Independent snow and weather reporting from the Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 14cm Snowfall at base this season 686cm Posted on Sunday 19th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Good morning from Nozawa. Fresh snow and 15-20cm of it being reported by the report base to top; I'm measuring 14cm. So a nice new fresh blanket covering the mountain to play in and lots of people around early on eager to get up there and mess it all up! It looks like snow is continuing to fall higher up but down here at base level there's breaks in the cloud and the sun is trying to appear. The snow clouds are expected to retreat and leave us with cloud or perhaps even clear up as the day goes on. Tomorrow will likely be a bit warmer than today and snow is due again. Though during the daytime at lower levels and in the village there seems to be a decent chance of rain (before it turns into snow). Noooo----, don't do it! For now though, it should be a good morning out there. Fresh snow reported by resort since yesterday morning: - Yamabiko: 20cm - Uenotaira: 15cm - Hikage: 15cm - Nagasaka: 15cm - Karasawa: 15cm Official snow depths: - Yamabiko: 370cm - Uenotaira: 275cm - Hikage: 205cm - Nagasaka: 195cm - Karasawa: 150cm Lifts operations: - All lifts operating Courses not open today are: - Kandahar East - Kandahar West - Grand Prix Nozawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 19th February 2017 Total snowfall at base 686cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 50 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 52cm (14th January) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 days December 2016 snowfall 161cm reported on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 366cm reported on 20 days February 2017 snowfall 157cm reported on 14 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 Hakuba region of Nagano New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 410cm Posted on Sunday 19th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Hakuba Now report can be found here . Lots of cloud around yesterday with light snow falling in places (and at times), but some clearings in the clouds as well at times. I have heard from a few people who went to various areas and indeed got some very varying reports and opinions on conditions. I think everyone would agree though that a nice new fresh thick layer of snow would go down a treat. (Doesn't it always!) This morning there's a few cm of snow on the ground which is curious because some of the resorts are saying 0cm. Oh well, I can see it sitting there looking all lovely and white. Still, would have been nicer to have had more, but we are going to have to wait for that. This morning there is lots of blue sky around with a bank of cloud around the upper areas of the ski resorts for the moment. Sun/cloud appears to be on the forecast There's a bit of a wind up top and at the time of writing I can confirm that top areas of Happo-one, Goryu and 47 are on hold. Hopefully they'll get going fairly quickly if and when conditions improve. The forecast is looking good for snow in the coming week. Starting overnight tonight? Have a great Sunday. Hakuba 47: Hakuba 47 is reporting 0cm of fresh snowfall this morning. Top area not opening as planned at the start of the day due to wind conditions. Official snow depth Upper: 250cm Base: 125cm Hakuba Goryu: Hakuba Goryu is reporting up to 1-8cm of fresh snowfall on upper slopes. Top area not opening as planned at the start of the day due to wind conditions. Official snow depth Alps: 330cm Toomi: 170cm Iimori: 130cm Hakuba Happo-one: Hakuba Happo-one is reporting 10cm of fresh snowfall (Riesen quad top). The resort appears to be opening as planned this morning. Official snow depth: Usagidaira: 225cm Kurobishi: 265cm Lower: 140cm Tsugaike Kogen: The resort appears to be opening as planned this morning. Official snow depth: Tsuga-no-mori: 335cm Han-no-ki: 320cm Maruyama: 150cm Oya-no-hara: 140cm Kane-no-naru-oka: 140cm Hakuba Cortina: The resort is reporting 5cm of fresh snowfall. Official snow depth: Top: 340cm Base: 210cm Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field: Official snow depth: Top: 200cm Base: 120cm Hakuba Norikura Onsen: Official snow depth: Top: 200cm Kashimayari: Official snow depth: Top: 195cm Hakuba Sanosaka: Official snow depth: Top: 140cm Hakuba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 19th February 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 410cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 43 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 57cm (13th January) November 2016 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 64cm reported on 11 days January 2017 snowfall 242cm reported on 20 days February 2017 snowfall 103cm 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 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 Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 10cm Snowfall at base this season 928cm Posted on Sunday 19th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Good morning ladies and gents. Today's weather has been fairly changeable this morning starting off with snow falling and relatively overcast weather. Now though it seems as though the weather has flipped and we have almost bluebird conditions. We received 10 cm　fresh snow overnight so the pistes should all be nice and soft. Perfect for laying down some big carves! For the rest of the week snow is still predicted every day with the heaviest coming on Monday night. Delectable! Naeba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 19th February 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 928cm Number of days snowfall observed 55 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 80cm (15th January) November 2016 snowfall 17cm observed on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 150cm observed on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 550cm observed on 23 days February 2017 snowfall 211cm observed on 14 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Naeba. 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 8cm Snowfall at base this season 514cm Posted on Saturday 18th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Things are much improved this morning. There's not as much fresh snowfall as we would like, but still a good 8+cm of on the ground here at base (more up top of course) and it is much, much colder. In fact it really is cold this morning, not just 'colder'. Resorts are reporting temperatures as cold as -18C at the top! Those extra layers will be needed today. So conditions should be improved this morning, and with snow on the forecast for today and indeed over the next few days so they should be continuing to improve. There's a lot of people here out enjoy that snow though, so we need decent snowfall under normal circumstances to top-up things. So we're still looking to that big snow to come for a good old proper reset. Top lifts affected by wind at the start of the day - see below for more on 8:30am status. Yesterday I got caught up with a few things and wasn't able to prepare my answers. I'll try to get them done over the weekend and post them in the report on Monday. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Mountain base: -11°, 10cm new snow, snowdrift development. Moiwa 800m: -9°, NW18m/s, 20cm new snow, snowdrift development. Annupuri 1150m, -19°, W20m/s, snowdrift development. Hirafu 1250m, -18°, 20cm new snow, snowdrift development. Coastal data: Kamui Cape:W14m/s, 1010hPa, wave 3.3m, Benkei Cape: NW20m/s. Cold air is flowing into the area, isobars are close together and snow drifts are developing rapidly with the strong NW wind. Above 800m upper Mikaeri Bowl, 1000m Osawa cornice slope, most places in Backbowl and East ridge cornice slope, the avalanche risk is high. Gates 1, 2, 3, 4 will be closed. Gates 5, 6, 8 are yet to be decided. Please respect the patrols decisions and follow their advice. There is frost layer from the 17th Feb under the new snowdrifts. Yesterday this layer was just wet snow but it is expected to be the fracture layer on surface slabs today. Snow conditions are different to from yesterday, SE steep slopes will fracture easily and some slopes are very dangerous. Most accidents occur right after storms. If conditions are right avalanches will always occur no matter how much snow there is. Don't be overconfident and make cautious decisions without overestimating the safety of conditions at the moment. The snow in the forest is good. --- Resort specific opening news at time of writing (subject to change during the day): Niseko Grand Hirafu The top Ace Number 4 and King Number 4 lifts are on hold at the start of the day. Niseko HANAZONO Resort All three lifts appear to be planning to operate as normal. Niseko Village The top Wonderland Chair lift is on hold at the start of the day. Niseko Annupuri The Annupuri Gondola, Jumbo Number 3 and Jumbo Number 4 lifts are on hold at the start of the day. --- Official resort snow depths as of Saturday 18th February 2017: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 310cm Base - 120cm Niseko Village Top - 280cm Base - 140cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 315cm Base - 140cm Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 18th February 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 514cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 64 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 181cm reported on 22 days January 2017 snowfall 152cm reported on 18 days February 2017 snowfall 71cm reported on 10 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 15cm Snowfall at base this season 467cm Posted on Saturday 18th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . It has been an epic day in Furano with 15cm of new snow at village level and 40cm at the top of the resort...wow 40cm. Needless to say there was amazing powder skiing through the day with plenty of whoo hoo's being heard as people got their powder fill. While there were moderate and sometimes strong winds blowing, the Kitanomine Gondola managed to keep going. Looking forward, the forecast looks excellent with light snow continuing over the weekend and then on Monday heavy snow is predicted. FURANO ZONE Furano Ropeway 8:30am-15:50pm. Furano Downhill Romance 2 chairlift 8:45am-15:50pm. Furano Downhill Romance 3 chairlift 9:00am-15:50pm. Prince Romance chairlift 8:30am-16:30pm. Downhill Swift Lift 1 9:00am-19:30pm KITANOMINE ZONE Kitanomine Gondola 9:00am-15:50pm. Kitanomine Swift Lift 1 8:30am-19:30pm. Kitanomine Romance Lift 2 8:45am-15:50pm. Link Lift 9:00am-16:00pm Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 18th February 2017 Total snowfall at base 467cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 62 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 19 days December 2016 snowfall 178cm reported on 20 days January 2017 snowfall 126cm reported on 15 day February 2017 snowfall 53cm reported on 8 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 2cm Snowfall at base this season 917cm Posted on Saturday 18th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . The word rain should be banned during winter, but alas the region got that yesterday. It didn't last long though happily and this morning it is back to being much colder and there's a few cm of fresh snow again this morning... enough to make the trees look slightly frosted. Generally cloudy skies this morning with snow likely later on and overnight tonight. In fact, the forecast is looking quite promising once again with regular snowfall lined up in the coming days. Yes, back to winter conditions sounds good to me. It will be interesting to see how snow conditions are this morning but if we get the snow tonight tomorrow will surely be the better of the weekend days. Have a good one. Shiga Kogen Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 18th February 2017 Total snowfall at base 917cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 62 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 70cm (15th January) November 2016 snowfall 27cm reported on 5 days December 2016 snowfall 215cm reported on 18 days January 2017 snowfall 485cm reported on 24 days February 2017 snowfall 190cm 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 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 Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 427cm Posted on Saturday 18th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Yesterday was a bit wild out there but this morning things have calmed down - just a slight breeze at the moment. Just a bit of new snow on the ground this morning and a cloudy start to the day. And happily it is much colder than how we started the day yesterday. We may get some fine weather today and a chance of some snow in the day tomorrow. All a bit unclear and changeable it feels at the moment. All lifts apart from the following appear to be operating today: Paradise Number 3 pair All courses apart from Kotan are open. Official snow depths (as published by the resort itself): Summit - 125cm Paradise - 220cm Chuo - 220cm Utopia - 170cm Uwanodai - 130cm Yokokura - 155cm Zao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 18th February 2017 Total snowfall at base 427cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 48 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 39cm (on 16th January) November 2016 snowfall 11cm observed on 6 days December 2016 snowfall 98cm observed on 16 days January 2017 snowfall 241cm observed on 16 days February 2017 snowfall 77cm observed 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 Zao 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 1cm Snowfall at base this season 772cm Weather overview Mostly cloudy Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Decent Posted on Saturday 18th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . Morning. Unfortunately, we did get that rain yesterday. :( Happily, it turned into snow later on and the resort is this morning reporting 5cm of fresh. Not sure that will be enough for a reset but certainly better than wet. This morning light snow was falling a bit earlier but that has stopped now. There's a lot of cloud around but also a few bits of blue sky. It is also colder than yesterday so hopefully we're getting back to more mid-winter conditions again. Snow is due tonight so I hope to be reporting a decent fresh layer to you. Enjoy your Saturday. Madarao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 18th February 2017 Total snowfall at base 772cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 46 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 53cm (on 14th and 15th January) November 2016 snowfall 9cm reported on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 211cm reported on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 408cm reported on 23 days February 2017 snowfall 144cm 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 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 Myoko region of Niigata New snowfall at base 7cm Snowfall at base this season 1229cm Posted on Saturday 18th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here . It is trying very hard to snow today, after a day of pounding rain and wind. The Niigata prefectural prediction (which is pretty good) was for 15cm; maybe we got half that. It's snowing now, but the forecast to 4pm is just two more centimeters. If you're skiing, it's a day to stay on the slopes, I think, as it could be pretty nasty out in the woods (all that wet snow, cooling down, a dusting of snow on top....). Probably ice on the groomed as well. I just hope the heavy snow that some forecasts see for today does come true. Akakura Kanko: 340cm, -5° Akakura Onsen: 330cm, -5° Ikenotaira Onsen: 290cm, -2° Myoko Suginohara: 250cm, -5° Seki Onsen: 500cm, -3° Myoko Ski Park: 300m, 0° Kyukamura RunRun: 320cm, -3° Tangram Ski Circus: 270cm, 0° (no new report for today) Madarao Kogen: 300cm, -5° Myoko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 18th February 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 1229cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 50 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 91cm (15th January) November 2016 snowfall 12cm reported on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 345cm reported on 13 days January 2017 snowfall 629cm reported on 21 days February 2017 snowfall 243cm 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 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 Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 918cm Posted on Saturday 18th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Good morning from Naeba everybody. First up let's recap from yesterday. It was meant to rain in the morning yesterday and begin to snow in the afternoon. As it actually happened we had a clear morning with rain in the afternoon although this turned to snow only after an hour or so. For today it looks as though we are in for a cold one today. The overcast weather combined with moderate winds on the mountain means that temperatures should remain below freezing the whole day. It did snow a little earlier on however not too much accumulated. Conditions on piste will be a little over firm with patches of ice being a fairly common feature. The weather forecast is still predicting snow every day going on however, there is not really any massive dumps predicted right now. Resolved! Lifts running today are: -Beginner lift No.4 08:00-20:30 -High-Speed lift No.5 08:30-20:30 -Prince Gondola No.2 08:30-16:00 (last ride up 15:30) -Takenokodaira Romance Lift 08:45-15:45 -Takenokoyama Romance Lift 09:30-15:30 -Prince Gondola No.1 09:00-16:00 (last ascending lift 15:30) -High-Speed Lift No.4 09:00-16:30 -High-Speed Lift No. 8 09:30-16:30 -High-Speed Lift No.3 08:00-20:30 -Huichi Pair Lift No.1 09:00-16:00 -The Dragondola 09:00-15:30 (last ascending lift 15:00) Naeba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 18th February 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 918cm Number of days snowfall observed 54 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 80cm (15th January) November 2016 snowfall 17cm observed on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 150cm observed on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 550cm observed on 23 days February 2017 snowfall 201cm observed 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 Naeba. 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 4cm Snowfall at base this season 506cm Posted on Thursday 16th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Yesterday it was something of a surprise to see the snow continuing to fall, wasn't quite expecting that and the clear up didn't really happen. I even have 4cm of snow to report (that's what is on my report today), though there is no further fresh snow to report overnight. I am hearing that there was around 10cm of snow and more further up on the mountain which is something of a relief... didn't get up there myself yesterday. This morning we have overcast conditions and like what seems like lots of Japan it is going to get mild. Borderline warm, depending on how you look at it. The forecast is looking quite promising for us to start getting snowed on properly from perhaps overnight tonight or tomorrow morning. Steady and regular snowfall is there on the forecast well into next week, so fingers crossed this turns out to be a decent delivery. We need a complete and impressive reset. It feels fairly calm early this morning but stronger winds are due to be blowing around later and might affect lifts. Resorts look set to be opening as normal at the start of the day though. Have fun and stay safe. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Mountain base: -5°, no new snow. Moiwa 800m: -6°, no new snow. Annupuri 1150m, -6°, SSW5-10m/s, poor visibility, no new snow. Hirafu 1250m, -7°, S10m/s, poor visibility, no new snow. Coastal data: Kamui Cape:SSW18m/s, 1014hPa, wave 1.6m. The temperature is rising and a southerly wind is picking up as a low pressure system approaches. From observation the general avalanche risk is low but it will rise as the temperature increases today. The 15 Feb snowfall is not bonded well and will easily form loose avalanches 10-15cm thickness on steep slopes. There is a high possibility that this layer will become a weak layer in the future snowpack. Many accidents occur in bad weather. With strong winds and heavy snowfall, snowdrifts on previously safe slopes can develop rapidly into having unstable avalanche prone conditions. Best not to venture too far today. All gates are expected to be open but please listen to the patrols advice. The inbounds snow is OK today. Go for a few runs this morning then hit the onsen before the bad weather hits this afternoon. Don't duck ropes, today is not the day to try and sneak out of bounds. --- Official resort snow depths as of Thursday 16th February 2017: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 295cm Base - 120cm Niseko Village Top - 280cm Base - 140cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 315cm Base - 140cm --- Night skiing is planned until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Niseko Annupuri, Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Village resort areas. There is no nighta in the Hanazono area. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Thursday 16th February 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 506cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 63 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 181cm reported on 22 days January 2017 snowfall 152cm reported on 18 days February 2017 snowfall 63cm reported on 9 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 915cm Posted on Wednesday 15th February 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Light snow was falling earlier on and just a few cm of fresh on the ground for my report today. Right now though it has stopped and it is generally cloudy but I can even see a bit of blue sky over towards Ichinose. Might it clear up for the day...? It is cold still this morning but warmer temperatures ahoy on Thursday, hopefully a blip with things getting more suitably cold from Friday. More snowfall is still due on the forecast from late Friday and over the weekend too so it should be back to normal. Shiga Kogen Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Wednesday 15th February 2017 Total snowfall at base 915cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 61 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 70cm (15th January) November 2016 snowfall 27cm reported on 5 days December 2016 snowfall 215cm reported on 18 days January 2017 snowfall 485cm reported on 24 days February 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 14 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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