Independent snow and weather reporting from the Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 27cm Posted on Wednesday 6th December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Morning from Nozawa and yes, we have some fresh snow on the ground. I am measuring 5cm of fresh here near base, and the resort is reporting up to 25cm of fresh snow up on the open Yamabiko area. So it should be very nice up there early this morning. The forecast shows some more snow today on and off, followed by clearer skies tomorrow, more snow on Friday and then some really decent looking snowfall due at the end of the weekend into next week. It all looks very promising. Expect the resort to open up more lifts and terrain as soon as they can - if the forecast comes off, perhaps next week? Exciting times. Nozawa Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Wednesday 6th December 2017 Total snowfall at base 27cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 4 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 14cm (21st November) November 2017 snowfall 21cm reported on 2 days December 2017 snowfall 6cm 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 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 17cm Snowfall at base this season 261cm Posted on Wednesday 6th December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from my base here in Hirafu. I went outside earlier on to measure the snow for the morning... and very quickly came back in! Very cold. Good job I had already had my toast. I couldn't help smile though when I measured 17cm of fresh snowfall. Thank you very much, Nature. So yes, the good news from Niseko continues, with that new 17cm bringing my observations for December up to 73cm. And it's good quality snow too. And of course please remember that is at base. (I do not live at the top of the mountain). So you can expect a fair bit more than that on the slopes. It's fair to say that conditions today should be excellent. It's not snowing just now and there is even a little blue sky to see in places. It's generally just cloudy though with a chance of more snow during the day. I am going to now go and check them for myself. As I prepare to post the report it looks like the Annupuri Gondola is on hold as well as the Ace Number 3 lift at Hirafu. Not sure why, and hopefully just temporary. --- The mountain is not yet fully open just yet - I'm keeping my accusatory eye particularly on you, top lifts at Hirafu, Village and Annupuri; and gates of course - but with continued fresh snow coming in and more on the forecast I don't think we should be far off. The official list of runs at Hirafu shows that only Large, Konayuki, Miharashi, Dynamic course areas still need to open. Really good show for early December. Hurray, all round! --- Wednesday 6th 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 * All courses are open apart from Large, Konayuki, Miharashi and Dynamic. Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts operating: - Hanazono Number 1 quad lift - Hanazono Number 2 quad lift - Hanazono Number 3 quad lift * All lifts are operating Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 quad lift - Dream Number 1 quad lift * Top of Gondola to base is skiable. And, indeed, snowboard-able (!?) too. Niseko Village Lifts operating: - Niseko Gondola - Banzai Chair - Community Chair * Utopia, Shirakaba, Silver, Paradise, Family, Dynamic and Junior courses are open. --- Official resort snow depths on Wednesday 6th December 2017: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 210cm Base - 85cm 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 Wednesday 6th December 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 261cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 17 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 29cm (20th November) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 73cm reported on 6 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Myoko region of Niigata New snowfall at base 26cm Snowfall at base this season 92cm Posted on Wednesday 6th December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here . 26cm of nice fresh out there this morning! It's also a lot lighter than last month's pretty wet first falls... very encouraging. We're getting very close now; that freezing line (the altitude where it's 0°C) will be mostly staying below 1000 meters, and there's a chance for some heavy snow toward the end of the week, so Akakura Onsen might just make its planned Saturday opening. If not, it's not far off. And you have to remember, too, that we often wonder weather or not we'll have a white Christmas (sometimes right up to about the 23rd-24th) and then it turns around right away. I'd say things are looking pretty positive. 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 Wednesday 6th December 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 92cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 5 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 26cm (6th December) November 2017 snowfall 61cm reported on 3 days December 2017 snowfall 31cm 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 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 28cm Snowfall at base this season 193cm Posted on Tuesday 5th December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . It is snowing heavily here in Furano with monstrous snow flakes belting down as I write this. With 28cm of fresh snow on the ground conditions on the mountain will be awesome today. Shoveling the snow this morning I noticed that the quality is far lighter than we have had recently. The rate of precipitation will ease up but continue through today and tomorrow. Temperatures will rise to a relatively warm -4c maximum. There still hasn't been any announcement from the resort about opening up more lifts. Furano Zone partially open. Kitanomine Zone closed. Furano Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Tuesday 5th December 2017 Total snowfall at base 193cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 18 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (5th December) November 2017 snowfall 125cm reported on 13 days December 2017 snowfall 68cm reported on 5 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 7cm Snowfall at base this season 244cm Posted on Tuesday 5th December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here If you are one of the naughty people who didn't get to read my report yesterday, which included a bit of a recap of the season so far, please do check it out. 7cm more fresh snowfall measured this morning (since my last report of course, as always). More snow is expected through today - when I started writing my report it wasn't snowing and there were some patches of blue sky to be seen, but it has now once again started snowing lightly. So 'light snow at times' is probably the best way to describe this early morning. The top half of Mt Yotei is covered in thick dark grey cloud. The forecast remains good and suitably snowy over the coming week. Good and cold too. With regular snow on the horizon, night skiing should get off to a good start from this Saturday. I don't actually get out for nighta that often myself, but when it's good... it's really good! Definitely recommended if you are visiting Niseko. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6.00am: -4°, 5cm new snow. Moiwa 800m 8m/s, -8°, 10cm new snow, snowdrift development from northerly wind. Annupuri 1000m snowpack 135cm. Hirafu 1000m, -8°, snow drifting from Northerly wind, light snow. Coastal data: Benkei Cape:N11m/s. Kamui Cape N7m/s, 1007hPa, wave 0.8m. From around midnight to early morning a northerly wind blew above 600m on the West side of the mountain, producing some snowdrift and cornice growth in a short time. Although not a great deal of growth, they are unstable and break easily. Around 700m snowdrift growth has been uneven along east facing ridge lines due to the strong winds. Groomed runs are in good condition today, take care of snowdrifts off the groomers. Above 800m this morning the avalanche risk on south facing slopes is elevated. It is predicted to fracture on Dec 3-4 layer, when the warm low pressure system passed through the area. Around 800m there is a frost layer evident in snowpack. All peak gates are still closed. Do not duck ropes looking for fresh tracks. Tonight is the 21st Niseko Avalanche meeting at 6.30pm, Old Stone Warehouse in front of Niseko Station. Yamaguchi San of National Disaster Mitigation Research Institute will be speaking about the latest avalanche research, the future of avalanche research and accident prevention in Japan. The next avalanche report will be issued when gates are ready to be opened. The snow in the forest is good. --- Tuesday 5th 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 Tuesday 5th December 2017: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 200cm Base - 70cm 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 Tuesday 5th December 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 244cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 29cm (20th November) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 56cm reported on 5 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 5cm Snowfall at base this season 165cm Posted on Monday 4th December 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . It is a nice calm day with light overcast skies. Temperatures are a mild -3c at the moment and will warm up a little more than that during the middle of the day. The snow radar says there won't be much in the way of snow today but there are a few flake swallowing downwards from the sky right now. Overnight there has been 5cm of fresh snow. Tomorrow looks promising with moderate snowfalls forecast. The skiable area is still limited to the upper mountain on the Furano Zone. Furano Zone partially open. Kitanomine Zone closed. Furano Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 4th December 2017 Total snowfall at base 165cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 17 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (30th November) November 2017 snowfall 125cm reported on 13 days December 2017 snowfall 40cm 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 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 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