep slopes and knolls. Better keep spacing between each skiers. Heavy snowfall was observed in Yoichi-Dake and mountains surrounding Sapporo, however almost none in Niseko. The temperature is forecasted to rise and snow-blocks from cracks may fall. Full depth avalanches may also occur. Better avoid the valley bottoms. Most accidents can be avoided by using precautions. All gates are scheduled to open from the morning. There are Rules for out of bounds riding to respect in Niseko. You may have your lift pass confiscated if you duck a rope, even if you’re not familiar with the Rules. It is your responsibility to know the Rules and we strongly demand all guests to follow them. The snow is not too bad. Have a nice day. --- Official resort snow depths as of Saturday 26th March 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 350cm Base - 120cm Niseko Village Top - 340cm Base - 130cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 350cm Base - 130cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Saturday 26th March 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 983cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 83 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 109cm reported on 14 days 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 983cm Posted on Sunday 3rd April 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko. Actually, it's not a very good morning at all. It's raining, and quite heavily just at the moment as I write this. Yuck. I am hearing some people saying it might be (very wet) sleet up top, but honestly I'm really not sure I'd want to venture up there this morning! Right now strong winds and poor visibility are preventing the top lifts from opening. As today is the last day of the season for Hanazono and Niseko Village (well, until they plan to reopen for Golden Week), it would be a shame if we didn't get most of the day in over in those areas. Lasuto chansu! The good news is that hopefully it will soon be easing off to leave us with a mostly cloudy day, with a high temperature of around 9 degrees here at base. There should be a fair bit of sun from tomorrow. --- Resort specific lift opening news at time of posting (subject to change during the day): Niseko Grand Hirafu The top Ace Number 4 and King Number 4 lifts as well as the King Number 3, Ace Number 3 and Swinging Monkey lifts are on hold at the start of the day due to poor visibility. Niseko HANAZONO Resort Hanazono lifts haven't yet opened at time of writing... Niseko Village The top Wonderland lift is on hold at the start of the day. Niseko Annupuri The top Jumbo Number 4 lift is on hold at the start of the day due to strong winds and poor visibility. --- Official resort snow depths as of Sunday 3rd April 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 335cm Base - 90cm Niseko Village Top - 330cm Base - 105cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 340cm Base - 100cm --- Niseko Grand Hirafu resort area lift operations from Monday 4th April: Ace Family Pair (8:30am-4:30pm) - until 10th April Ace Number 2 Center Four Quad (8:30am-4:30pm) Ace Number 3 Pair (8:40am-4:30pm) Ace Number 4 Pair (8:50am-4:30pm) Holiday Number 1 Pair (8:30am-4:30pm) - until 10th April Niseko Grand Hirafu are also going to be 'upgrading' the King Number 3 triple lift in time for next season. The Hirafu Gondola as well as the King Number 3 and 4 lifts will all finish for the season this coming Sunday, as well as the Hanazono area. All being well though, the Niseko Grand Hirafu area should be open until 5th May. Niseko Village plans to be open daily until Sunday 3rd April, and then from 29th April until 5th May. Morino Chair currently rested. Niseko Annupuri plans to be open until Thursday 5th May. Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Sunday 3rd April 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 983cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 83 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 109cm reported on 14 days April 2016 snowfall 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 983cm Posted on Monday 4th April 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko and what we can probably call 'the last part of the season', though if they have their way there might be a full month left to go. The Niseko Hanazono and Niseko Village resort areas are now closed - though the latter plans to re-open just for Golden Week, details below - so we are left with just the Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Annupuri resorts remaining open now. Both are still offering top to bottom open courses. Happily the rain of yesterday is now a memory and while there is still a lot of cloud around this morning, there is some blue sky and clearer conditions are expected and a high of around 8C here at base later on. More sun is due through the coming week. And is that the chance of some fresh snow due as we enter next weekend? Yes, please! (Please note that while I will be writing my report tomorrow at the normal time, it may not appear until late in the day due to some technical maintenance work being done. Apologies!) --- Resort specific lift opening news at time of posting: Niseko Grand Hirafu Niseko Annupuri Both resorts opening as planned at the start of the day. --- Official resort snow depths as of Monday 4th April 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu Top - 335cm Base - 90cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 340cm Base - 90cm --- Resort operations - subject to change due to snow and weather conditions Niseko Grand Hirafu resort area lift operations: Ace Family Pair - until 10th April Ace Number 2 Center Four Quad Ace Number 3 Pair Ace Number 4 Pair Holiday Number 1 Pair - until 10th April The resort is going to be 'upgrading' the King Number 3 triple lift in time for next season - as part of this work the Hirafu Gondola, King Number 3 and 4 lifts have all now closed for the season. Niseko Grand Hirafu plans to remain open until Thursday 5th May. Niseko Annupuri plans to be open until Thursday 5th May with the Gondola, Jumbo 1 and Jumbo 4 lifts operating. Niseko Village is currently closed but plans to be open again for Golden Week from Friday 29th April until Thursday 5th May. Niseko Hanazono has now closed for the season. Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Monday 4th April 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 983cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 83 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 109cm reported on 14 days April 2016 snowfall 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 2cm Snowfall at base this season 985cm Posted on Monday 11th April 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko and I have 2cm of fresh snow on the ground to report to you. It is still snowing lightly at the moment - bit wet - and I wouldn't expect it to last much beyond this morning... and we probably won't be getting much more in terms of additional cm. Tomorrow should be warmer as well with the sun due to make an appearance. At the moment both Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Annupuri seem to be opening as planned but stronger winds later on in the morning may well affect that situation, so best to keep an eye on that. It's great to see some fresh snow again and good to get some numbers in for April, albeit small ones! I feel duty bound to strap on the skis and go check it out. Hope to see some of you out there. --- One small bit of news to report - the Ace Family pair lift was due to be open until yesterday but seems to be continuing for one more week. --- Resort specific lift opening news at time of posting: Niseko Grand Hirafu Niseko Annupuri Both resorts appear to be opening as planned at the start of the day. --- Official resort snow depths as of Monday 11th April 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu Top - 315cm Base - 65cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 325cm Base - 65cm --- Resort operations - subject to change due to snow and weather conditions Niseko Grand Hirafu resort area lift operations: Ace Family Pair - until 17th April Ace Number 2 Center Four Quad Ace Number 3 Pair Ace Number 4 Pair Holiday Number 1 Pair - until 10th April The resort is going to be 'upgrading' the King Number 3 triple lift in time for next season - as part of this work the Hirafu Gondola, King Number 3 and 4 lifts have all now closed for the season. Niseko Grand Hirafu plans to remain open until Thursday 5th May. Niseko Annupuri plans to be open until Thursday 5th May with the Gondola, Jumbo 1 and Jumbo 4 lifts operating. Niseko Village is currently closed but plans to be open again for Golden Week from Friday 29th April until Thursday 5th May. Niseko Hanazono has now closed for the season. Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Monday 11th April 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 985cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 84 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 109cm reported on 14 days April 2016 snowfall 2cm 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 987cm Posted on Tuesday 12th April 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Morning from Niseko and following on from yesterday there's another 2cm of snow to report this morning. Yesterday was fun with 10cm of so it must have been in places. It felt great to have that new soft layer under the skis. And what's more, this morning the sun is out and it is going to be a fine day. There's not much wind and so all should be open and... well, yes, it's a fine spring morning with a bit of fresh underground early on. We couldn't ask for much more at this stage. Well, not without being too greedy of course! Unfortunately, it looks like we are going to be getting some rain sometime tomorrow, even higher up, which is a bit rubbish. But all the more reason to head out again this morning. --- Resort specific lift opening news at time of posting: Niseko Grand Hirafu Niseko Annupuri Both resorts appear to be opening as planned at the start of the day. --- Official resort snow depths as of Tuesday 12th April 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu Top - 315cm Base - 65cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 325cm Base - 60cm --- Resort operations - subject to change due to snow and weather conditions Niseko Grand Hirafu resort area lift operations: Ace Family Pair - until 17th April Ace Number 2 Center Four Quad Ace Number 3 Pair Ace Number 4 Pair Holiday Number 1 Pair - until 10th April The resort is going to be 'upgrading' the King Number 3 triple lift in time for next season - as part of this work the Hirafu Gondola, King Number 3 and 4 lifts have all now closed for the season. Niseko Grand Hirafu plans to remain open until Thursday 5th May. Niseko Annupuri plans to be open until Thursday 5th May with the Gondola, Jumbo 1 and Jumbo 4 lifts operating. Niseko Village is currently closed but plans to be open again for Golden Week from Friday 29th April until Thursday 5th May. Niseko Hanazono has now closed for the season. Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Tuesday 12th April 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 987cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 85 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 109cm reported on 14 days April 2016 snowfall 4cm 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 0cm Snowfall at base this season 987cm Posted on Friday 22nd April 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning once again from Niseko. It is a fine spring morning here with blue skies and warm conditions continuing, with a high temperature of 18 degrees forecast for Kutchan town. With the warmth the snow close to base is now quickly drying up and disappearing. Always a sad thing to see. There's not much of a wind at all and I expect the planned lifts to be operating as normal this morning. After today it looks like temperatures should drop a little and while sun is still on the forecast for tomorrow, there might be a chance of a bit of rain early morning as well. --- 'Golden Week' is fast approaching. So what exactly is Golden Week? For those of you who don't know, Golden Week is a number of national holidays that happen close to each other giving lots of people a nice holiday in late April and early May. Most tourist spots get very busy as a result! Depending on what days they fall, some years it is a considerably long period. This year, the actual national holidays are 'Showa Day' on Friday 29th April, 'Constitution Day' on Tuesday 3rd May, 'Greenery Day' on Wednesday 4th May and 'Children's Day' on Thursday May 5th. This means that this year Golden Week looks like this: * Friday 29th April - Sunday 1st May (3 day long weekend) * Tuesday 3rd May - Thursday 5th May (3 day holiday mid-week) * Saturday 7th May - Sunday 8th May (normal weekend) No doubt some folk will be taking Monday 2nd May and Friday 6th May as a holiday as well giving them a 10 day break. Nice. Thursday 5th May is scheduled to be the last day of the snow season here in Niseko. --- Resort specific lift opening news at time of posting: Niseko Grand Hirafu Niseko Annupuri Both resorts will likely be able to open as normal this morning. --- Official resort snow depths as of Friday 22nd April 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu Top - 285cm Base - 20cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 280cm Base - 20cm --- Resort operations - subject to change due to snow and weather conditions Niseko Grand Hirafu resort area lift operations: Ace Number 2 Center Four Quad Ace Number 3 Pair Ace Number 4 Pair The resort is 'upgrading' the King Number 3 triple lift in time for next season. As part of that work the Hirafu Gondola, King Number 3 and 4 lifts have all now closed for this season. Niseko Grand Hirafu plans to remain open until Thursday 5th May. Niseko Annupuri plans to be open until Thursday 5th May with the Gondola, Jumbo 1 and Jumbo 4 lifts operating. Niseko Village is currently closed but plans to be open again for Golden Week from Friday 29th April until Thursday 5th May. Niseko Hanazono has now closed for the season. Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Friday 22nd April 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 987cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 85 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 109cm reported on 14 days April 2016 snowfall 4cm 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 2cm Snowfall at base this season 989cm Posted on Saturday 30th April 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello from Niseko and guess what... there's a bit of snow on the top of my car this morning. Hurray! Just a thin layer but there's enough to add a little to the season snowfall tally which ends April - and very probably the season - on 992cm. Niseko Grand Hirafu have actually added 5cm to their upper area snow depth this morning so you know where to head. There is quite a lot of cloud still hanging around but a bit of blue sky as well. It's chilly too, so don't go out without an extra layer this morning. Tomorrow will very probably be warmer and then Monday and Tuesday warmer still - though it still won't be getting much over 15 degrees here at base. --- It's....'Golden Week'. * Friday 29th April - Sunday 1st May (3 day long weekend) * Tuesday 3rd May - Thursday 5th May (3 day holiday mid-week) * Saturday 7th May - Sunday 8th May (normal weekend) Monday and Friday next week are 'normal weekdays'. Thursday 5th May is scheduled to be the last day of the official snow season here in Niseko. --- Resort specific lift opening news at time of posting: Niseko Grand Hirafu Looks like lifts might be delayed opening. Official reason - de-icing! Niseko Annupuri The Gondola and Jumbo Number 4 look set to start the day on hold. Looks like strong winds up there. --- Official resort snow depths as of Saturday 30th April 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu Top - 255cm Base - 0cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 230cm Base - 10cm --- Resort operations - subject to change due to snow and weather conditions Niseko Grand Hirafu resort area lift operations: Ace Number 2 Center Four Quad (* this lift now used to get to and from the open courses - you can no longer ride back to base) Ace Number 3 Pair Ace Number 4 Pair The resort is 'upgrading' the King Number 3 triple lift in time for next season. As part of that work the Hirafu Gondola, King Number 3 and 4 lifts have all now closed for this season. Niseko Grand Hirafu plans to remain open until Thursday 5th May. Courses open - Large, Center, Shirakaba (Spring Park) Niseko Annupuri plans to be open until Thursday 5th May with the Gondola, Jumbo 1 and Jumbo 4 lifts operating. Niseko Village plans to be open for Golden Week until Thursday 5th May. The Gondola can be used as a way of getting to Niseko Grand Hirafu and for sightseeing. None of the courses at Niseko Village are open. Niseko Hanazono has now closed for the season. Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Saturday 30th April 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 989cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 86 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (17th February) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 17 days January 2016 snowfall 303cm reported on 26 days February 2016 snowfall 266cm reported on 22 days March 2016 snowfall 109cm reported on 14 days April 2016 snowfall 6cm reported on 3 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

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

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

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

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