Independent snow and weather reporting from the Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 12cm Snowfall at base this season 505cm Posted on Tuesday 23rd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Original morning report Morning from Shiga Kogen. Moderate snowfall as we approach 9am and the kind that feels like it is going to be building up nicely. Bit of a wind. Cold, but not crazy cold. But yes, it feels like this might be the start of the storm we're all expecting lots from. Anyway for now there's 12cm to report... Hopefully lots more over the next few days. The forecast is still good for lots of snow. And I will of course let you know. Update early afternoon: Kusatsu Shirane eruption It is starting to make international news so you might be hearing about this. There was a volcanic eruption at Mt Shirane this morning and with an associated avalanche there have been some injuries over at the Kusatsu Kokusai ski resort. Mt Shirane and the Kusatsu Kokusai ski resort are geographically close Shiga Kogen, though not connected. The nearest ski resort area of Shiga Kogen is Yokoteyama in the southern area. There does not seem to be any disruption over on this Shiga Kogen side of the mountain. And with the wind blowing from a westerly direction, any ash or rocks have been going over towards Kusatsu rather than Shiga Kogen. I did not feel anything either. Anyway, thoughts with anyone involved in this situation and I hope to bring you further information in my report tomorrow. Shiga Kogen Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 505cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 44 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 47cm (4th January) November 2017 snowfall 47cm reported on 6 days December 2017 snowfall 276cm reported on 21 days January 2018 snowfall 182cm 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 Shiga Kogen. 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 Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 9cm Snowfall at base this season 390cm Posted on Tuesday 23rd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Did you see the images from the Kanto area last night with all that snow falling in Tokyo? It's amazing how just 5-10cm or so can cause so many problems. Or is it amazing how we can cope with such a lot of snow when it arrives. Of course, for us here in Nozawa 10cm is on the lower end of a decent delivery of snowfall and we can cope with metres in a week. Talking of which... We also have 9cm here since yesterday but this morning curiously started with generally fine weather. Some low cloud and fog covering lower base areas still, but there was a bit of sun up top earlier - though it is already clouding over. And we do have that snow set to start again soon. And most importantly the forecast still shows heavy snowfall over the next few days with snow clouds remaining over Nozawa through the weekend. A nice consistent 30-40cm of light dry fluffy flakes each day please. I'll update you again tomorrow. Nozawa Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 390cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 30 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 53cm (27th December) November 2017 snowfall 21cm reported on 2 days December 2017 snowfall 217cm reported on 16 days January 2018 snowfall 152cm reported on 12 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 Nozawa Onsen. 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 Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 7cm Snowfall at base this season 484cm Weather overview Cloud, snow Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Fair to limited Posted on Tuesday 23rd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . Good morning. It's snowing. Not mad yet, but the forecast is still there and looking good. So strap yourself in and let's get snowed on! I look forward to writing the next few reports. Madarao Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 484cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 26 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 58cm (on 27th December) November 2017 snowfall 60cm reported on 3 days December 2017 snowfall 280cm reported on 13 days January 2018 snowfall 144cm 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 Madarao. 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 729cm Posted on Tuesday 23rd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning and welcome to a special Tokyo Now! report and I have around 10cm of fresh snow to report to you with lots of problems being caused by this 'heavy' snowfall. Hope that things get back to normal quickly down there. And now, onto Niseko Now! and I have 1cm of snow to report to you. Doh! Yes, it's one of those rare cases when Tokyo got more fresh snowfall than us up here in Niseko. Just a dusting here - I feel just about justified in awarding the reports 1cm this morning. But not to fear. Because by the end of today we should be into heavy snow (and likely also strong winds, unfortunately). So while the start of the day is seeming pretty decent, things are due to change. We are still due to get regular snow over the coming week, so fingers crossed for a lot. I have to get my report up there a little early this morning - top lifts probably affected at the start of today. Available info updated below. Take care, wherever you are! --- Some more comments, observations and questions answered This rather long message is being posted on all the daily ‘Now’ report pages on SnowJapan today, so it does not apply to any one report section. Long-time readers may well remember a similar message posted last season. This is a modified and updated re-write of that message. As we head into what looks set to be a very exciting and snowy week in Japan, we wanted to share some comments and respond to some more frequently asked questions regarding the daily reports on SnowJapan. Many people rely on our reporting to find out how the Japan winter season is shaping up. We take that responsibility very seriously and the integrity of our reports is extremely important to us. The individuals who post the reports are told that it is fine to get very excited when conditions are excellent and there’s lots of snow falling. And hopefully you’ll see that in action this week! But at the same time, we believe that it is essential to also report things that are less exciting; like crusty spring-like snow conditions in mid-January or nasty rain. That kind of reporting is not ‘being negative’ - it’s simply reporting what is happening. Whatever is happening, that is what should be in the reports. Even if none of us particularly like it. Forgive us for saying it again, but it’s important: one of the things that makes SnowJapan unique is the fact that we are not here to convince you to visit any one region of Japan. We’re not here to ask you to book accommodation, or to join tours, or to take ski lessons. We’re not asking you to buy anything. Rather, we are here to provide independent and correct information from around Japan – information that is free from the inevitable pressures of having to sell and market specific services. Some people would seemingly prefer everyone believe that snow conditions are always close to what the marketing blurb says, whatever the actual reality is. By ignoring things when they are less than perfect or publishing information that is misleading, at best. There was one good example yesterday. We were really disappointed to see a popular ski resort classifying their base area snow conditions as “powder” – after a week of almost no fresh snowfall, some rain and generally mild conditions. While it is absolutely true that different people have different standards and levels of expectation, no-one could reasonably describe those conditions as “powder”. We’re not going to get into naming names, but we think that’s a pretty bad thing to do. We feel that (surely!) anyone visiting a ski resort would prefer to have honest reporting over something that just reads like a marketing brochure. So, we just want to take this opportunity once again to assure our readers that even with ever increasing pressures to do otherwise, we won’t be changing the thinking behind our reports. Each of our regional reports is written by a different person. So, it is natural that each has its own personality or character. Some of the reports are longer than others. Some of the reports are shorter than others. Some of the reports are more light-hearted in nature. Some of them cover one ski resort - like Madarao, Naeba, Furano. Some of them cover a much wider region - like Niseko, Hakuba and Yuzawa. Posting a daily report every day through the season is a considerable commitment. Reports may sometimes appear later than usual, or a report might be missed, or might be shorter than usual, etc… We are not claiming that our reports are perfect and know that we will never satisfy everyone with our output, but we do try to provide the best reports possible. ** More on that kind of thing here. ---- While we are at it, here are a few other quick points that we made in our season end message last year. About the SnowJapan ‘observed fresh snowfall’ data The ‘observed fresh snowfall’ that we publish on each of our reports is the amount of snowfall that our reporters see with their own eyes and measure every day. It is taken from base area levels. Why base areas? The reason for that is because it is the only place where a reliable measurement can be taken on a consistent basis every day throughout the season. Does more snow fall at higher elevations on mountain than at base? In most cases - absolutely. And in some regions/resorts, much more so than others. Within the text of our reports we try to report any fresh snowfall data that the ski resorts themselves are reporting from the mountain each morning - another reason why we want to wait for that information in a morning. But it would be impossible for us to report from ‘higher up’ every day. Issues include the ability to get up top every morning (lifts might be closed); where exactly to take measurements from; how we would go about measuring ‘fresh snowfall’ over the period of 24 hours at a location. Remember, we’re not a ski resort. So, the only place that we can reliably and consistently report from each morning is base. ”You under-report snow!” or ”You over-report snow!” No, we really don’t. Our reporters report what they see with their own eyes and measure themselves. Yes, there will be more (or less) snow falling in areas nearby. Nature doesn’t evenly distribute snowfall. Someone visiting the same ski resort may well experience something slightly different. And actually, both may well be correct. Microclimates and the like. That’s nature for you. Our measurements are coming to you from the same spot every day - generally very close to ski resort base lifts - and they are being reported by the same trusted individual who is not inclined to exaggerate. Note: If you do feel something in our reports is wildly off the mark, please do let us know and we will certainly look into it. “Why don’t you report more about actual quality of the snow?” Different people have greatly different expectations and different points of reference when it comes to snow conditions so unless things are indisputably excellent or indisputably rubbish, we feel it’s probably best to avoid going into that kind of detail every day. “Why is there more snow being reported on the ‘A Now’ report than ‘B Now’ report?” That will be because more snow is being observed at base in ‘A’ than in ‘B’. It’s as simple as that. Snowfall at higher elevations may well be a different matter - so please read the reports for such details... We recommend you don’t spent much time comparing the snowfall numbers between regions We totally understand the temptation to directly compare the snowfall numbers for the different areas, but we recommend that you don’t. If you must though, at least be sure to look beyond just the headline numbers. Some regions simply get less snow at base than other regions - but base snowfall is far from being the full story. If you are contemplating visiting one of the regions covered by our reports, we highly recommend that you spend time looking beyond just the headlines and read the full reports - including our archive reporting from previous seasons. Only that way will you get a true and detailed picture of what is happening and get an idea of how the snow falls in each of the regions and what to expect on-mountain. --- This week looks like it is going to be a big week of snow in many regions. That’s what we all want. So here’s to some fresh deep conditions over the coming days, weeks and months. Thank you for reading! If you want to contact us, you can do so here. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -5℃, no snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -13.8℃, E6.9m/s, quick development of snowdrifts due to easterly wind. Annupuri 1150m: -9℃, E15m/s, snow. Hirafu1250m: -9℃, E15m/s with drastic snowdrift development. Coastal data: Benkei cape SW3m/s, Kamui cape ENE8m/s, 1003hPa, 0.6m waves. A strong easterly wind is blowing towards a small low pressure on the Sea of Japan. Stormy condition above 1000m elevation. Snowdrifts from low-pressure snowfall are growing, and easily slides from Jan 22nd layer (about 20cm thickness). The wind will momentarily settle down, however a westerly-wind storm is forecasted to pick up through tomorrow. The avalanche risk will drastically rise as the storm picks up. 500+ people hiked up to the Annupuri peak yesterday. The patrol and avalanche institute team is relieved that no major accidents happened. We are grateful to everyone that respects the Niseko Rules. The Avalanche Report will pause for 2 days from tomorrow. There is no 100% safety in the winter mountains. Be flexible and plan according to the weather. Precaution is key to avoid accidents. --- Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Resort specific information (operations subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from King Number 2 are generally operating - Top lifts on hold at the start of the day due to winds - 'Early Morning' services from 8:00am until 8:20am (Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift). Until 28th January. 500 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 365cm - Base: 165cm Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts are generally operating - Top lift on hold at the start of the day due to winds Official snow depth: - Top: 290cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Village Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from the Country Road Chair lift should be operating - Likely disruption to top lift early morning - 'Early Gondola' service from 7:30am until 8:30am (Niseko Gondola). January 27th-28th; February 3rd-4th. 1,400 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 290cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 729cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 56 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (21st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 135cm reported on 18 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 7cm Snowfall at base this season 425cm Posted on Monday 22nd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . It is a cold morning and it won't get much warmer during the day. It is -9c now and will only rise up to -7c by midday, and just remember that is the temperature in the town so it will be a bit colder than that at the top of the resort. Furano received 12cm yesterday and this morning there has been a further top up of 7cm. It is certainly pretty heavy snow at the village level anyway. Looking up at the resort there is early morning cloud rolling down the slopes to the base level. This will probably lift later leaving a mainly overcast day. Kitanomine Zone open. Furano Zone open. Furano Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 22nd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 425cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 48 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (5th December) November 2017 snowfall 125cm reported on 13 days December 2017 snowfall 206cm reported on 22 days January 2018 snowfall 94cm reported on 13 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 Furano. 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 Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 493cm Posted on Monday 22nd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Hello and good morning from Shiga Kogen. It is cloudy at the moment but there is a thin layer of fresh snow to report since yesterday once those clouds moved in later in the day. Good to see a return to colder conditions and we are now expecting a week of cold and snow. Lots of it. If you are planning to be here this week - be prepared! Shiga Kogen Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 22nd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 493cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 43 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 47cm (4th January) November 2017 snowfall 47cm reported on 6 days December 2017 snowfall 276cm reported on 21 days January 2018 snowfall 170cm 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 Shiga Kogen. 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 Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 381cm Posted on Monday 22nd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Good morning! After that clear start to the day yesterday, clouds did move in and... Snow! It's good to see fresh snow around this morning - not massive amounts, but we can wait another day or two for that. Think of this as a starter. The resort is reporting 5cm at lower Hikage and Karasawa areas and 15cm up on the top Yamabiko areas. So you know where to head this morning. Just cloudy skies at the moment and things are going to be keeping colder today - with a good chance of more snowfall later on today/tonight. And that forecast is still looking really promising. I can't wait to bring you news of big snow this week! Fresh snowfall since yesterday (as reported by the resort): - Yamabiko (1407m): 15cm - Uenotaira (1230m): 5cm - Hikage (660m): 5cm - Nagasaka (615m): 5cm - Karasawa (563m): -cm Official snow depth numbers: - Yamabiko (1407m): 245cm - Uenotaira (1230m): 190cm - Hikage (660m): 130cm - Nagasaka (615m): 120cm - Karasawa (563m): 90cm Lifts operations: - All scheduled lifts should be operating as normal - The Yunomine pair, Mizunashi triple, Challenge pair and Utopia pair lifts usually rested on weekdays The following courses either closed (or not fully available): - Challenge 39 - Grand Prix - Kandahar Nozawa Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 22nd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 381cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 29 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 53cm (27th December) November 2017 snowfall 21cm reported on 2 days December 2017 snowfall 217cm reported on 16 days January 2018 snowfall 143cm 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 Nozawa Onsen. 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 Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 8cm Snowfall at base this season 477cm Weather overview Cloud Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Fair Posted on Monday 22nd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . Good morning. It is going to be a very good week. I can feel it. We have a modest amount of fresh snow on the ground this morning - the resort is reporting 10cm; I am measuring 8cm - but this is just the start of what looks set to be one of the snowiest weeks of the season. Once it starts snowing again later today, we're expecting it to pretty much continue right through until Saturday and at times it be coming down at a really fast rate. Sounds like Tokyo is going too get snow today. They aren't used to it like we are so there may well be transportation disruption depending on how that pans out. Anyway, expectations are very high - let's hope it lives up to them! Madarao Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 22nd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 477cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 25 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 58cm (on 27th December) November 2017 snowfall 60cm reported on 3 days December 2017 snowfall 280cm reported on 13 days January 2018 snowfall 137cm 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 Madarao. 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 728cm Posted on Monday 22nd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hurray!, after snow (and wind) during the day yesterday I have double digit fresh snowfall numbers to report this morning - a very reasonable 16cm. And I see lots of people lined up waiting for the lifts to get going. But there's a lot more to come this week, with some very decent snowfall being forecast by... the forecasts... into the weekend and beyond. It looks like it should be a very good week for snow, which is what I love to report. And not only here in Hokkaido but lots of regions of Japan are set to get snowed on. Even Tokyo, which is set to get some snow today. Of course they don't like getting snow and it causes all sorts of problems (cue video on the national news of people slipping on the snow, along with some instantly broken umbrellas), so it would be good if it just fell in the areas that want it. Like, us. Hopefully wind won't cause too many problems. Light snow is falling as I write this report and snow on and off is what seems to be on the local forecasts for the day, though there's actually a bit of sun shining through a break in the clouds over to the east. All ski resort areas appear to be opening as planned this morning - check for gate info. Let's get ready for it. It should be a good week and a very positive last section of the month. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -10℃, 15cm snowfall with snowdrifts. Moiwa 800m: -13℃, W15m/s, large snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: -17℃, W15/s, 15cm snowfall with large snowdrifts. Hirafu1250m: -19℃, 20cm snowfall, mild wind with occasional gusts. Benkei cape: NW15m/s, Kamai cape: WSW12m/s, 1019hPa, 2.6m waves. The isobars were tight and the wind stayed strong until late night, the leeward aspects have heavy load of snowdrifts and the avalanche risk is high above 800m. The wind is forecasted to calm down, the gates opening is still undetermined, but working on it. Please follow the patrol’s instructions. The avalanche risk in the Backbowl, Osawa, Higashi-One is high, please refrain from going too far even after the gate open. Avalanche swipes the whole valley at 100+km/h. Better stay away from the bottom to be able to avoid. Traversing knolls and steep slopes can trigger a slide at anytime. Never traverse avalanche terrain. The tree runs are filled with slightly heavy, wind affected snow, very good conditions. Please be mindful of your tour route. Being careful will prevent most accidents. Have you turned your beacon on? Helmet? Not obligatory, but strongly recommended. Beware of frostbites. The Niseko Rules exist to protect the safety and freedom of out of bounds riding. Please respect the Rules. Stormy days will persist throughout the week. We hope no accidents will happen. --- Monday 22nd January 2018 Resort specific information (operations subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from King Number 2 should be operating - 'Early Morning' services from 8:00am until 8:20am (Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift). Until 28th January. 500 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 375cm - Base: 175cm Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts are generally operating Official snow depth: - Top: 290cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Village Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from the Country Road Chair lift should be operating - 'Early Gondola' service from 7:30am until 8:30am (Niseko Gondola). January 27th-28th; February 3rd-4th. 1,400 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 290cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 22nd January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 728cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 55 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (21st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 134cm reported on 17 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 6cm Snowfall at base this season 712cm Posted on Sunday 21st January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here This morning I have another 6cm of snowfall to report since yesterday and I see the report below mentioning up to 15cm of fresh higher up. That 6cm takes my observed (base level) snowfall up to 118cm for the first 21 reports of January 2018. We may get some more snow during today and into tomorrow with the really decent snowfall still there on the forecasts from around Wednesday onwards. Since I started putting this report together there have been some breaks in the clouds with even a bit of sunshine peeking through in some places - though the sun is hidden again now. And it is snowing! Wind appears to be affecting the Gondola and top lift at Annupuri as well as the day begins - see below for individual ski-jo information as of 8:30am. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6.00am: -8°, 5cm new snow, wind effected snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -12°, W7.6m/s, 5pm to this morning was around W12m/s, peaking at 17.4m/s at midnight, snowdrift development. Annupuri 1100m: -13°, NW16.3m/s - maximum21.1m/s. Hirafu 1250m: -13°, 15cm new snow, light winds, ridgeline snowdrift development. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:NW13m/s. Kamui Cape: W11m/s,1014hPa, wave 2.2m. After the passing of the low pressure system yesterday afternoon a westerly wind and snow picked up. Although the amount of snow wasn’t that much, cornices and drifts above 800m had rapid development. Leeward snowdrifts are not yet stabilised. There is 30-50cm layer on top of the Jan 20th low pressure snowfall layer that is easily fracturing. The avalanche risk is high on leeward slopes above 800m this morning. Hirafu and Annupuri peak gates are expected to be closed. Do not duck ropes to enter Osawa cornice face, East Ridge cornice slope, Strictly Off Limits areas Haru no Taki or Yuno Sawa. Most avalanche accidents occur during blizzards, where snowdrifts are quickly turning to slabs. During blizzards all leeward slopes should be considered high risk for avalanches. The snowdrift growth is hard and heavy, prone to surface slab avalanches trigged by rider stimulation. Snow conditions change everyday, do not disregard the danger of avalanches. This week we will have a strengthening typical cold winter weather pattern and the snowstorm is expected to continue. Make a reasonable action plan. The snow in the trees is good but heavy. --- Sunday 21st January 2018 Resort specific information (operations subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from King Number 2 should be operating - The top Ace Number 4 and King Number 4 lifts are on hold at start of the day due to strong winds - 'Early Morning' services from 8:00am until 8:20am (Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift). Until 28th January. 500 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 370cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts are generally operating - Gondola and top Jumbo Number 4 lifts on hold at start of the day due to strong winds Official snow depth: - Top: 290cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Village Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from the Country Road Chair lift should be operating - 'Early Gondola' service from 7:30am until 8:30am (Niseko Gondola). January 27th-28th; February 3rd-4th. 1,400 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 280cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Sunday 21st January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 712cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 54 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (21st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 118cm 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 406cm Posted on Saturday 20th January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Magical! That is the word that comes to mind as I look up and see a bluebird morning with the sky looking absolutely perfect and the sun out in full force. There is only the slightest of breeze detectable but winds are expected to pick up a little in the afternoon. While the sky and sun are the positives, overnight snow is only a 2cm dusting so there will be no change to the firm packed slopes. Light snow is possible during the day. Overall it is a fantastic morning so I'd advise anyone to forgo the coffee and get up there asap. Kitanomine Zone open. Furano Zone open. Furano Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Saturday 20th January 2018 Total snowfall at base 406cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 46 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (5th December) November 2017 snowfall 125cm reported on 13 days December 2017 snowfall 206cm reported on 22 days January 2018 snowfall 75cm 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 Furano. 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 706cm Posted on Saturday 20th January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning everyone on this lovely Saturday morning. This morning I have 5cm of snow to report this morning - this is snow that fell from the skies during the day yesterday with no more overnight, and so again it's not enough to fill in tracks. But it's good quality snow all the same. OK, I'm greedy - and needy! - and am really ready for us to get back to some decent snowfall numbers rather than this faffing around with single digit numbers! And the coming week is looking good with regular snowfall due every day, perhaps starting later on today. Look to mid-week for the best chance of those bigger numbers and complete resets. In the meantime, it is a beautiful morning here. The sun is out and there's just some calm looking thin cloud hanging around. That in itself is a good excuse to strap on the board(s). It is nice and cold early on but temperatures are forecast to rise to close on zero later on before dropping again tonight and into tomorrow. Until tomorrow! --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6.00am: -10°, no new snow, calm. Moiwa 800m: -9.4°, NW2.8m/s, trace new snow, minor snowdrift development. Annupuri 1100m: -11°, WNW3.5m/s, trace new snow. Hirafu 1250m: -11°, no new snow, calm, good visibility. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:SW4m/s. Kamui Cape: SSW9m/s,1015hPa, wave 0.9m. Temperatures dropped overnight with a clear sky. Low pressure snowfall and a rise in temperature is expected from around noon. From observation and tests the general avalanche risk is low. All gates are expected to be open. Please listen to the patrols advice. Be prepared before venturing outside the gates. Currently we are between a high and low pressure system and the winds are light, but they are expected to increase. Be careful of a sudden change in the weather. The weather in mountains can change quickly. Although the government does not officially recognize Niseko Rules, through the use them you are allowed to ride out of bounds. Niseko Rules were first conceived to keep the out of bounds areas open while at the same time stop the alarming number of accidents that were happening on the mountain. Selfish interpretation and criticism of Niseko Rules risk the survival of them. Understanding and cooperation from all users is needed ensure the continuation of our current freedoms out of bounds. Please respect and follow Niseko Rules. Out of bounds is all tracked up. Its not that good but fresh lines can still be found. Be careful falling into cracks and crashing into trees. Have a good day. --- Saturday 20th January 2018 Resort specific information (operations subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from King Number 2 should be operating - 'Early Morning' services from 8:00am until 8:20am (Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift). Until 28th January. 500 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 370cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts are generally operating Official snow depth: - Top: 290cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Village Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from the Country Road Chair lift should be operating - 'Early Gondola' service from 7:30am until 8:30am (Niseko Gondola). January 20th-21st, 27th-28th; February 3rd-4th. 1,400 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 280cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Saturday 20th January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 706cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 53 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (21st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 112cm reported on 15 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com