Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 20cm Snowfall at base this season 1116cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Light Temperature -4C base / -9C top Visibility Generally poor Posted at 8:23am on Thursday 14th February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Yesterday we ended up with a very fine day in Niseko. The sun was out and we got some very nice blue skies. Snow clouds moved in and by late afternoon it was snowing. The result is up to 20cm or so of lovely fresh dry light snow on the ground this morning in the village area. No doubt more than that up on the mountain. Snow is still falling now and visibility is pretty low this morning. A small price to pay. It's not as cold this morning, right now around -4 degrees in the Hirafu area, and it's fairly calm with a light north westerly wind, so no worries about lift operations this morning - they should all be up and running as planned at the resorts. The forecast for the coming week looks like we should see pretty consistent snowfall on and off and temperatures remaining suitably low. Sounds good to me. Should be a good day. See you tomorrow. Avalanche Information Niseko base 6am:-6C, 15cm of crystal snow. Moiwa 800m: -8C, 20cm of new snow, calm wind and no development of snowdrifts. Annupuri peak:W5.8m/s, -11.6C. Coastal data: WNW11m/s, 0.8m waves and 1019hPa. A notable layer (Feb 13th) has formed due to yesterday's sunshine and 15-30cm of new snow has blanketed it. The pressure isobars are spaced out and the no notable development of snowdrifts can be observed under 800m. A moderate westerly wind (10m/s) is stagnating above 1000m and slowly forming soft slabs in leeward slopes. Large surface slab slide from Feb 13th layer is to be taken into consideration in 40°leeward slopes, however the general avalanche risk is low. The snow in the trees has been reset. Another magical day in Niseko. Gates 2 & 3 are scheduled to open at 10am. Be equipped and well prepared for backcountry riding. Intermittent snowfall is forecasted during the morning and the visibility will remain bad. The are no indications in the out of bounds areas, ignorantly following other people or unknown tracks may lead you straying in the middle of nowhere. Carry at least a map. One easy mistake can lead to serious consequences in the backcountry. Beware of hitting trees and falling into cracks. Cracks are forming everywhere now and cannot be seen from above. Have a nice day. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Thursday 14th February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 1116cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 74 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 443cm reported on 26 days February 2013 snowfall 137cm 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 991cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Varied Temperature -4C base / -14C top Visibility Varied Posted at 8:55am on Monday 4th February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here 5cm of fresh snow to report from Niseko this morning. The strong winds that we experienced yesterday and prevented the top parts of the mountain opening are thankfully not blowing us around this morning and it is much calmer. (If there's one thing about Niseko I'd change, it would be the wind!). This morning we're all back to normal and all lift should be moving as planned. It's about -4C out there with Hirafu reporting a temp of -14C on the top area of the resort. Snow is currently falling and fingers crossed we'll have snow coming down all day. Visibility seems decent on the mountain considering. Perhaps a break in the snow tomorrow, but back to consistent snowfall from mid week through into the weekend. I promised to bring you those Kutchan town Japan Meteorological Agency snowfall numbers for January 2013. And here they are. 268cm, say the JMA. That's compared with 290cm in January 2012 and 420cm in January 2011. In fact, the number was lower than any year since 2008. Which is kind of surprising. The longer-than-usual dry spell in the latter part of January meant that the numbers didn't do much increasing towards the end. Remember of course, these are numbers for Kutchan town and not for the ski resorts themselves. You can probably add at least another 50% onto that for an idea of mountain snowfall, and you can see the numbers we report every day in these reports as well to get an idea of how much is falling at the base of the resort area. Just mentioning these purely as a point of interest! And just for the record, the number for February last season was 216cm. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Monday 4th February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 991cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 66 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 443cm reported on 26 days February 2013 snowfall 12cm 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 7cm Snowfall at base this season 986cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Strong Temperature -7C base / -14C top Visibility Generally poor Posted at 9:10am on Sunday 3rd February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here I'm glad to report that we are back to much more Niseko-like colder temperatures this morning. It's a nice and cold -7C early on. Annupuri is recording a temperature of -16C up at the top of the resort. That's more like it! The rain continued in the morning yesterday but turned into snow early afternoon - somewhat earlier than we were expecting, but a good thing. This morning there is between 5cm and 10cm of fresh snow in the village area, so hopefully a bit more than that on the mountain. With the winds blowing it about, it's going to be less and more than that in places. It's not a thick layer of new snow and considering it is on top of the conditions we had up until the new snow fell, real care needed today. Looks might deceive! Under that thin layer of fresh are some icy conditions so keep it in mind. I didn't mention the wind yet. Well, yes it is windy out there and it's affecting what is open this morning. It looks like all of the Niseko Annupuri resort area is closed this morning as they report winds between 19m/s and 20m/s. At Niseko Village, the lower The Banzai Chair, Morino Chair and Community Chair lifts are operating. At Niseko Grand Hirafu it is the lower half of the mountain open with the Ace Family, Ace Number 1, Ace Number 2 Center four, Holiday Number 1 Pair and Swinging Monkey lifts operating now as normal. The King Number 2 lift and Hirafu Gondola are operating at reduced speed. The King Number 2 should be opening at 10am. Someone asked us about the half pipe being closed at Niseko Grand Hirafu. It seems that the maintenance machine has a problem and so that is the reason for this. Hopefully they can get that sorted quick. Temperatures should remain about where they should be over the coming week with snow clouds never far away. In particular, the forecast is looking really good for a great delivery of snow around the end of the week. So hopefully we are in for a good week. Anyone feel the earthquake late last night? A magnitude 6.4 quake rattled lots of Hokkaido and large parts of northern Japan around 11:15pm last night. It registered a 'shindo 2' on the Japanese seismic intensity scale here in Niseko and Kutchan. The epicenter was to the east of Sapporo near the coast by Tokachi, so quite a way from Niseko but still there was a bit of a shudder here. A reminder. Avalanche Information Niseko base 6am: -9C, 5cm of broken particle snow. Moiwa 800m: W15m/s, stormy and bad visibility, -15C and notable snowdrift development. Annupuri peak: NW30.8m/s, -18C. Coastal data: WNW21m/s, 3.1m waves and 1013hPa. Furious snowstorm due to strong winter weather pattern is generating drastic development of snowdrifts in leeward slopes above 800m. According to the snowfall transition, weather data and observations, the newly formed snowdrifts are extremely unstable and can collapse/slide with the slightest stimulation. The developments of slabs aren't uniform and their consistency are also dependent on altitude and slope orientation. 50cm surface slab avalanches are likely to occur in slopes with heavy snowdrifts around 700-900m, with crust surface (Feb 2nd layer) underneath, namely Osawa (Annupuri bowl) and backside Higashione (Jackson). All gates will be closed. Even if the lift is operating, out of bounds area should not be entered. A closed gate is a message telling all area beyond the resort boundary should not be touched. Ignoring this message and accessing those areas, whether crossing the boundary ropes or not, will result in many people following those tracks and unnecessarily increase the chances of accidents to happen. We strongly demand every resort user to respect the Niseko Rules. The snow will turn better soon. Better take it easy today. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Sunday 3rd February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 986cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 65 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 443cm reported on 26 days February 2013 snowfall 7cm 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 0cm Snowfall at base this season 979cm Weather overview Cloud Wind Light Temperature 3C base / -2C top Visibility Fair to good Posted at 8:47am on Friday 1st February 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Getting straight to the point --- there's a chance of rain tomorrow. Freezing point is set to whizz up as high as 1000m and it's going to be another mild day. The good news is that later on in the day it should get colder and it should be snowing by Sunday. Possibly heavy snow. Yes please. There might be stronger winds as well though over the weekend so we'll have to keep an eye out for that. If it all goes to plan we should be back to very nice conditions on Monday. I'll fill you in on the final snow fall numbers for Kutchan for January 2013 sometime over the weekend. Sorry about the late report today. Behind the scenes of SnowJapan a lot of changes are happening and upcoming. This morning we weren't able to make the update due to some technical issues. In the near future you'll all be able to see what the site has planned to take it forward into the coming years. I was lucky to get a sneak preview and I can say that I'm really excited to see what's in store. The guys have have been working really hard on the new version of SnowJapan for over a year and a half now, and so it's a major transformation that is in store. Otanoshi-mi-ni! Avalanche Information Niseko base 6am: -3C, no snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -5C, misty/humid snowfall, mild wind and no development of snowdrifts. Coastal data: SSW14m/s (Kamui cape), SE3m/s (Benkei cape), 0.8m waves and 1028hPa. Annupuri peak: WSW4.7m/s, -6.7C. Calm morning as the isobar spacing is currently wide until the next low-pressure system approaches. Southwesterly wind is forecasted to pick up in higher altitude from noon. Gate 2 & 3 are scheduled to open at 10am, however may be closed depending on the weather conditions. A storm will pick up from later today and the avalanche risk will rise drastically. Be flexible with your plans. Nitonupuri, Chisenupuri, Mekunnai and other peak of the Niseko range are pure mountainous areas. Thorough preparation, experience, skills and cautious thinking are necessary in these areas. There might be no glaciers here, but crevasses can form due to heavy snowfall and wind-drifts. Be extra careful when visibility is low. The weather comes in earlier in those areas, as they are located further west than the resort area. Winter mountaineering always requires extra prudence. Snow surface is difficult to see today, beware of hitting trees and falling into cracks. Maneuver you skis/board in controllable speed. The snow is still in good condition. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Friday 1st February 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 979cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 64 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (27th January) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 443cm reported on 26 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 806cm Weather overview Cloud, snow Wind Light Temperature -8C base / -12C top Visibility Fair to poor Posted at 9:06am on Wednesday 16th January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Today, we beat Tokyo! About 20cm of new snowfall in the Hirafu village area since yesterday. A friend from over in Annupuri who I just spoke with said they have perhaps 30cm or so over there. With more higher up, it should be a good snow day out there. So overnight the clouds moved in and brought us this nice new snowfall and the snow continues to fall now as I write this report. There is much less wind today and it is around -8C at the moment. It looks like all the lifts should be open as usual on the mountain this morning, except the Annupuri Gondola which is set for a late start due to some safety checks. The resort says that it might be about 3 hours late opening so hope to have that operating by late morning. Looking at the forecast, we can expect snow clouds to be with us through into the weekend, so hopefully tracks should be getting filled in quickly. Just how we like it! Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Wednesday 16th January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 806cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 54 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 270cm 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 25cm Snowfall at base this season 696cm Weather overview Cloud, snow Wind Light to moderate Temperature -10C base / -14C top Visibility Variable Posted at 9:33am on Thursday 10th January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here I said light snow yesterday but for us here that translates to around 25cm since yesterday. Can't be bad. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to say in a morning, though a problem that is good to have! Goes without saying, excellent snow conditions to be enjoyed. Actually we have been having a whole bunch of conditions this morning - snow, easing off and the sun has actually made a (probably) brief appearance just now over in the Hanazono area. With snow forecast for the day, not sure how long that will last and I think it's likely that the cloud and light snow will prevail. Possibly stonger winds later on in the day but hopefully not enough to affect lifts. JMA has the snowfall in Kutchan for January 2013 at 107cm so far; remember last year January saw 290cm snowfall for the whole month in the town. Counting up the numbers here on our reports I notice that we have now broken through the 7m mark for the season in the village area here. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Thursday 10th January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 696cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 48 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 160cm 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 671cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Light to moderate Temperature -11C base / -15C top Visibility Fair Posted at 8:42am on Wednesday 9th January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here I saw lots of very happy faces yesterday on the mountain. The top gates were open and lots of people getting excited about the goodies on offer and my legs are still feeling it now. I guess there will be a few more people feeling the same this morning. It was worth it though with some excellent untracked snow to play in. We even had a guest appearance by the sun, who was looking on jealously. Awesome. This morning the resorts are all going to be open again as normal with not enough winds to mess up people's plans today! Hirafu reporting wind speeds of 2m/s to 3m/s, and a bit stronger over on Annupuri side, but all of the lifts that should be open will be moving today. Just over 5cm of new snow to report since yesterday and it is a very cold morning. -11 degrees here in the village area and -16 at higher elevations on the mountain currently. Brrrr. But that's all part of the fun isn't it. Cloud and light snow lined up for today, and again similar conditions likely over the new few coming days. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Wednesday 9th January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 671cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 47 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 135cm 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 10cm Snowfall at base this season 666cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Varied Temperature -7C base / -13C top Visibility Decent Posted at 9:02am on Tuesday 8th January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko. We have around 10cm of fresh snowfall to report this morning and a temperature of around -7C, and I don't expect that will budge much throughout the day today. It is snowing out there (for a change!) and while visibility is not the best, it generally looks decent enough. Good news too - less wind means that the top lifts are operating from the get go this morning on all of the resorts on the mountain so there'll no doubt be a rush up to the top this morning to explore all the fun that can be found up there. The forecast has us down for similar kind of conditions over the next few days. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Tuesday 8th January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 666cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 46 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 130cm 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 10cm Snowfall at base this season 566cm Weather overview Fine Wind OK Temperature -8C base / -13C top Visibility Very good Posted at 9:50am on Wednesday 2nd January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here At last the winds calm down and all of the lifts are either already operating or being prepared at the time of writing and so the mountain should be fully open today. Temperatures about the same as yesterday, though to me it doesn't feel quite as cold - no doubt because of the wind factor. It is a nice clearish kind of morning though and some blue sky up there with fine views of the surrounding mountains to be enjoyed. No new snowfall overnight but probably about 10-15cm since my last report... one of those times when it is difficult to put a number on it as the wind was blowing it all around yesterday. We can probably expect to find varying conditions out on the mountain because of that. Snow is due later on along with a dip in temperatures over the next few days. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Wednesday 2nd January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 566cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 40 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 30cm 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 20cm Snowfall at base this season 556cm Weather overview Cloud cover, light snow Wind Varied Temperature -8C base / -14C top Visibility Fair Posted at 10:14am on Tuesday 1st January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here A very happy new year to everyone reading Niseko Now and SnowJapan. Welcome to 2013. In the coming weeks there are going to be some major changes to the main SnowJapan site, including this here report page. We have about 20cm of new snow to welcome in the new year. A colder morning than yesterday, around -7C now, but less of the wild weather conditions that we were experiencing yesterday. There's still some wind around on the mountain though affecting the lifts again this morning and top lifts once again are not moving as I write the report this morning. Due to the weather conditions the fireworks planned at Hirafu were cancelled unfortunately, but it didn't seem to bother lots of the party people out last night. I suspect there are more than a few cloudy heads out there this morning. Talking of cloudy, that's really what the weather is doing at the moment. Light snow falling on the mountain with decent visibility for the most part, and at the same time some sun shining through the clouds in the village and even some patches of blue sky to be seen. Snow is on the forecast for the day, but it does seem to be more chance of heavier snow falling later tomorrow into Thursday. Less wind allowing the mountain to fully open would be very welcome. We'll just have to see. Have a fun day! Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Tuesday 1st January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 556cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 39 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 20cm 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 20cm Snowfall at base this season 513cm Weather overview Snow, cloud Wind Windy Temperature -10C base / -16C top Visibility Generally poor Posted at 9:26am on Thursday 27th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It is another extremely cold morning here in Niseko (-10C). Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri resorts are this morning reporting temperatures on the mountain of -17C. Wrap up well! Anyway, another 15-20cm more snowfall to report this morning in the village since yesterday as it just keeps on falling. Poor visibility out there this morning too. I'm posting this report too early to give full details about lifts, but it looks like the top lift at Hanazono will be taking a rest at least early this morning due to the windy conditions and the Annupuri Gondola is not yet open - Annupuri reporting wind speeds of up to 21m/s on the upper slopes. Check with the resorts for the latest as the weather conditions may well affect lift operations again today. We might see a break in the snow tomorrow, and then even some sun and milder conditions around Saturday before the snow is due to return early in the week. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Thursday 27th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 513cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 35 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 395cm reported on 24 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 463cm Weather overview Cloud and sun Wind Varied Temperature -13C base / -14C top Visibility Excellent Posted at 9:26am on Monday 24th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Just as I said that it doesn't look like we are going to see too much of the sun for a while...... It is a very cold morning here in Niseko. We have another 5cm of fresh snow this morning. All is calm, lots of blue sky and the sun is out. A beautiful morning actually - as long as you are wrapped up and ready for the cold. Did I mention it was cold? Earlier, the thermometer told me -10C outside. Niseko Annupuri now have the Family Pair operating, meaning that all of their lifts are moving. In fact apart from the Country Road lift at Niseko Village, all of the lifts should be operating now. So, this is Christmas. In Japan most people do actually think of today as being Christmas, not the 25th. Santa will no doubt be out on the Niseko slopes this morning carving up some tracks. It will no doubt also be a rather lively night in the village. Look out for fireworks tomorrow night as well after nighta closes. If you're in Niseko, I'm sure you'll see them. I thought I would just take a quick look at those JMA snow fall statistics for Kutchan on this Christmas Eve... seems that we are on 243cm so far in December 2012. That's more than the whole of December 2012 (201cm) and just 3cm off the total for December 2008 and 2009. Remember, for December 2011 the number was 349cm and so a while to go yet. Can we reach that number? Today's rather unexpected clearer skies aside, consistent snowfall is still forecast tomorrow through Thursday. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Monday 24th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 463cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 33 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 345cm reported on 22 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com