Independent snow and weather reporting from the Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 163cm Posted on Saturday 31st December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Happy New Years Eve from Nozawa! And after that lovely snowfall that I reported on yesterday, here's what the resort reported on top of that: - Yamabiko: 25cm - Uenotaira: 18cm - Hikage: 10cm - Nagasaka: 10cm - Karasawa: 5cm So just a bit more during the day down at base and another 25cm up on Yamabiko... although they don't seem to be updating the snow depth for Yamabiko which seems odd. Anyway, this is what the resort is reporting. And as always, I feel compelled to get myself up there and make sure! :) It was a great day to be out on the skis or board yesterday and with clearer skies today, it should be another very good one. It was a cold night last night and the day has started cold too. Temperatures are forecast to rise to just one or two above zero later on in the day. Maybe a bit more snow overnight and then tomorrow for New Year we are expecting clearer and sunny skies. Floodlit night skiing (nighta) started last night here in Nozawa. It'll be open every day now until Tuesday 3rd January and then on every Saturday until 25th March. As well as 8th January and 19th March. Good fun especially when there's a lot of fresh snow to play in. (Less so when it's icy!) Lifts that are planned to be operating: All lifts appear to be operating except for: - Kandahar pair - Karasawa pair Most courses at Nozawa Onsen are now open. Courses not yet open are: - Kurokura - Grandprix - Jumping - Hachiman - Mukobayashi - Kandahar East - Kandahar West Official snow depths: - Yamabiko: 150cm - Uenotaira: 110cm - Hikage: 80cm - Nagasaka: 75cm - Karasawa: 50cm Fresh snow reported by resort since yesterday morning: - Yamabiko: 25cm - Uenotaira: 18cm - Hikage: 10cm - Nagasaka: 10cm - Karasawa: 5cm Nozawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 31st December 2016 Total snowfall at base 163cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 42cm (30th December) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 days December 2016 snowfall 161cm 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 Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 220cm Weather overview Some cloud Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Very good Posted on Saturday 31st December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . I hope some of you were able to get out and enjoy the conditions yesterday. I enjoyed a good part of the day out there with snow continuing to fall in the day before easing off - and a bit more snow to report on the ground. It was a chilly start to the morning in Madarao. At the moment we have blue skies and just a bit of cloud over the mountain. The sun is shining down through my window. It should be another good day out on the slopes, if not busy... there's a lot of people around to enjoy it all, as you would expect as we are now in the new year holidays. The weather is expected to be clearer and a bit milder (hopefully not too much) over the next couple of days with the next snowfall probably going to fall sometime early week. Extended night skiing tonight - until 11:30pm - and a firework display to enjoy at midnight. Look out for the torch lit skiing display which I believe is scheduled to begin at 9pm. No doubt there will be some other New Year festivities going on as well. It is of course the last day of 2016 already. I hope you all have a good day/night and I'll see you again when we get into 2017. May 2017 be a year of very regular and outrageously heavy snowfalls. Preferably overnight, keeping cold but some sunshine during the daytime. Not much to ask for! Operating status for the day at Madarao Kogen (at time of report): - Number 1 lift - Number 2 quad lift - Number 3A lift - Number 5 - Super quad lift - Number 11 lift - Number 12 lift - Number 13 lift - Number 15 lift - Moving walkway - Kids Park - Snow Mobile Land - Free ride Park - Powder Wave II - River Line - Powder Theater - Adventure Aisle - Crystal Bowl - Ninja - Sawa - Rabbit - Kamoshika - Bear Official snow depth: - 120cm Lifts currently operating at Tangram Ski Circus: - Number 1 - Number 2 - Number 3 - Number 5 - Number 6. Madarao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 31st December 2016 Total snowfall at base 220cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 18 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 48cm (on 30th December) November 2016 snowfall 9cm reported on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 211cm 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 Madarao. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 291cm Posted on Saturday 31st December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko on this New Years Eve morning. Yesterday I enjoyed a really good 4 hours out in the snow. I found some very nice conditions though it was getting pretty windy out there in the afternoon and unfortunately the wind stopped some of the lifts. Hopefully today wind will be less of an issue. Yesterday was my last ski of the year as well, as I need to get myself off to Sapporo city this morning once the report is done. So what is going on this morning? Light snow was falling again early on but that has now eased off and it is currently cloudy with more and more blue sky appearing and the sun starting to break through as well. We have had about 5cm of fresh snowfall overnight here at base. Again, it's good quality snow by the looks, but we could just do with more on the quantity side of things. A look at the forecast shows there's really not much sign of huge dumpage on the forecast so it feels like we are perhaps going to have to make do with smaller installments. As long as they are regular. There's a good crowd of folk lining up and waiting for the lifts to get going this morning. New Years Eve and all, there's a lot of people here now and there will no doubt be lots of celebrations going on tonight - including official fireworks, torch lit skiing and the like. Lots of people also means that tracks get filled in quicker so those regular top-ups are important. Early next week I'll take another look back at the season so far. All that remains for me this year is to thank everyone for reading these 'Niseko Now' reports, the good folk who run and develop SnowJapan.com - and let's all hope that 2017 proves to be a good one. For snow in Niseko, snow in Japan, and of course just generally. I'll see you then. Forgive me if my report tomorrow is a little later than usual... I can foresee some potential 'technical issues'. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -5℃, 5cm snowfall in 12hours. Mikaeri ridge 800m: -10℃, W8m/s, 20cm snowfall with snowdrifts development. Annupuri 1150m: -11℃, W10-15m/s, snowdrifts developing. Hirafu 1200m: -12℃, W15m/s, snowdrifts developing on the east side. Coastal data: Kamui cape NW8m/s, 1018hPa, 2.4m waves. Relatively strong westerly wind persists; cornices and snowdrifts are developing above 800m and are unstable during the morning. The avalanche risk in high elevation cornices slopes and knolls is high this morning. Gates 4 (Hirafu) & 5 (Hanazono) are opening today. Please listen to the ski patrols’ instructions before stepping out of the gates. The snow in the trees is good, but still shallow. Better not stimulate cornices and knolls, accidents mostly happen during and just after storms. Niseko area has been working on accident prevention in the out of bounds and surrounds backcountry areas. This practice started as a result of necessity, but eventually played a big role on the tourism promotion of Niseko snow season. The Rules respects the freedom to ride, but also values the safety of all resort users. Some of the Niseko mountain area is included in the quasi-national park area. The Japanese Park Law’s fundamental principles bases on the protection of the environment and the adequate use of the land. Niseko Rules obviously respects these principles too. We would like to point out that, when a private company borrows national/prefectural land to run a business, they should not make selfish interpretations and think they have exclusive rights to using a public land. If they did, they would be standing against the gist of the National Park Law. --- Official resort snow depths as of Saturday 31st December 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 250cm Base - 100cm Niseko Village Top - 140cm Base - 100cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 140cm Base - 90cm --- 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 Saturday 31st December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 291cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 36 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 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 Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 27cm Snowfall at base this season 167cm Posted on Friday 30th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Good morning from Naeba everybody! I think the technical term for the snow we are getting right now is "puking it down". The snow began to fall around 3pm yesterday and since then over 27cm has fallen! As things look right now there is no end in sight as well, for the day anyway. Conditions are fun and powdery out there today however I would still advise caution as it is probably still possible to hit bottom in certain places. As of 9am the Dragondola, Number 2 gondola and Takenokodaira lift are on standby due to stronger winds higher up. Looking on snow is predicted for every day this coming week! Despite a slow start the winter season seems to have finally woken up. Naeba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 30th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 167cm Number of days snowfall observed 18 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 27cm (30th December) November 2016 snowfall 17cm observed on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 150cm 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 Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 108cm Posted on Friday 30th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Hello from Zao. I was looking at some of the other early morning reports just before and noticed some pretty impressive snowfalls in Nagano and Niigata. I must admit I am a bit jealous really, but there you go... just 3cm to report here in Zao! It's cold so the snow is keeping decent but we do need more of it. It's going to be a busy weekend - be prepared. And I recommend getting up for first lifts too (more so than usual!) Doesn't look like there's going to be the major snowfall even we would like over new year but let's keep an eye on that forecast. Further to my frustrations at finding information from official resources. I've got to say that the new official website for the resort to me anyway is a real 'level down' rather than an improvement. It might look nicer than before, but it is just so hard to find good information... info that is important to us skiers and snowboarders. You'd think that a ski resort would be pretty clued in as to the information that is important - how much snow is falling, conditions, exactly what is open etc - so it's difficult to understand why this kind of thing can apparently be overlooked. This is my personal opinion of course (you may disagree; or I may just be looking in the wrong place). Just for the record I am also referring to the official Japanese website, and I can read and speak Japanese pretty decently. Zao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 30th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 108cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 21 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 17cm (on 17th December) November 2016 snowfall 11cm observed on 6 days December 2016 snowfall 97cm observed 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 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 8cm Snowfall at base this season 275cm Posted on Friday 30th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . It is a nice morning here in Furano with blue sky over the resort and town, but beyond those boundaries it is cloud cover. I would expect that the clouds will come over the resort later in the day. Not long after the report was posted yesterday it started to snow and continued through out the day, and that event has added 8cm of new snow at village level with substantially more on the resort itself. More light snow is expected to fall today and there should be some tomorrow as well. Tomorrow looks like it will be another pleasant day with clear skies and patches of cloud, calm conditions and slightly warmer than today. Lift operation times are expected to be... FURANO ZONE Furano Ropeway 8:30am-15:10pm. Furano Downhill Romance 2 chairlift 8:40am-15:10pm. Furano Downhill Romance 3 chairlift 9:00am-15:10pm. Prince Romance chairlift 8:30am-16:30pm. Downhill Swift Lift 1 9:00am-19:30pm KITANOMINE ZONE Kitanomine Gondola 9:00am-15:10pm Kitanomine Swift Lift 1 8:30am-19:30pm. Kitanomine Romance Lift 2 8:45am-15:10pm. Link Lift 9:00am-15:20pm Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 30th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 275cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 38 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 19 days December 2016 snowfall 165cm reported on 19 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 7cm Snowfall at base this season 65cm Posted on Friday 30th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Hakuba Now report can be found here . Morning from Hakuba and more snow to report. As noted in the details below resorts are reporting generally around 20cm of snow on upper slopes, with Cortina coming in and reporting an impressive 40-50cm up there. (Less here at base levels, as is often the case of course, so keep an eye on all of these numbers). At the moment it is mostly cloudy but there's a bit of blue sky to be seen in places too. Local forecasts do say we can expect clearer skies this afternoon so perhaps it's going to gradually clear up. There's a bit of a wind causing issues over at Hakuba Goryu and 47 early on by the looks of things - at the time of writing top lifts were on standby waiting for the wind to ease off. Good to see Hakuba Sanosaka opening up as well, at last. Enjoy the day. Hakuba 47: The resort is reporting 10-20cm of fresh snowfall. The upper course connection with Goryu is open. Operating lifts and course info: - All lifts operating - All courses now open apart from Route 7. - The Tree Riding Zones are not yet open. Official snow depth Line C Upper: 110cm Base: 20cm Hakuba Goryu: Hakuba Goryu is currently part open. The resort is reporting 1cm (?, Toomi), 5cm (Iimori) and 25cm (top) of fresh snowfall. The upper course connection with Hakuba 47 is open. Operating lifts and course info: - Gondola - Alps Number 1 - Alps Number 3 - Alps Number 2/4 - Toomi Sky Four - Toomi Number 1 pair - Toomi Number 2 pair - Milky Four The following courses are open: - Grand Prix - Panorama - Super - Toomi - Soft Cream Official snow depth Alps: 125cm Toomi: 35cm Iimori: 20cm Hakuba Happo-one: Hakuba Happo-one is currently part open but more opening up now. You can now ski or board back down to base via the Riesen Slalom and Nakiyama courses. Downloading via Gondola or lift required in the other areas. The resort is reporting 20cm of fresh snowfall. Operating lifts and course info: - Gondola - Grat quad (for climbing) - Alpen quad - Riesen quad - Usagidaira pair - Nakiyama 3 triple - Panorama pair - Kokusai Number 1 - Kokusai Number 3 - Kurobishi Number 2 quad - Kurobishi Number 3 pair - Skyline Number 2 pair - Sakka Kita-one quad The following courses are open: - Kurobishi - Usagidaira - Skyline - Riesen (part) - Panorama - Nakiyama South (part) - Kita-one 3 Official snow depth: Usagidaira: 90cm Kurobishi: 110cm Lower: 25cm Tsugaike Kogen: Tsugaike Kogen is currently part open. Operating lifts and course info: - Eve Gondola - Han-no-ki pair - Tsuga Number 1 pair - Tsuga Number 2 pair - Shirakaba quad - Maruyama Number 1 quad - Tsugaike Number 1 pair - Tsugaike central triple - Kane-no-naru-oka Skyliner II - Kane-no-naru-oka Skyliner III The following courses are open: - Upper Han-no-ki - Lower Han-no-ki - Tsuga-no-mori - Forest course (part) - Shirakaba - Champion (part) - Maruyama - Kane-no-naru-oka - Oya-no-hara (part) Official snow depth: Tsuga-no-mori: 125cm Han-no-ki: 105cm Oya-no-hara: 40cm Maruyama: 40cm Kane-no-naru-oka: -cm Hakuba Cortina: Hakuba Cortina is currently part open. The resort is reporting up to 30cm of fresh snowfall on lower areas and 40-50cm on upper areas. (Note to self: worth investigating!) Operating lifts and course info: - Number 1 pair - Number 2 quad - Number 3 quad - Number 4 pair - Number 5 pair The following courses are at least part open: - Ikenota - Hieda Rinkan - Mt Hieda 1 - Itadaira - Ipponmatsu - Rabbit - Snake - Kamoshika - Itadaira Rinkan Official snow depth: Top: 140cm Base: 100cm Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field: Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field is currently part open. Operating lifts and course info: - Gondola - View 2 - 3-sen North lift - 4-sen East lift The following courses are at least part open: - View C (part) - East - North - Paradise (part) Official snow depth: Top: 55cm Base: -cm Kashimayari: Kashimayari is currently part open. Operating lifts: - Number 1 quad - Number 2 pair - Number 3 quad - Number 6 quad - Number 7 pair Official snow depth: Top: 35cm Hakuba Norikura Onsen: Hakuba Norikura Onsen is currently part open with 4 courses available. Lift info: - Alps Number 1 - Alps Number 4 - Alps Number 5 - Alps Number 6 Official snow depth: Top: 70cm Hakuba Sanosaka: Hakuba Sanosaka is opening at last from today! Official snow depth: Top: 25cm Please note that Yanaba ski hill will not be opening for the 2016-2017 season. Hakuba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 30th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 65cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 12 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 12cm (8th December) November 2016 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 64cm 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 Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 42cm Snowfall at base this season 159cm Posted on Friday 30th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Excellent news to report this morning with a very nice delivery of fresh snow from top to bottom. The resort is reporting 40cm at base areas (I'm measuring slightly more) and an impressive 50cm up on Uenotaira and Yamabiko. Such a decent amount will have done wonders for the resort... just what we wanted. (Though we want more, of course!) Other big news this morning is that the popular Skyline course is open. We're getting closer to the resort being 'fully open'. It's going to be pretty cold up there and visibility is limited as it continues to snow; but the snow conditions this morning should make up for all of that. This snowfall may not last much into this afternoon and clearer skies are likely by tomorrow morning with maybe more snow tomorrow night (hopefully it will keep cold enough). As we approach mid week too there's more snow on the horizon. I love it when there's snow on the horizon. Today should be great. I don't know about you but I'm raring to go! * Lifts opening 30 minutes early today, tomorrow and on Monday. Lifts that are planned to be operating: All lifts appear to be operating except for: - Kandahar pair - Karasawa pair Courses that are planned to be open: - Yamabiko A course - Yamabiko B course - Yamabiko C course - Yamabiko D course - Yamabiko E course - Kokenashi course - Skyline - Uenotaira course - Paradise course - Paradise link - Mizunashi A - Mizunashi B - Bunabayashi course - Yunomine A course - Yunomine B course - Rinkan course - Utopia - Challenge course - Challenge 39 - Hikage - Ushikubi - Kitsune - Nagasawa link Official snow depths: - Yamabiko: 150cm - Uenotaira: 110cm - Hikage: 75cm - Nagasaka: 75cm - Karasawa: 50cm Fresh snow reported by resort since yesterday morning: - Yamabiko: 50cm - Uenotaira: 50cm - Hikage: 40cm - Nagasaka: 40cm - Karasawa: 40cm Nozawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 30th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 159cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 15 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 42cm (30th December) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 days December 2016 snowfall 157cm 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 Nozawa Onsen. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 48cm Snowfall at base this season 216cm Weather overview SNOW Wind Varied Temperature - Visibility Poor Posted on Friday 30th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . Really excellent news this morning with a hefty chunk of new snow to report. I say 'chunk', but it's all nice and soft and light... what I mean is, there's lots of it. How much? The best part of 50cm, and that is what the resort is reporting this morning too. Can't ask for more than that. Well, not without sounding too greedy anyway. More tree run courses open as well this morning. There's really not much more to say on a morning like this. Conditions should be up there this morning. And I would be silly not to get out there and play in it. I hope that you can too. Nighta every evening through until 3rd January. Madarao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 30th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 216cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 17 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 48cm (on 30th December) November 2016 snowfall 9cm reported on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 207cm 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 Madarao. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 14cm Snowfall at base this season 286cm Posted on Friday 30th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko on this next to last day of the year. I have 14cm of fresh snow to report this morning here by my base in Hirafu. Nice and light and dry too, quality stuff. I am being told there's a good 20-25cm up top early on too. This morning should be very nice indeed. It is a cold morning - currently -6C here at base - so I'm going to be sure to get wrapped up good before heading out. Light snow has been falling this morning but as I am about to post this report the snowfall has eased off and it is just generally cloudy but likely still snowing higher up. The forecast seems to show that after today, things are going to be somewhat clearer and calm. We can perhaps expect some sunny skies tomorrow and conditions are probably not going to be quite as cold. Wind isn't an issue this morning and resorts appear to be opening as planned, along with the Moiwa gate 6. The Avalanche Report (below) notes that the snowpack is 1m lower than average years and that the Annupuri and Hirafu gates will follow as soon as they're ready. I'm off out there on my new skis! But just before that... --- Let's take another quick glance at my observed snowfall numbers for the month and season so far, up until and including today: December 2016: 176cm (up until 30th December) December 2015: 244cm (the full month) December 2014: 519cm (the full month) December 2013: 275cm (the full month) Season total up until 30th December 2016: 288cm Season total up until end of December 2015: 308cm Season total up until end of December 2014: 549cm Season total up until end of December 2013: 398cm I'll let you compare with previous seasons. For what they are worth, my own quick thoughts are - November was pretty good (and better than the previous two seasons), while December has been lagging a bit (rather a lot when you compare with 2014 and 2012). I'll take another look at some numbers once again once we get into January. Big numbers are great of course. But the most important thing is surely regular, consistent and quality snowfall. And what's best is to have all of that lot! Here's to a bumper January when hopefully we'll 'catch up' on previous seasons. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -8℃, 5cm snowfall in 12 hours. Moiwa 850m: -10, 20cm snowfall with 50cm snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150: -16℃, W12m/s, snowing with average 20cm snowdrifts. Hirafu 1200m: -13℃, WNW10m/s, light snowfall. Coastal data: Kamui cape WNW7m/s, 1016hPa, 1.8m waves. 50cm thick layers would break but won’t propagate to wider areas during 800m Mikaeri ridge impact test. The slabs are stable and the general avalanche risk is low. The Moiwa gate 6 will open today, Annupuri and Hirafu gates will follow as soon as they’re ready, however the snowpack is 1m lower than average years. Beware of bamboo grass. The Niseko Rules admits anyone to the out of bounds area, no matter their experience or skillsets, however it is everybody responsibility to be aware of the hazards involved. Out of bounds area is out of the resort, safety is not guaranteed. The ski patrols are getting their headlamps ready for night search and rescue operations. Please take the ski patrol’s advices seriously and step out from the designated gates. Duck ropes and lift passes will be confiscated. Beware of sudden weather changes. --- Resort specific opening news at time of writing (subject to change during the day): Niseko Grand Hirafu Niseko HANAZONO Resort Niseko Village Niseko Annupuri All lifts appear to be operating as planned. --- Official resort snow depths as of Friday 30th December 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 250cm Base - 100cm Niseko Village Top - 130cm Base - 100cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 130cm Base - 90cm --- 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 Friday 30th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 286cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 35 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 176cm reported on 21 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 63cm Snowfall at base this season 352cm Posted on Friday 30th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here . Winter is really here in Myoko today. Stuck the ruler in our prime spot (away from the trees, not too much wind effect) and we got a good average of 63cm. Sixty-three; nice. That's about all I need say today, I think. Not all the areas reported early today, probably because they're fighting with snow. Akakura Kanko: 150cm, -5° Akakura Onsen: 160cm, -4° Ikenotaira Onsen: 70cm, -2° Myoko Suginohara: 90cm, -5° Seki Onsen: 160cm, -5° Myoko Ski Park: 80cm, -3° (yesterday's figures) Kyukamura RunRun: 70cm, 0° (how did they LOSE 30cm in one day?) Tangram Ski Circus: 120cm, -6° Madarao Kogen: 60m, -6° Myoko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 30th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 352cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 63cm (30th December) November 2016 snowfall 12cm reported on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 340cm 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 6cm Snowfall at base this season 140cm Posted on Thursday 29th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Good morning from Naeba everybody. Things are looking absolutely beautiful today with barely a cloud in the sky! As well as this the ski resort is opening up far more terrain today including the Dragondola to Tashiro and both Prince Gondolas Number 1 and Number 2. The only remaining closures are the terrain at the top of the mountain and the Challenge Course Run. Riding conditions are good today with perfectly groomed runs featuring on most parts of the mountain. So get out there and enjoy! The weather forecast is currently predicting heavy snow starting from tonight. Fingers crossed that comes through! 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 -High Speed Lift No.4 09:00-16:30 -High Speed Lift No.3 08:00-17:00 -Prince Gondola No.1 09:00-16:00 -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 Thursday 29th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 140cm Number of days snowfall observed 17 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 26cm (28th December) November 2016 snowfall 17cm observed on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 123cm 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