Independent snow and weather reporting from the Myoko region of Niigata New snowfall at base 33cm Snowfall at base this season 278cm Posted on Wednesday 28th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here . Once again, just when things were looking a little grim (snowpack disappearing, dirt and dog leavings emerging), we're back with some really nice fresh snow. Pretty nice flakes, too, sparkly and big and falling pretty steadily. There was a lot of wind overnight, and a lot of drifting as a result I thought there would be a little deeper snow, but poking into some sheltered areas very early this morning gave me an average of 28cm, with another 5cm since then to now. Could be super nice out there. If there were a deeper base I'd warn about avalanche dangers following all the wind, but it's still hard to get out of bounds due to brush. If you are out there, be careful on lee slopes where snow has piled up. We did have a fatality here a few years ago just off the runs, and just due to a sluff, so always think carefully! Akakura Kanko: 100cm, -5° Akakura Onsen: 110cm, -4° Ikenotaira Onsen: 60cm, -2° Myoko Suginohara: 60cm, -9° Seki Onsen: 110cm, -5° Myoko Ski Park: 80cm, -1° Kyukamura RunRun: 70cm, 0° (how did they LOSE 30cm in one day?) Tangram Ski Circus: 75cm, -4° Madarao Kogen: 60m, -6° Myoko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Wednesday 28th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 278cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 14 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 53cm (12th December) November 2016 snowfall 12cm reported on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 266cm 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 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 6cm Snowfall at base this season 265cm Posted on Tuesday 27th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . It is looking like another great powder day with 6cm of new snow overnight and heavy snow falling at the moment. The flakes coming down are large and very fluffy, and accumulation is building quickly on the ground. There are very light winds and the snow coming down means that visibility is okay but not great. It should improve as the snow fall eases off. All lifts are operating and all courses are expected to be open except for Premium Zone and Giant Course, which looks to be in great shape but has a few dips in the piste. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Tuesday 27th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 265cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 36 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 19 days December 2016 snowfall 155cm reported on 17 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 1cm Snowfall at base this season 265cm Posted on Tuesday 27th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Yesterday... it did get a bit too mild for snowfall and... it rained. Oh dear. It got really foggy too later in the day, or it did where I was anyway. I got caught up in it and quickly decided to head back to my base asap. The good news is that the rain turned into snow and this morning I have a whopping 1cm to report to you. So you can probably take a decent guess at what conditions are going to be like this morning. Around 16th/17th December I remember congratulating people who chose to be here at that time due to the lovely snow conditions we were having. Well, unfortunately the last week has been something of a let down after that. That is of course not to say that there is not a lot of fun to be had - of course; no misunderstandings please! - just that we have not been getting the regular refills that we expect and require. It just goes to show how quickly things can change as well; though once we get into the main season we rightly hope it's more 'on' than 'off'. Taking another look at the updated forecast and it looks like we can expect light snow into tomorrow with perhaps heavier snow due around Thursday and into Friday. Having said that, as I am writing this report it is snowing quite nicely. Continue please! --- Today was that super special 'premium' early lift thing at Niseko Grand Hirafu, if I recall correctly. Wonder how that's going. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -3℃, no snowfall. Moiwa peak: no data. Annupuri 1150m: -11℃, NNE8m/s, light snowfall. Hirafu 1200m: -11℃, N10m/s, snowfall and small snowdrifts. Coastal data: Kamui cape ESE2m/s, 1009hPa, 1.3m waves. Although under typical winter barometric pattern, the isobars are spread out and the weather is relatively calm this morning. Snowdrifts and cornices development is small. The general avalanche risk is low. Too many people are ducking ropes with selfish interpretation. The gate system in Niseko is based on the premise that all users respect the Rules. Neglecting them is not good. The resort is considering partial opening of gates soon, please be patient. Moiwa gate 6 is scheduled to open this weekend as the rescue cat track has been groomed. However, the bushes are still thick. Make conservative decisions. --- Resort specific opening news at time of writing (subject to change during the day): The mountain is nearly (but not yet quite) fully open. Doesn't feel windy here at base but apparently a few top lifts are on hold at the start of the day due to windy conditions in upper areas. Niseko Grand Hirafu The top Ace Number 4 lift remains closed. King Number 4 lift is on stand-by at the start of the day, due to wind conditions. Niseko HANAZONO Resort All lifts plan to be operating as planned. Niseko Village Wonderland Chair is on stand-by at the start of the day, due to wind conditions. Niseko Annupuri All lifts plan to be operating as planned. --- Official resort snow depths as of Tuesday 27th December 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 220cm Base - 75cm Niseko Village Top - 130cm Base - 100cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 105cm Base - 80cm --- 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 Tuesday 27th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 265cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 32 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 155cm reported on 18 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 259cm Posted on Monday 26th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . The weekend provided some great skiing on the snow that was delivered by the storm last week. Notably the temperatures were very cold on both Saturday and Sunday morning, and some kind of face mask was required to ward off the stinging cold. Apart from that small inconvenience those who made it out on Saturday were rewarded with some fantastic December powder skiing and there were plenty of opportunities for fresh tracks. On Sunday, Kitanomine Gondola started operation giving access to the upper half the Kitanomine slopes for the first time. Today there is high cloud sitting above the resort and it doesn't look like we will see any sun during the day. Light snow is coming down, but it is very fine and wont accumulate to much. There may be some moderate snow overnight and then from Thursday continuous snow is on the forecast for at least three days. There was 2cm of snow yesterday so there wont be any untracked snow to ski today but the groomed slopes are in beautiful condition for carving. The 2cm of new snow in today's report fell mid morning yesterday and was not reported yesterday. FURANO ZONE Furano Ropeway 8:30am-15:00pm. Furano Downhill Romance 2 chairlift 8:40am-15:00pm. Furano Downhill Romance 3 chairlift 9:00am-15:00pm. Prince Romance chairlift 8:30am-16:30pm. Downhill Swift Lift 1 9:00am-19:30pm KITANOMINE: Kitanomine Gondola 9:00am-15:00pm Kitanomine Swift Lift 1 8:30am-15:00pm. Kitanomine Romance Lift 2 8:40am-15:00pm. Link Lift 8:45am-15:10pm (Actual operation and times may change without notification). Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 26th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 259cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 35 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 19 days December 2016 snowfall 149cm reported on 16 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 6cm Snowfall at base this season 108cm Posted on Sunday 25th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Merry Christmas from Naeba! Well today should be a good one with a fair amount of snow on the hill and the sun in the sky. Yesterday we had consistent snow fall throughout the day clearing in the evening for the fireworks. The forecast is looking promising for mid and late week so hopefully we'll get a decent amount of fresh in before new year. 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 Naeba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 25th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 108cm Number of days snowfall observed 15 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 19cm (24th December) November 2016 snowfall 17cm observed on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 91cm observed 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 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 Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 7cm Snowfall at base this season 168cm Posted on Sunday 25th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . It is a beautiful Christmas morning here in Shiga Kogen. Some fresh snow on the ground from yesterday and now the sun shining down on us - but it's keeping cold. Perfect really. (For the moment, we could do with more snow of course!) A look at the map and more and more of the resort areas are now open. I'd say it's more like 75% open now which is good to see. Just bits here and there that remain closed. Next up, fully open please! The forecast looks good for decent amounts of fresh snow from Tuesday onwards. Shiga Kogen Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 25th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 168cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 19 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (24th December) November 2016 snowfall 27cm reported on 5 days December 2016 snowfall 141cm 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

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 89cm Posted on Sunday 25th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Good morning from Nozawa. Happy Christmas! This morning there's some lovely blue sky views to be enjoyed on the upper section of the mountain (so the webcams show me) but here at base as I write my report it's foggy and you can't see much of anything at all. I would expect that bank of cloud to clear fairly sharpish this morning and leave us with a fine day. This morning Nozawa Onsen is reporting 5cm of snow on the upper slopes since yesterday evening and adding that to what fell during the day yesterday brings the additional snow up to just over 10cm at higher elevations and up to 4cm on the base areas. Not as much as we would have liked of course, but a fresh supply all the same. I just spotted Santa strapping some skis on and heading up to the lifts, so he's apparently happy with the conditions. The resort has opened up the Rinkan, Challenge and Hikage course areas appear to be open once again so you can now ski back down to base but be aware that snow is very thin on the ground in lower areas. Not sure I'd be taking my new gear out to ride there just yet. There seems to be some conflicting info from official sources this morning about exactly what is open, so I suggest checking with the resort themselves for the latest if you need that. Personally, I'd just be heading up to the upper areas which are all open... best place to be! The forecast is looking quite promising for around Tuesday-Wednesday and then later in the week as well. Still a chance of rain before snow at lower elevations on Tuesday but that should hopefully quickly be turning into snowfall. Lifts that are planned to be operating: All lifts appear to be operating except for: - Hikage quad - Kandahar pair - Nagasaka quad - Nagasaka 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 - Uenotaira course - Paradise course - Paradise link - Mizunashi A - Mizunashi B - Bunabayashi course - Yunomine A course - Yunomine B course - Rinkan course - Challenge course - Hikage - Nagasaka connecting Official snow depths: - Yamabiko: 95cm - Uenotaira: 55cm - Hikage: 25cm - Nagasaka: 25cm - Karasawa: 10cm Fresh snow reported by resort since yesterday morning: - Yamabiko: 11cm - Uenotaira: 10cm - Hikage: 4cm - Nagasaka: 4cm - Karasawa: 0cm Nozawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 25th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 89cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 12 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (11th December) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 days December 2016 snowfall 87cm 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 Nozawa Onsen. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 8cm Snowfall at base this season 134cm Weather overview Clear blue skies Wind Slight Temperature - Visibility Excellent Posted on Sunday 25th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . Good morning from Madarao and Happy Christmas! It's a beautiful morning here with lovely blue skies up there and a real chill in the air too. Really fun day out in the snow yesterday and I even spotted Santa out there. (I heard someone saw him over in Myoko and even Nozawa too - they must have been fakes!) Yesterday Madarao was open for nighta and light snow was falling still but visibility was good. Good to see the floodlights on. The clouds cleared up later on leaving us with this cold morning. Next snow due Tuesday. Lots please! Operating status at Madarao Kogen (at time of report): - Number 1 lift - Number 2 quad lift - Number 5 lift - Super quad lift - Number 11 lift - Number 12 lift - Number 15 lift - Moving walkway - Kids Park - Freeride Park Official snow depth: - 60cm Lifts currently operating at Tangram Ski Circus: - Number 1 - Number 3 - Number 5 - Number 6 Madarao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 25th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 134cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 14 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (on 11th December) November 2016 snowfall 9cm reported on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 125cm reported on 10 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Madarao. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 264cm Posted on Sunday 25th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko and a very Merry Christmas to you all. It was snowing lightly earlier on but that has eased off now and there's more and more blue sky appearing and the sun is currently shining through my window. It is probably going to be a fine day. And look what Santa brought. Just a few cm of fresh on the ground but perhaps more importantly from today the top King Number 4 lift at Niseko Grand Hirafu and the top Jumbo Number 4 lift at Niseko Annupuri debut for the season... and it is now possible to slide between each of the resorts at the top. Yey! Though, the resorts themselves are making a point of warning that conditions aren't great (not sure exactly what they mean by that). It looks like the top lift at Niseko Village isn't budging for the moment. Wherever you are in the world, have a fine day. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -5℃, 2cm snowfall and no snowdrift development. Annupuri 1150m: -11℃, W12m/s, light dust. Moiwa 800m: -8℃, W8m/s, 4cm snowfall and no snowdrifts. Coastal data: Benkei cape WNW12m/s, Kamui cape W12m/s, 1024hPa, 1.0m waves. Observations and impact test showed that the Dec 19th, 21st, 23rd and 24th layers are stable. Avalanche risk is generally low, except in 40+°steep slopes under chairlifts, cliffbands and course-side banks. The snowpack is still insufficient and the out of bounds areas are closed. Yesterday’s tracks aren’t covered. Beware of recklessly speeding Santa-Claus at the resort! --- Resort specific opening news at time of writing (subject to change during the day): The mountain is nearly (but not yet quite) fully open with top lifts. All resort areas appear to be opening as planned at the start of the day. Niseko Grand Hirafu The top King Number 4 lift is now operating. The top Ace Number 4 lift remains closed. Niseko HANAZONO Resort All lifts generally open. Niseko Village The top Wonderland lift is not yet operating. Otherwise open as normal (the Country Road lift is not usually open). Niseko Annupuri All lifts now operating and open as normal. --- Official resort snow depths as of Sunday 25th December 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 230cm Base - 80cm Niseko Village Top - 130cm Base - 100cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 105cm Base - 80cm --- 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 Sunday 25th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 264cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 31 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 154cm reported on 17 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Myoko region of Niigata New snowfall at base 23cm Snowfall at base this season 245cm Posted on Sunday 25th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here . It is really Christmas-y out there today; the trees are covered in white - frosted, we could say - and the sky is a perfect blue. Long-time readers know that I'm not all that crazy about bluebird days during the height of the season. Give me those heavy snows and deep fog to keep the riff-raff out, but even I'll admit that this would be a great day to get out skiing. All the resorts appear to be operating at full strength or close to having all the lifts up and running. Even some of those further south around the mountain who are reporting 40cm or so gave some great skiing, my inside informers tell me. So it's all good, a great big Christmas gift from Mt. Myoko and its big snow shadow to the east. Akakura Kanko: 80cm, -4° Akakura Onsen: 75cm, -6° Ikenotaira Onsen: 40cm, -3° Myoko Suginohara: 40cm, -2° Seki Onsen: 100cm, -5° Myoko Ski Park: 70cm, 0° Kyukamura RunRun: 100cm, -1° Tangram Ski Circus: 60cm, -4° Madarao Kogen: 60cm, -4° Myoko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 25th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 245cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 13 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 53cm (12th December) November 2016 snowfall 12cm reported on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 233cm 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 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 Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 91cm Posted on Saturday 24th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Morning from Zao and just a light sprinkling of fresh snow to report. Better than yesterday which was definitely one to forget, though we still of course need a lot more snow to really get things going properly for the season. If you check the forecast you'll see bits of snow falling here and there over the coming week though there doesn't appear to be anything major over the coming week. Hmmm... In the meantime generally the upper areas of Zao Onsen is open with lower slopes and lifts on standby and waiting. The current snow situation means that the planned light up for tonight has been cancelled (as was last night). The following lifts are not operating: Astraea Number 3 pair Kurohime Number 1 quad Onsen Number 2 quad Onsen Number 3 parallel AB Onsen Number 4 quad Zao Kokutai pair Ryuzan pair Karamatsu pair Sunrise pair AB Nakamori Number 1 triple Nakamori Number 2 pair Zao Paradise Number 3 pair Yokokura Number 1 pair A Yokokura Number 2 Astraea Number 1 pair Astraea Number 2 pair Omori quad Official snow depths: Chuo - 50cm Utopia - 35cm Uwanodai - 15cm Paradise - 40cm Juhyo 'Ice Monsters' Light Up night time Zao Ropeway operations December 2016: 29th-31st January 2017: 1st-3rd, 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, 21st, 22nd, 27th-31st February 2017: 1st-28th March 2017: 1st-5th Operating from 5pm until 9pm; last ropeway up at 7:50pm. Ropeway return charges are 2,600 yen for adults and 1,300 yen for children. In the event of poor weather conditions, operations are sometimes cancelled. Zao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 24th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 91cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 18 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 17cm (on 17th December) November 2016 snowfall 11cm observed on 6 days December 2016 snowfall 80cm observed 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 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 14cm Snowfall at base this season 257cm Posted on Saturday 24th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Wow a perfect morning with great news. There has been an additional 14cm of fresh snow since yesterday. All lifts are operating except the Kitanomine Gondola. More of Kitanomine has been opened up except the terrain that can only be accessed by the Gondola. No wind, blue sky, sunshine and fresh snow will make a great day. With all that fresh snow out there it will be a great powder day. Enjoy! All lifts expected to operate except Kitanomine Gondola. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 24th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 257cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 34 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 19 days December 2016 snowfall 147cm 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 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