Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 237cm Posted on Monday 4th December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here I have a long report this morning - please do read it all, I don't want it to be a waste of my time! First of all, the snow and weather report. Yesterday was a little warmer than we have been experiencing of late and this morning I have an additional 5cm to add to the reports. It is a really very lovely morning here in Niseko. I know 'lots of fresh fluffy dry snow' is the most lovely kind of morning; but this morning it's the 'sunny blue skies' kind of lovely. We haven't had many of those in recent weeks, so it's good to see everywhere looking all wintery in the sunshine. Beautiful. I want to get out there! Happily, it's colder again this morning. And these clear sunny skies won't last long. Actually, since I started putting this report together I feel there's a bit more cloud starting to gather. More cloud is due to move in during the day and it should be snowing once again by the end of tonight. Yey! --- A look back at the season so far: November 2017 As usual this season I will endeavour to post a recap at the beginning of each month so that I can gather my thoughts and make some comparisons. There’s often more behind simple numbers, of course, but it’s always fun to see how the season is shaping up compared with previous ones. Firstly, let’s look at how much snowfall I have measured myself here near the base of Hirafu over the last six years in November: November 2017: 188cm November 2016: 110cm November 2015: 61cm November 2014: 30cm November 2013: 123cm November 2012: 118cm Early this season is looking very good! Check out November 2014. What the heck was going on there!? Rubbish. BUT... a quick look at my own archives (below) shows how December 2014 came back in style with some very big snowfall numbers – even making the total snow haul up until the end of December that year the most in recent seasons. Omoshiroi ne! Looking a bit deeper at November 2017 - the numbers themselves look great, but what has been really great this year so far is how consistent the snowfall has been since the middle of November. Since November 13th, I have been able to add fresh cm of snowfall on 13 different days. Nice. Here’s how much snowfall I have recorded in the month of December over the last 5 seasons. The numbers in brackets show the total snowfall observed up until the end of December in each season. December 2016: 181cm (293cm) December 2015: 244cm (308cm) December 2014: 519cm (549cm) December 2013: 275cm (398cm) December 2012: 418cm (538cm) That’s a big range – from just under 2m last season to just over 5m in 2014. It’s going to be fun to see how much the total will be come the end of this month. I’ve already recorded 49cm of snowfall in these first few days of December, so it’s a good start to the month. Lastly, let’s take a look at the data that the Japan Meteorological Agency report from their observation station in Kutchan town: November 2017: 169cm November 2016: 171cm November 2015: 35cm November 2014: 41cm November 2013: 99cm November 2012: 98cm --- And here's something else I prepared yesterday. One person sent some interesting comments to me via SnowJapan regarding general ‘excitement’ for the season, and how he has observed how some folk (not me, happily) are somewhat conveniently re-writing what happened in previous seasons. Here’s my thoughts on that. If you have been reading my reports over the last few weeks, you’ll know that yes, I’m pretty excited about what is currently being served up this early season here in Niseko. It has undoubtedly been an excellent start to the season. What’s not to be happy about there. It seems though that some people are starting to borderline bad-mouth previous seasons when – at the time - they were hyping them up as being ‘Epic’ etc. Suddenly what was totally 'Epic' has now been degraded to being much less so, to make this season seem all the better. I have heard a few people around town saying things like that, but can’t say that I am really surprised. Excitement is good, but hype and marketing are different things. I think you’ll find that most people who are selling Niseko are going to be pretty much always talking things up at any given time; I suppose it goes with the territory and is understandable. Unfortunately, sometimes it becomes really difficult to know what is hype and what is genuine excitement. Happily, I am totally against the concept of serving up any kind of hype and marketing to you in these reports. If anything, I probably have a tendency to try and kick back against that. And anyway, I don’t have anything to sell to you either (neither does SnowJapan). So basically, if you sense me being excited, you can be pretty sure that I am genuinely excited and have real reason to be. Apart from the issue of misleading people, if everything is relentlessly being reported as ‘Epic’ (insert other Capitalised Adjective) all of the time - even when things aren’t actually really all that 'Epic' - what happens when things really are genuinely ‘Epic’? Well, enough of that for now. Let me just end my rather long report today by saying congratulations to the folk who took a bit of a gamble to be here at the very start of the season. They’re probably the ones with the biggest grins! --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -5℃, light dusts, calm. Moiwa800m: -6℃, light breeze, 15cm snowfall and no notable snowdrift development. Annupuri1000m: 135cm snowpack. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW9m/s, Kamui cape WSW2m/s, 1018hPa, 0.9m waves. The isobars are spread out and the weather is calm. A warm-front snowfall is blanketing the snowpack and will become a potential sliding layer in the future snowpack. The present snowpack above 800m is stable and the avalanche risk is low. The snow is in good shape, but a bit heavy and easy to have skis getting caught. Beware of hitting trees and falling into streams as they’re not fully buried and water flow is still high. Avalanches in Niseko are mostly caused by the collapsing of storm-affected snowdrifts. Hazard level rises also during heavy snowfall caused by passing low-pressure systems. The snow condition is ever changing. Using caution, especially during poor weather, will reduce the risks of accidents. The Niseko Rules are implemented in order to protect the freedom and the safety of out of bounds riding, and all resort users must abide by those rules. Have a nice day. --- Monday 4th December 2017 What's planned to be open today in Niseko (subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts operating: - Ace Number 3 Pair lift - Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift - Ace Family quad lift - King Number 3 quad lift - Hirafu Gondola - Holiday Number 1 pair lift - Swinging Monkey Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts operating: - Hanazono Number 1 quad lift - Hanazono Number 2 quad lift - Hanazono Number 3 quad lift Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 quad lift - Dream Number 1 quad lift Niseko Village Lifts operating: - Niseko Gondola - Banzai Chair - Community Chair --- Official resort snow depths on Monday 4th December 2017: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 190cm Base - 90cm Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Top - 140cm Base - 70cm Niseko Village Top - 135cm Base - 70cm --- Floodlit 'nighta' skiing schedule: Saturday 9th December 2017 until Sunday 18th March 2018 Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 4th December 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 237cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 15 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 29cm (20th November) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 49cm reported on 4 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 9cm Snowfall at base this season 160cm Posted on Sunday 3rd December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . It was a reasonably nice day in Furano today with the sun around and light snow from morning until afternoon. The new snow accumulation was a respectable 9cm for the day. So far the season is impressive in terms of snow fall and the huge amount that fell in November has set up a fantastic base all over the mountain. Tomorrow it looks like we will have a break from snow and may get some more sun. Furano Zone partially open. Kitanomine Zone closed. Furano Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Sunday 3rd December 2017 Total snowfall at base 160cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (30th November) November 2017 snowfall 125cm reported on 13 days December 2017 snowfall 35cm 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 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 16cm Snowfall at base this season 232cm Posted on Sunday 3rd December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko. It's still snowing! This morning I have another 16cm to add to the tally. It doesn't feel as cold this morning and a quick look at the thermometer (and forecast) shows that to be the case. (Still, don't worry, it's certainly not warm!) Perhaps there might be a break from snowfall tomorrow - maybe some sunshine? - before a return to it during the week. I think it's fair to say that the people who were able to be out skiing or snowboarding here enjoyed themselves yesterday. There are more people turning up now but it's still not peak season busy of course. I myself spent about four hours on the mountain; the time whizzed by, I really didn't want to finish up. All four of the resorts are open offering a lot of terrain and importantly... there are excellent snow conditions. What a wonderful start we are being treated to. :) --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6.00am: -5°, 10cm new snow, calm. Moiwa 800m WSW 8m/s, -10°, 20cm new snow, snowdrift slowly growing. Annupuri 1000m snowpack 135cm, cornice and snowdrift development. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:SSE3m/s. Kamui Cape WSW6m/s. Overnight 15-20cm of snow fell blanketing mountain. Around 3am a high pressure system moved bringing light winds. Around 800m leeward slopes on the west side have 60cm of new snow drift on top of the Nov 29th layer, from the past 3 days of light winds. According to tests there is no obvious weak layer and pack seems stable. Warm weather is expected with next low pressure system and 3rd Dec layer will become notable in future snow pack. Snow is not too light or too heavy, it is good. Bamboo and bushes are not buried yet, so take care riding off the runs. With the low light it is hard to see the contours of the snow. Its a bit early to ride out of the ski areas yet. Avoid having an accident, please respect Niseko Rules. The 21st Annual Niseko Avalanche meeting will be held at 6pm on the 5th Dec at Old Stone Warehouse in front of Niseko Station. Yamaguchi san of the NIED will be speaking. I recommend your attendance. The first aid and avalanche course by the Japanese Mountaineering Doctor Oshiro, sponsored by Japan Climbing Medicine World, finishes today. Beware of changes in weather and snow quality. Have a good day. --- Sunday 3rd December 2017 What's planned to be open today in Niseko (subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts operating: - Ace Number 3 Pair lift - Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift - Ace Family quad lift - King Number 3 quad lift - Hirafu Gondola - Holiday Number 1 pair lift - Swinging Monkey Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts operating: - Hanazono Number 1 quad lift - Hanazono Number 2 quad lift - Hanazono Number 3 quad lift Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 quad lift - Jumbo Number 2 pair lift - Dream Number 1 quad lift Niseko Village Lifts operating: - Niseko Gondola - Banzai Chair - Community Chair --- Official resort snow depths on Sunday 3rd December 2017: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 200cm Base - 80cm Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Top - 130cm Base - 60cm Niseko Village Top - 135cm Base - 70cm --- Floodlit 'nighta' skiing schedule: Saturday 9th December 2017 until Sunday 18th March 2018 Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Sunday 3rd December 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 232cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 14 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 29cm (20th November) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 44cm 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 8cm Snowfall at base this season 151cm Posted on Saturday 2nd December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Looks like a good day outside with light overcast skies but the light of the sun visible behind. There is a bit of a breeze but nothing significant and a few light flakes of snow coming down. The temperature is certainly cold at -9c and will gradually increase to around -5c today. Yesterday the top chair on the Furano Zone started so Technical and Panorama course are now accessible. Overnight snow is a very nice 8cm. Furano Zone partially open. Kitanomine Zone closed. Furano Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Saturday 2nd December 2017 Total snowfall at base 151cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 15 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (30th November) November 2017 snowfall 125cm reported on 13 days December 2017 snowfall 26cm 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 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 Hakuba region of Nagano New snowfall at base 9cm Snowfall at base this season 56cm Posted on Saturday 2nd December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Hakuba Now report can be found here . Good morning from Hakuba everyone. Snow started falling in the afternoon yesterday and this morning I am measuring 9cm of fresh snowfall. Once again in my reports this season, I will be telling you how much that I measure near (Happo-one) base, backed up with other numbers and observations I hear from colleagues. I will also report to you the snowfall numbers that the ski resorts themselves report. I'll make the numbers as clear as I possibly can. Do keep in mind of course that there will be more or less snow in every area. If you are by Hakuba Goryu base, you might well experience different numbers than I measure here at Happo-one; and different still if you are up at Hakuba Cortina. What I can promise you is consistency in what I am reporting. And of course, I have no control over what the resorts report! And when they report it. (Etc!) Anyway, enough of the disclaimers! Here's the fresh snowfall reported by the resorts this morning: - Hakuba 47: 15cm No other numbers I can find just at the moment but it looks like there should be a nice new layer of snow to play in on upper slopes. The currently cloudy skies are due to clear as the day goes on, and tomorrow we are expecting sunshine from early on. It should be a very fine day. And we can look forward to potentially decent snowfall in the first part of the coming week. Hakuba Happo-one Operating lifts: - Gondola Adam - Panorama pair lift - Alpen quad lift - Kokusai Number 1 pair lift - Kokusai Number 3 pair lift - Kurobishi Number 2 quad lift - Skyline Number 2 pair lift Courses open: - Panorama area - Usagidaira area - Kurobishi area - Skyline area Official snow depth: - Usagidaira: 100cm - Kurobishi: 130cm Hakuba Goryu Operating lifts: - Goryu Telecabin (gondola) - Alps Number 1 pair lift - Alps Number 3 pair lift Courses open: - Panorama - Grand Prix - Technical - Super Official snow depth: - Top: 105cm - Toomi: 5cm Hakuba 47 Operating lifts: - Line 8 Gondola - Line AB pair lift - Line C quad lift - Line E high speed pair lift Courses open: - Route 1 (* upper area only) - Route 2 - Route 3 - Route 4 - Route 5 - Route 6 - Route 8 Official snow depth: - Top: 95cm - Base: 10cm Tsugaike Kogen Operating lifts - EVE Gondola - Tsuga Number 2 pair lift (*** on hold at time of writing due to weather) - Han-no-ki high speed pair lift Courses open: - Tsuga-no-mori - Han-kou Official snow depth: - Top: 85cm Hakuba Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Saturday 2nd December 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 56cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 6 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 23cm (21st November) November 2017 snowfall 47cm reported on 5 days December 2017 snowfall 9cm 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 Hakuba. 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 1cm Snowfall at base this season 22cm Posted on Saturday 2nd December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Good morning from Nozawa. There is a light dusting of snowfall on the ground this morning down to base areas and I'm feeling on the generous side this morning and clocking up 1cm on the report. The resort is reporting another 5cm up on the top Yamabiko area. The resort has also opened the Uenotaira slopes as well now, so that adds another 2km or so of beginner/intermediate terrain available. Cloud cover over the mountain early on but things will probably get clearer later on and we are forecast sunshine through the day tomorrow with a high of around 7-8C at base. Operating lifts: - Nagasaka Gondola (8:40am until 3:30pm) - Yamabiko four lift (9:00am until 3:30pm) - Yamabiko Number 2 lift (8:55am until 3:40pm) - Uenotaira four lift (9:00am until 3:40pm) - * Need to get the gondola back down to base Planned open courses: - Yamabiko A - 1,300m - Yamabiko B - 800m - Yamabiko C - 850m - Yamabiko D - 1,250m - Yamabiko E - 1,000m - Yunomine B - Bunabayashi course - 2,500 - Uenotaira - 2000m Fresh snowfall - reported by the resort: - Yamabiko (1407m): 5cm - Uenotaira (1230m): 5cm - Hikage (660m): 0cm - Nagasaka (615m): 0cm - Karasawa (563m): 0cm Official snow depth numbers: - Yamabiko (1407m): 40cm - Uenotaira (1230m): 35cm - Hikage (660m): 10cm - Nagasaka (615m): 10cm - Karasawa (563m): 5cm Nozawa Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Saturday 2nd December 2017 Total snowfall at base 22cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 14cm (21st November) November 2017 snowfall 21cm reported on 2 days December 2017 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 12cm Snowfall at base this season 216cm Posted on Saturday 2nd December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning everyone. And since my report yesterday, nature has been very kind and served us another 12cm of lovely fresh snowfall at base. I am keen to find out how much more there has been on the mountain. Light snow is falling at the moment. It's cold too. With all this snow early in the season, we're seeing more terrain open up from today. From today, all four of the main resort areas of Niseko United at are (at least part) - largely? - open, and hopefully we'll be able to ski from one to the other. There's a bunch more lifts doing their thing from this morning and more terrain opening up. It's not entirely clear right now just how much but I'm going out myself and hopefully I'll be able to make the situation clearer tomorrow. Definitely enough to have a fantastic day if you are lucky enough to be here at the moment! See below for an updated list of the planned lift operations. I believe nearby Niseko Moiwa is also open from today. Night skiing 'nighta' is scheduled to start for the season from next Saturday at Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri. (Note that there is no nighta at the Hanazono area). I will post my 'November recap' in my report on Monday. Now that all of the resort areas are open, I'll also do a bit of re-organising with the report. Oh yes... Forecast: regular snowfall over the coming days. :) Happy days! I hope that you have a very good Saturday, wherever you are. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am -8℃, 15cm snowfall, Moiwa800m WNW10m/s, -12℃, 30cm snowfall, gradual development of snowdrifts and cornices, light storm, poor visibility. Annupuri1000m W15m/s, 40cm snowfall, developing snowdrifts and cornices. Coastal data Benkei cape NW15m/s, Kamui cape WSW11m/s, 1020hPa, 2.0m waves. The isobars are spread out and the weather is relatively calm, however snowfall and wind persists above 800m. Snowdrifts and cornices are still slowly developing. No notable fractures in the snowpack were observed during the pressure test in the morning. The snow is generally stable. Many of the avalanche accidents occur during and just after storms. Leeward steep slopes and knoll terrain have slabs of wind-affected unstable snow. These types of slopes are dangerous at all time and can slide with the slightest stimulation. The snow in the trees is in good shape, however bushes are still thick and out of bounds access from the resort is still restricted. Please be patient and refrain from ducking ropes. The light is weak and bumps are hard to notice, always be cautious, make conservative judgment and come back safe. A mistake was found in yesterday’s information. Sincere apologies to Doctor Oshiro for misspelling her name. Have a nice day. --- Saturday 2nd December 2017 What's planned to be open today in Niseko (subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts operating: - Ace Number 3 Pair lift (8:40am until 3:30pm) - Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift (8:30am until 3:10pm) - Ace Family quad lift (8:30am until 3:30pm) - King Number 3 quad lift (8:40am until 3:30pm) - Hirafu Gondola (8:30am until 3:10pm) - Holiday Number 1 pair lift (8:30am until 3:30pm) - Swinging Monkey (8:40am until 3:00pm) Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts operating: - Hanazono Number 1 quad lift (8:30am until 3:30pm) - Hanazono Number 2 quad lift (8:40am until 3:30pm) - Hanazono Number 3 quad lift (8:50am until 3:00pm) Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola (8:30am until 3:15pm) - Jumbo Number 1 quad lift (8:30am until 4:00pm) - Jumbo Number 2 pair lift (9:00am until 3:15pm) - Dream Number 1 quad lift (9:00am until 4:00pm) Courses open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Silver - Paradise - Family - Junior Niseko Village Lifts operating: - Niseko Gondola (8:30am until 3:00pm) - Banzai Chair (8:30am until 4:00pm) - Community Chair (8:30am until 4:00pm) --- Official resort snow depths on Saturday 2nd December 2017: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 190cm Base - 70cm Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Top - 130cm Base - 60cm Niseko Village Top - 135cm Base - 60cm --- Floodlit 'nighta' skiing schedule: Saturday 9th December 2017 until Sunday 18th March 2018 Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Saturday 2nd December 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 216cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 13 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 29cm (20th November) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 28cm 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 Myoko region of Niigata New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 66cm Posted on Saturday 2nd December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here . We're in December, the ski area opening official ceremony was held yesterday, and snow is falling. Everything seems to be in order for the month of opening the mountain. Locals were saying (as the folks from the local shrine whisked us with paper streamers and saké was flowing) that this is the first time in 30+ years that there was snow on the ground for the opening party, I put that partly down to the saké - I remember there was an early opening in November less than 20 years ago - but it's true that snow tends to be iffy right up until Christmas. So, even if we don't see huge accumulations for a while, don't worry because when it comes, it comes. Official planned season ski resort opening dates: Saturday 9th December 2017: Akakura Onsen Friday 15th December 2017: Akakura Kanko Saturday 16th December 2017: Ikenotaira Onsen Kyukamura RunRun Lotte Arai Resort Tangram Ski Circus Madarao Kogen Sunday 17th December 2017: Myoko Ski Park Saturday 23rd December 2017: Myoko Suginohara Seki Onsen Kurohime Kogen Snow Park Myoko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Saturday 2nd December 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 66cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 4 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 23cm (19th November) November 2017 snowfall 61cm reported on 3 days December 2017 snowfall 5cm 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 Myoko. 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 18cm Snowfall at base this season 143cm Posted on Friday 1st December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . There has been another good snowfall overnight with 18cm on the ground right here in the village. I would expect substantially more than that at the top of the resort and it should be really light powder. The terrain the resort has opened up is still very limited, which is a pity given all the snow we have had. Fingers crossed more will be open by the weekend. Today is around -7c right now and won't get a lot warmer than that. Conditions are overcast with some very light snow falling and it will remain like this for the rest of the day, and we can expect similar conditions through the weekend. Furano Zone partially open. Kitanomine Zone closed. Furano Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Friday 1st December 2017 Total snowfall at base 143cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 14 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (30th November) November 2017 snowfall 125cm reported on 13 days December 2017 snowfall 18cm 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 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 16cm Snowfall at base this season 204cm Posted on Friday 1st December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Ho ho ho! It's December! I have lots to report this morning, so let's get to it. First of all... fresh snow. It's a very nice start to the month with 16cm of fresh snow to start things off. Good quality stuff too with temperatures keeping very low... it's really cold out there. As I am writing this, it is generally very cloudy with light snowing right now in places, though not so in others - I see some sunshine over on the Hanazono webcam. The forecast, though, is snow for today, tomorrow and indeed regular snowfall right through well into next week. Excellent. --- Today sees Niseko Village open for the season and they have their Gondola and the Banzai Chair lift operating. Today is also the debut of the new Ace Family Quad lift at Niseko Grand Hirafu. And if you are one of the first 150 people getting there this morning you will get some kind of 'present'. (Sorry, I know I'm probably too late with that particular piece of information!) This new quad lift replaces the Ace Family pair lift and doubles the hourly riding capacity to 2400 folk. Both the base starting point of the lift and the top station have also changed position - the top now extends to the Sen-no-ki course by the upper area of the Family course. The Dai-ni-no-kabe and Kogen courses are no longer open at Niseko Grand Hirafu this morning; not exactly sure why that is. The previously mentioned new Dream Number 1 quad lift at Niseko Annupuri is also scheduled to start moving today. ...and then tomorrow sees the opening of Niseko Hanazono resort area. Great to see the official Niseko Avalanche Report starting up again. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu to all involved in this great work. Phew! All action at the moment! Have a good one and see you tomorrow. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -8℃, 15cm snowfall, light breeze. Moiwa800m: NW10m/s, 100cm snowpack, snowdrifts developing. Annupuri1000m: 140cm snowpack. Coastal info: Benkei cape NW12m/s, Kamui cape W6m/s, 1015hPa, 1.7m waves. We’re starting the Avalanche info as the winter has come earlier than usual. The resorts are opening, however out of bounds area are still restricted for skiing. The snowpack is building steadily, however bumpy terrains are not fully buried. Be careful as they’re hard to see when the light is low. Bamboo and bushes are still thick out of bounds. Snowdrifts are building slowly above 800m as the winter weather pattern continues. Avalanche risk is relatively low today. Do not duck ropes, please respect the Niseko Rules. The 21st Niseko Avalanche Meeting will be held at the Niseko Station Warehouse from 6pm on the 5th Dec. This event is organized by the Niseko Avalanche Accident prevention Committee. A lecture by Mr. Satoru Yamaguchi from the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience is schedule. Anybody is welcome to come participate. A First Aid course by Japanese Society of Mountain Medicine will be held at Kanro no Mori from 1st to 3rd Dec. The latest medicinal approach to mountain related first aid will be taught by Dr Kazue Ooki. Be safe out there and have a great season. --- Friday 1st December 2017 What's planned to be open today in Niseko (subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts operating: - Ace Number 3 Pair lift (8:40am until 3:30pm) - Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift (8:30am until 3:10pm) - The new Ace Family Quad lift (8:30am until 3:30pm) Courses open: - Shirakaba - Center Course - Green - Detour for beginners - Kokutai - Alpen - Super (upper) - Furiko Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola (8:30am until 3:15pm) - Jumbo Number 1 quad lift (8:30am until 4:00pm) - Dream Number 1 quad lift (9:00am until 4:00pm) Courses open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Paradise - Junior Niseko Village Lifts operating: - Niseko Gondola (8:30am until 3:00pm) - Banzai Chair (8:30am until 4:00pm) - Community Chair (8:30am until 4:00pm) Courses open: - Can ski from top to base --- Official resort snow depths on Friday 1st December 2017: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 185cm Base - 70cm Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Top - ?cm Base - 50cm Niseko Village Top - 120cm Base - 50cm --- Remaining planned season opening dates: Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 2nd December 2017 until Sunday 8th April 2018 Floodlit 'nighta' skiing schedule: Saturday 9th December 2017 until Sunday 18th March 2018 Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Friday 1st December 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 204cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 12 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 29cm (20th November) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 16cm 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 25cm Snowfall at base this season 125cm Posted on Thursday 30th November 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . After some tropical weather over the last couple of days snow cover on the ground was erased in a lot of places. Today is a total contrast to that with temperatures back into the wintery zone. It is -6c at the moment and is expected to stay that way through the day. There is 25cm of new snow in the village. It is snowing lightly and that is forecast to continue right through until the weekend. It should be an epic day on the mountain with all this fresh snow, and hopefully the resort will open up more terrain now. Furano Zone partially open. Kitanomine Zone closed. Furano Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Thursday 30th November 2017 Total snowfall at base 125cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 13 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (30th November) November 2017 snowfall 125cm 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 188cm Posted on Thursday 30th November 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It's noticeably colder this morning with my thermometer outside telling me it's -7C. Nothing a good warm jacket, layers and mask can't fix - watch out for wind-chill today. There is slightly over 5cm of fresh snow on the ground here at my base station this morning. That takes my November total snowfall measurements up to 188cm. I'll take a look back over November in a report over the next few days and will try to keep that monthly recap going each month over the season. As I put this report together light snow is falling and it's generally rather cloudy with probably limited visibility out on the slopes. The forecast is looking good for regular snowfall through into next week too so we should be on for a very fine start to December. Niseko Village of course plans to open from tomorrow and then Hanazono on Saturday. I would expect (and hope) that more of Grand Hirafu and Annupuri might be able to open up too. --- Thursday 30th November 2017 What's planned to be open today in Niseko (subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts operating: - Ace Number 3 Pair lift (8:40am until 3:30pm) - Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift (8:30am until 3:10pm) Courses open: - Shirakaba - Center Course - Green - Detour for beginners - Kokutai - Dai-ni-no-kabe - Kogen - Alpen - Super (upper) - Furiko Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola (8:30am until 5:15pm) - Jumbo Number 1 quad lift (8:30am until 3:30pm) Courses open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Paradise - Junior --- Official resort snow depthsThursday 30th November 2017: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 170cm Base - 55cm Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Top - ?cm Base - 50cm --- Remaining planned season opening dates: Niseko Village: Friday 1st December 2017 until Sunday 8th April 2018 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 2nd December 2017 until Sunday 8th April 2018 Floodlit 'nighta' skiing schedule: Saturday 9th December 2017 until Sunday 18th March 2018 Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Thursday 30th November 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 188cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 11 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 29cm (20th November) November 2017 snowfall 188cm 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